Michael Jayston

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Michael Jayston
Born
Michael A. James

(1935-10-29)29 October 1935
Nottingham, England
Died5 February 2024(2024-02-05) (aged 88)
Hove, England
Alma materGuildhall School of Music and Drama
OccupationActor
Years active1962–2024
Notable workDoctor Who (1986)
Only Fools and Horses (1996)
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1965; div. 1970)​
  • Heather Sneddon
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1970; div. 1977)​
  • Ann Smithson
    ​
    (m. 1979)​
Children5

Michael A. James (29 October 1935 – 5 February 2024), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971).[1] He also made many television appearances, which included portraying Peter Guillam in 1979 miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, playing the Valeyard in all fourteen episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord (1986), and appearing in the Only Fools and Horses episode "Time on Our Hands" (1996) as Raquel's father, James.

Early life and education[edit]

Michael Jayston was born on 29 October 1935 in West Bridgford, Nottingham.[1] His registered birth name was Michael A. James but what the "A." stood for remains unknown.[2] He was the only son of Aubrey Vincent James (1911–1937)[3] and Edna Myfanwy Medcalfe (1904–1950).[4] His father died of pneumonia when Michael was one, and his mother died when he was a young teenager. Jayston was then raised by his grandmother and an uncle.[1] He attended the Becket RC School on Wilford Lane, West Bridgford.[5] A onetime accountant, he trained in acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.[6]

Career[edit]

Stage[edit]

Jayston began his stage career in 1962 and performed at the Bristol Old Vic and at Stratford-upon-Avon.[6] He starred as Captain von Trapp in the 1981 stage revival of The Sound of Music at the Apollo Victoria (London) alongside Petula Clark who played the role of Maria. In 1984, Jayson starred as Mirabell in a production of William Congreve's The Way of the World at the Haymarket Theatre opposite Maggie Smith and Joan Plowright.[7]

Television[edit]

Jayston played Shakespearean roles on TV including Macbeth in Macbeth (1970), Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice (1973) and Edmund in King Lear (1975). An early recurring television role of his was as civil servant Dowling in the final series of boardroom drama The Power Game in 1969.

In 1972, he played Sir Henry Royce alongside Robert Powell in the episode "Mr. Rolls and Mr. Royce" of the BBC drama series The Edwardians; the following year he took the role of Mr Rochester in a BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre, opposite Sorcha Cusack.

Jayston made two appearances in the anthology series Thriller in 1974, and in 1975 played Quiller, a spy who never used a gun, in the short-lived British TV series of the same name.[8] He appeared as Dornford Yates' gentleman hero Jonathan Mansel in the 1978 BBC adaptation of She Fell Among Thieves. In 1979, he played Peter Guillam opposite Sir Alec Guinness in the series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.[1] In 1983, he appeared, along with Sue Cook, in Arthur Marshall's team on Call My Bluff (Series 18 Episode 11) on 4 July 1983.

Jayston played Neville Badger in the 1989 television adaptation of David Nobbs's comedy of manners A Bit of a Do.[1] He portrayed James Bond in a radio adaptation of You Only Live Twice in 1990. In 1991, he appeared as Colonel Mustard in the television series Cluedo, and a year later made a guest appearance in the Press Gang episode "UnXpected". Other TV appearances include in EastEnders, Coronation Street, Only Fools and Horses,[1] The Darling Buds of May, Tales of the Unexpected, The Bill and the character of Donald De Souza in Emmerdale. He appeared in Foyle's War, Holby City, Sherlock Holmes, Tracy Beaker Returns, and Midsomer Murders.

Doctor Who[edit]

In 1986, Jayston played the role of the Valeyard in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.[7][1] In the serial's conclusion, the Valeyard is revealed to be a manifestation of the Doctor's dark side. He later reprised the part of the Valeyard in He Jests at Scars..., Trial of the Valeyard, The Sixth Doctor: The Last Adventure, and The Eighth Doctor: The Time War 3, audio plays released by Big Finish Productions.

Film[edit]

In 1968 he played Demetrius in Peter Hall's A Midsummer Night's Dream.[1] Two years later in 1970, he played Henry Ireton in Cromwell.[9][1] The following year he starred as Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in the film Nicholas and Alexandra.[10][1]

Jayston appeared as Gratiano opposite Laurence Olivier as Shylock in the National Theatre's film The Merchant of Venice (1974).

Audio[edit]

Jayston recorded most of John le Carré's novels in audiobook format,[11] providing a link with his role as Peter Guillam in the 1979 TV series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He was also the storyteller in the BBC radio readings of the novels Rogue Male and Rogue Justice, both written by Geoffrey Household.

