William Franklyn
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2013) |
William Franklyn | |
---|---|
Born | William Leo Beare 22 September 1925 Kensington, London, England |
Died | 31 October 2006 London, England (prostate cancer) | (aged 81)
Height | 6' (1.83 m) |
Spouse(s) | Margo Johns (1952–1962) (1 child) Susannah Carroll (1969–2006) (2 children) (his death) |
William Leo Franklyn (22 September 1925 – 31 October 2006) was a British actor, perhaps best known for voicing the "Schhh... You Know Who" adverts for Schweppes from 1965 to 1973. He also performed on stage, film, television and radio, taking over from Peter Jones as "The Book" (the narrator) in the third, fourth and fifth radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He is also known for his portrayal of Sexton Blake for BBC Radio 4 in 1967.
Early life
Franklyn was born in
He returned to London, aged 11. He was evacuated to
Career
He appeared in
He went on to perform on the stage, on television and radio, and in several films. He appeared in several films in the 1950s, including
He appeared in London's
Franklyn also was in comedy sketch show What's on Next and was the host of espionage quiz game The Masterspy. He was featured on This Is Your Life (1978), appeared in the 1984 comedy television series The Steam Video Company, and in G.B.H. (1991) and Diana: Her True Story (1993).
He was also known for commercial voice-over work; he appeared on screen in 10 commercials and voiced another 40 from 1965 to 1973. The "Schhh... You Know Who"
He voiced Danger Mouse in the unbroadcast pilot for the British television series (although David Jason replaced him in all broadcast episodes).
On radio, he was the reader of the quotes on
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1952 | Secret People | Surgeon | Uncredited |
1953 | Operation Diplomat | Dr. Gillespie | Uncredited |
1954 | The Runaway Bus | Crook in Opening Sequence | Voice, Uncredited |
1954 | Time Is My Enemy | Sgt. Peter Thompson | |
1954 | The Crowded Day | Studio Official | |
1955 | Out of the Clouds | Control Tower Radio Operator | Uncredited |
1955 | The Love Match | Arthur Ford | |
1955 | Above Us the Waves | No. 1, X2 | |
1957 | Quatermass 2 | Brand | |
1957 | That Woman Opposite | Ned Atwood | |
1957 | The Flesh Is Weak | Lloyd Buxton | |
1958 | The Snorkel | Wilson | |
1959 | Danger Within | Capt. Tony Long | |
1960 | Upgreen – And at 'Em | ||
1960 | The Big Day | Mr. T. Selkirk | |
1961 | Fury at Smugglers' Bay | The Captain | |
1961 | Pit of Darkness | Richard Logan | |
1965 | The Intelligence Men | Colonel Grant | |
1966 | Cul-de-sac | Cecil | |
1972 | Ooh... You Are Awful |
Arnold Van Cleef | |
1973 | The Satanic Rites of Dracula | Torrence | |
1983 | Nutcracker | Sir Arthur Cartwright | |
1993 | Splitting Heirs | Andrews | |
1996 | Robert Rylands' Last Journey | Robert Rylands |
Personal life
Franklyn was married twice: first to Margo Johns in 1952; they had a daughter, actress Sabina Franklyn, but were divorced in 1962. He remarried in 1969; he and his second wife, Susanna, had two daughters, Francesca Franklyn, a film producer, and Melissa Franklyn, an actress.
Franklyn died of prostate cancer on Tuesday, 31 October 2006. His funeral was held on Monday, 6 November 2006 at Mortlake Crematorium, Richmond-Upon-Thames, England.
References
- ^ newspaper obituaries
External links
- William Franklyn at IMDb
- Obituary, BBC News, 31 October 2006
- Obituary[dead link], The Daily Telegraph, 1 November 2006
- Obituary, The Guardian, 1 November 2006
- Obituary, The Independent, 1 November 2006
- Obituary, The Times, 31 October 2006
- [1], "TV.com Danger mouse cast", 31 May 2010