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John Shrapnel

Cast & creator

John Shrapnel

1942-04-27 (died at 77) Birmingham, England, UKIMDb

Best known for Midsomer Murders, Midsomer Murders, Private Schulz

Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy (née Edwards) and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel.[1] As a stage actor, he was a member of Laurence Olivier's Royal National Theatre company and the Royal Shakespeare Company and most recently appeared as Sir Oliver Surface in The School for Scandal (directed by Deborah Warner) at the Barbican Centre in 2011. He has also appeared extensively in film and on television in roles in Elizabeth R, Z-Cars, Edward and Mrs. Simpson, 101 Dalmatians, Space: 1999, Inspector Morse, Coogan's Run, Notting Hill and Foyle's War. He presented an episode of the 1983 BBC television travel series Great Little Railways. He gave performances in three entries in the BBC Television Shakespeare plays and as Creon in the BBC's 1984 productions of the Three Theban plays of Sophocles. In America, he has starred in supporting roles as Senator Gaius in Gladiator, Nestor in Troy and Pompey in the second episode of Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. He also played the Jail Warden in the 10th Kingdom, an epic fantasy miniseries. He has the rare achievement of appearing in two episodes of Midsomer Murders as two different characters, in Death in Chorus and Written in Blood. Shrapnel appeared in an episode of Jonathan Creek as Professor Lance Graumann in the episode The Omega Man. He appears in Chemical Wedding alongside Simon Callow, telling the tale of the resurrection of occultist Aleister Crowley. Shrapnel also has experience in the field of BBC radio drama through such characters as Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse and William Gibson's Neuromancer. He is the son-in-law of Deborah Kerr through his 1975 marriage to her younger daughter Francesca Ann Bartley. They have three sons, the actors Lex Shrapnel (b.1979), Tom Shrapnel (b.1981) and the writer Joe Shrapnel (b.1976). They live in Highbury, north London.

Also known as: John Morley Shrapnel

Movies

80

film credits

Series

54

television credits

Career

134

1965–2022 · acting roles

Credit score

7.0

average across scored titles

Signature credits

Known for

Ordered by popularity

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders

Max Jennings · 1997

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders

Leo Clarke · 1997

Private Schulz

Private Schulz

German Newsreel Commentator (voice, uncredited) · 1981

Screen Two

Screen Two

Rev. Charles Tucker Eland · 1985

Screen Two

Screen Two

Heiger · 1985

Across film & television

Filmography (134)

Search filmography

Showing 134 of 134 credits

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders

Max Jennings

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders

Leo Clarke

Private Schulz

Private Schulz

German Newsreel Commentator (voice, uncredited)

Screen Two

Screen Two

Rev. Charles Tucker Eland

Screen Two

Screen Two

Heiger

Merlin

Merlin

The Sarrum

BBC Play of the Month

BBC Play of the Month

Duke of Cornwall

BBC Play of the Month

BBC Play of the Month

Viktor Myshlaevsky

ITV Playhouse

ITV Playhouse

Schoner

Natural World

Natural World

Narrator

Waking the Dead

Waking the Dead

John Christie

New Tricks

New Tricks

DAC John Felsham

Omnibus

Omnibus

Zborowski

Gladiator

Gladiator

Gaius

Foyle's War

Foyle's War

Raymond Brooks

Space: 1999

Space: 1999

Jack Tanner

Troy

Troy

Nestor

Jonathan Creek

Jonathan Creek

Prof. Lance Graumann

Wycliffe

Wycliffe

Dr. Sam Malvern

Justice

Justice

Roger Anderson

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries

Sergent Mike McCaffrey

BBC2 Play of the Week

BBC2 Play of the Week

McKendrick

BBC2 Play of the Week

BBC2 Play of the Week

Robert

The Chief

The Chief

Dan Cheyney

101 Dalmatians

101 Dalmatians

Skinner

Between the Lines

Between the Lines

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dunning

Between the Lines

Between the Lines

D.C.C. Dunning

Kavanagh Q.C.

Kavanagh Q.C.

