John Standing
Known for: Acting
Sir John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet (born 16 August 1934) is an English actor and baronet who is known as John Standing. He is the stepson of John Clements. Standing was born in London, the son of Kay Hammond (née Dorothy Katherine Standing), an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, 3rd Baronet, a stockbroker descended from Sir Herbert Leon, the builder of Bletchley Park. He succeeded his father as the 4th baronet in 1964, but does not use the title. The Leon family were, until 1937, owners of Bletchley Park, the country house in Buckinghamshire used in the Second World War as a code-breaking centre. He was educated at Eton College and Millfield School, Somerset. He served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps as a second lieutenant, before going on to study at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London Standing began his career in Peter Brook's 1955 production of Titus Andronicus starring Laurence Olivier and wife Vivien Leigh and later played leading parts in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Christopher Fry's Ring Round the Moon, A Sense of Detachment by John Osborne, and Noël Coward's Private Lives, with Maggie Smith. He was nominated for an Olivier award (1979) for Close of Play at the National Theatre. He made his film debut in The Wild and the Willing (1962), going on to appear in King Rat (1965), Walk, Don't Run (1966), The Psychopath (1966), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), The Elephant Man (1980), Nightflyers (1987), Mrs Dalloway (1997) and A Good Woman (2004). One of his first major television roles was as Sidney Godolphin in the BBC twelve-part serial, The First Churchills (1969). Other television appearances include Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979); the ITV sitcom The Other 'Arf (1980–84), with Lorraine Chase; The Choir (1995) and King Solomon's Mines (2004). In the United States, he made guest appearances in numerous weekly programmes including L.A. Law, Civil Wars and Murder, She Wrote, and co-starred briefly with Robert Wagner and Samantha Smith in the action series Lime Street (1985). In 1976, he also appeared opposite Peter O'Toole in the little-seen BBC thriller film, Rogue Male, directed by Clive Donner. He appeared in the horror film Nightflyers (1987) adapted from a short story by George R. R. Martin. In 2002, he had a speaking credit on Lost Horizons, the second studio album from the British electronic duo Lemon Jelly. On track 1, "Elements", he lists the basic “elements" that make up the world: ash, metal, water, wood, fire and sky. On track 3, "Ramblin' Man", Standing reads a long list of various locations around the world, ranging from small Sussex villages to major world capitals. In July 2010, it was confirmed that he would be appearing as Jon Arryn in the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels.
Filmography
Series
Game of Thrones
Jon Arryn
2011
Series
Midsomer Murders
Charles Rust
1997
Series
Midsomer Murders
Will Tunstall
1997
Series
The Crown
Imbert-Terry
2016
Series
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Colonnel Toby Luttrell
1989
Series
Murder, She Wrote
Arthur Constable
1984
Series
Murder, She Wrote
Chief Daniel Trent
1984
Series
The Avengers
1961
Series
BBC Play of the Month
Jack Chesney
1965
Series
BBC Play of the Month
Cléante
1965
Series
L.A. Law
Nigel Morris
1986
Series
The Saint
Gendarme
1962
Series
Hotel
1982
Series
Hunter
George Franklin
1984
Series
Hart to Hart
1979
Series
Screen Two
Jack
1985
Series
The Wednesday Play
Russ
1964
Series
Lexx
Count Dracul
1997
Series
ITV Playhouse
1967
Series
Space: 1999
Pasc
1975
Series
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
Captain Bluntschli
1969
Series
BBC2 Play of the Week
Captain Winsloe
1977
Film
V for Vendetta
Lilliman
2006
Series
Van der Valk
Ehrlich
1972
Drama 61-67
Ronald Brook
1961
Series
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Lord Amberley
1971
Series
Patrick Melrose
George Watford
2018
Series
Eerie, Indiana
Professor Nigel Zirchon
1991
Series
Borgia
2011
Series
The Vice
Paul Weir
1999
Series
The Main Chance
Lord Radchester
1969
Film
The Elephant Man
Fox
1980
Series
Keen Eddie
2003
Series
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Sam Collins
1979
Series
In Deep
Ritchie
2001
Film
Scoop
Garden Party Guest
2006
Series
Joan of Arc
Archbishop
1999
Series
Gulliver's Travels
Admiral Bolgolam
1996
Series
Longitude
Captain Proctor
2000
Series
A Dance to the Music of Time
Nicholas Jenkins (older)
1997
Series
The Frighteners
Tony Wardle
1972
Series
The Line of Beauty
Lord Kessler
2006
Film
Chaplin
Butler
1992
Series
Murphy's Law
1988
Series
King Solomon's Mines
Dr. Sam Maitland
2004
Series
Lime Street
Edward Wingate
1985
Jubilee 1977
John Tallwatch
1977
Film
The Eagle Has Landed
Father Verecker
1976
Series
Trust
Teresa's Father
2003
Look at the State We're In!