In 1990, he played the role of Ian Fleming's James Bond in a BBC Radio 4 adaptation of You Only Live Twice.[12]

As an official United Kingdom Record Store Day 2017 release, a collaborative double vinyl album between the underground artist Ruben Vine and Jayston, including a 28-page comic, was released. Jayston featured as the narrator on the story-based album entitled The Life & Times of an Imaginary Rock Star, this alternative rock album was described by one reviewer as a punk opera.[citation needed]

A prolific reader for audiobooks, Jayston also recorded audio versions of many of the novels of Alexander Kent - the Richard Bolitho adventures set during the age of sail before and throughout the Napoleonic Wars, Winston Churchill's history of the Second World War, and many others.[13] In the 1970s and 1980s he was also a prolific voiceover for TV adverts in the UK.

Personal life[edit]

Michael Jayston was married three times, to Lynn Farleigh in 1965 and, after his first divorce, to Heather Sneddon in 1970. He remarried in 1979 to Ann Smithson. He had three children with Sneddon and two children with Smithson.[7][1]

Death[edit]

Jayston lived in Hove, Sussex. He died on 5 February 2024, at the age of 88, following a short illness.[11][1]

Select filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Ref.
1970 Cromwell Henry Ireton [1]
1971 Nicholas and Alexandra Tsar Nicholas II of Russia [1][11]
1972 Follow Me! Charles
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Charles Dodgson [1]
1973 Bequest to the Nation Capt. Hardy
The Homecoming Teddy
Tales That Witness Madness Brian (segment 3 "Mel")
1974 Craze Detective Sgt. Wall
The Internecine Project David Baker [14]
1978 Dominique Arnold Craven
1979 Zulu Dawn Col. Crealock [1]
1981 From a Far Country Narrator
1994 Highlander III: The Final Dimension Jack Donovan

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1968 A Midsummer Night's Dream Demetrius [1]
1969 The Power Game Dowling
1970 Mad Jack Siegfried Sassoon
'The Hero of My Life' Charles Dickens
1972 The Edwardians Henry Royce
1973 The Merchant of Venice Gratiano [11]
Jane Eyre Mr Rochester
1974 Thriller Mark Walker "Ring Once for Death" - Roger Masters; "A Coffin for the Bride"
1975 Quiller Quiller
King Lear Edmund [11]
1977 She Fell Among Thieves Jonathan Mansell [1]
1979 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Peter Guillam [1]
1984 Tales of the Unexpected G.B.Shaw "The Best Chess Player in the World"
1986 Doctor Who The Valeyard "The Trial of a Time Lord" [1][11]
1989 A Bit of a Do Neville Badger 13 episodes [1]
1991 Cluedo Colonel Mike Mustard
The Disappeance of Lady Carfax Earl of Rufton "The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (Granada Television)
1992 The Darling Buds of May Ernst Bristow 4 episodes [1]
1995-1996 Outside Edge Bob Willis
1996 Only Fools and Horses James Turner 1 episode: Time on Our Hands [1][11]
2010 Tracy Beaker Returns Mr Spooner [11]
2014 Midsomer Murders Reverend Arthur Gould [1][11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Michael Coveney (5 February 2024). "Michael Jayston obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  2. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 DEC 1935 Volume Number7b Page number397 Nottingham
  3. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 MAR 1937 Volume7b Page229 Nottingham
  4. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 DEC 1950 Volume3c Page363 Nottingham
  5. ^ "The Becket School, Nottingham". 2023. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b Brian McFarlane; Anthony Slide, eds. (2014). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719091384.
  7. ^ a b c Coveney, Michael (5 February 2024). "Michael Jayston obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  8. ^ Lee Goldberg (5 July 2015). Unsold Television Pilots: 1955-1989. Adventures in Television. p. 302. ISBN 978-1-5115-9067-9.
  9. ^ Steven Leonard Jacobs (16 May 2009). Confronting Genocide: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Lexington Books. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-7391-3590-7.
  10. ^ James Monaco (1992). The Movie Guide. Perigee Books. p. 624. ISBN 978-0-399-51780-8.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Vassell, Nicole (5 February 2024). "Michael Jayston death: Only Fools and Horses and Doctor Who actor dies, aged 88". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  12. ^ "BBC One - Doctor Who, Series 4 - The Fourth Dimension". BBC. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Audible.com narrator=Michael Jayston". 2023. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  14. ^ John Willis' Screen World. Crown Publishers. 1975. p. 165.

External links[edit]

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