Dr Smith
1995
Series
The Other 'Arf
1980
Series
Armchair Theatre
Sutcliffe
1956
Film
The Man Who Knew Too Little
Embleton
1997
Film
8 ½ Women
Philip Emmenthal
1999
Film
The Contractor
Sir Anthony
2007
Series
The First Churchills
Sidney Godolphin
1969
Film
King Lear
Butler
2018
Film
Lassie
French
2005
Series
Fallen Angel
Voice of Francis Youlgreave
2007
Series
Shillingbury Tales
Dick Firman
1981
Series
Paddington Bear
Mr. Brown
1989
Film
The Sea Wolves
Finley
1980
Film
King Rat
Daven
1965
Film
A Good Woman
Dumby
2004
Film
Rogue Trader
Peter Baring
1999
Film
Nightflyers
D'Branin
1987
Series
The Choir
Bishop Robert Young
1995
Series
Love in a Cold Climate
Lord Montdore
2001
Film
Queen & Country
Grandfather George
2015
Film
The Great Escaper
Arthur
2023
Film
Rogue Male
Major Quive-Smith
1976
Film
Riders
Malise Gordon
1993
Film
Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel
Whitfield
1992
Film
The Iron Maiden
Humphrey Gore-Brown
1963
Film
Chameleons
Henry
1989
Film
The Legacy
Jason Mountolive
1978
Film
The Gathering Storm
Lord Moyne
2002
Film
Mrs. Dalloway
Richard Dalloway
1997
Series
Rosamunde Pilcher: The Other Wife
Lord George Meriot
2012
Film
Au Pair Girls
Buster
1972
Film
The Happy Prince
Dr. Tucker
2018
Film
The Hippopotamus
Podmore
2017
Series
The Endless Game
Belfrage
1989
Film
Churchill's Secret
Lord Camrose
2016
Film
Longitude
Capt. Proctor
2000
Film
I Want Candy
Michael de Vere
2007
Series
Beryl Reid
1977
Film
Hot Enough for June
Men's Room Attendant
1964
Film
Night of the Fox
Alan Stacey
1990
Film
Mad Cows
Politician
1999
Film
Pandaemonium
Rev Holland
2001
Film
Walk Don't Run
Julius D. Haversack
1966
Film
The Woman In White
Mr. Gilmore
1997
Film
All the Right Noises
Bernie
1970
Film
The Real Jane Austen
Mr. Austen
2002
Film
The Calling
Jack Plummer
2000
Film
Animal
Dean Frydman
2005
Film
The Wild and the Willing
Arthur
1962
Film
A Touch of Love
Roger
1969
Film
Can You Hear Me?
Ben
2025
Film
Torture Garden
Leo Winston (segment 3 "Mr. Steinway")
1967
Film
Zee and Co.
Gordon
1972
Film
To Catch a King
The Duke of Windsor
1984
Wine of India
Russ
1970
Film
The Class Of Miss MacMichael
Charles Fairbrother
1978
Film
The Shadow in the North
Webster Garland
2007
Film
The Falklands Play
Rt Hon William Whitelaw CH MC MP (Home Secretary)
2002
Film
Dark Holiday
Charnaud
1989
Film
The Psychopath
Mark Von Sturm
1966
The Old Boy Network
1992
Film
Consenting Adults
Lord Goddard
2007
Film
A Family Affair
Bernard
2019
Film
Witness to a Kill
Foreign Secretary
2001
Film
Shoreditch
Jenson Thackery
2003
Film
The Endless Game
Belfrage
1989
Film
The Last Resort
Mr. Carpenter (voice)
2014
Rabbit Fever
Ally's dad
2006
Film
Privates on Parade
Captain Sholto Savory
1983
Film
The Biko Inquest
Van Rensburg
1984
Charley's Aunt
Jack Chesney
1969
Film
Pygmalion
Colonel Pickering
1983
Film
Churchill and the Movie Mogul
Additional Voices (voice)
2019
Film
The Sinking of the HMS Victoria
Captain Winsloe
1977
Film
Invitation to the Wedding
1983
Film
Queen's Messenger
Foreign Secretary
2001
Film
A Pair of Briefs
Hubert Shannon
1962
Film
Visitors
Jack
1987
Film
The Count of Solar
Coudray
1992
Film
Flapjack Floozie
Dr. Kipper
1988
Film
May… I Have This Dance?
Narrator
2020
Nanny's Boy
John Tallwatch
1977
Sharp at Four
Sutcliffe
1964