Mr. Justice Griffin

Notting Hill

Notting Hill

PR Chief

The Modern World: Ten Great Writers

The Modern World: Ten Great Writers

Thomas Mann

Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire

Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire

Pompey

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales

Claudius / The Ghost (voice)

The Duchess

The Duchess

General Grey

The 10th Kingdom

The 10th Kingdom

Governor of Prison

The Awakening

The Awakening

Reverend Hugh Purslow

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Lord Howard

K-19: The Widowmaker

K-19: The Widowmaker

Admiral Bratyeev

Edward and Mrs Simpson

Edward and Mrs Simpson

Major Alexander Hardinge

Mr. Palfrey of Westminster

Mr. Palfrey of Westminster

Adrian Vyner

Elizabeth R

Elizabeth R

Earl of Sussex

Mirrors

Mirrors

Lorenzo Sapelli

G.B.H.

G.B.H.

Dr Jacobs

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

Lord Steyne

Fatherland

Fatherland

General Globus

Armchair Thriller

Armchair Thriller

Vincent Craig

I Am Not an Animal

I Am Not an Animal

Narrator (voice)

Selling Hitler

Selling Hitler

Gerd Schülte-Hillen

Plays for Britain

Plays for Britain

Voice of Leonard Brazil

Coogan's Run

Coogan's Run

Douglas Crown

Invasion: Earth

Invasion: Earth

Air Marshal Bentley

Apparitions

Apparitions

Cardinal Bukovak

Screenplay

Screenplay

Matthias Erzberger

True Tilda

Reverand Glasson

Blackeyes

Blackeyes

Detective Blake

Nicholas and Alexandra

Nicholas and Alexandra

Petya

About Face

The Body

The Body

Moshe Cohen

For the Greater Good

For the Greater Good

Norman May-Boys MP

Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters

Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters

General Charette

King Charles III

King Charles III

Archbishop of Canterbury

Two Deaths

Two Deaths

Cinca

Alien Autopsy

Alien Autopsy

Michael Kuhn

Bodyguards

Bodyguards

Commander Alan MacIntyre

The Woman in White

The Woman in White

Sir Percival Glyde

Hennessy

Hennessy

Tipaldi

How to Get Ahead in Advertising

How to Get Ahead in Advertising

Psychiatrist

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Simon

Predators Killing for a Living

Predators Killing for a Living

Personal Services

Personal Services

Lionel

National Theatre Live: Macbeth

National Theatre Live: Macbeth

Duncan/Seyton/Old Man

Centrepoint

Claud Wareing

Theban Plays: Oedipus the King

Theban Plays: Oedipus the King

Creon

Good Girl

Christopher Wimple

Pope Joan

Pope Joan

Father James

Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale

Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter's Tale

Camilo

The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka

The Strange Case of Delfina Potocka

Iwaszkiewicz

Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus

Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus

Creon

Flayed

Flayed

Robert

Poppyland

George Sims

The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story

The Tragedy of Flight 103: The Inside Story

BKA Police Chief

King Lear

King Lear

Earl of Kent

Shadow of the Sword

Shadow of the Sword

Archbishop

Selling Hitler

Selling Hitler

Gerd Schulte-Hillen

The Three Hostages

Gaudian

Solo Shuttle

Cain

The Misfit and the Matterhorn

The Misfit and the Matterhorn

Narrator

Sorrell and Son

Sorrell and Son

Thomas Roland

Edward & Mrs. Simpson

Edward & Mrs. Simpson

Maj. Alexander Hardinge

Once Upon a Time on the Westway

Once Upon a Time on the Westway

Billy Palmer

The Lions Rule

The Lions Rule

Narrator (voice)

Gossip from the Forest

Gossip from the Forest

Matthias Erzberger

Troilus & Cressida

Troilus & Cressida

Hector

Chemical Wedding

Chemical Wedding

Crowley

Theban Plays: Antigone

Theban Plays: Antigone

Creon

National Theatre Live: Phèdre

National Theatre Live: Phèdre

Théramène

Timon of Athens

Timon of Athens

Alcibiades

Professional Foul

Professional Foul

McKendrick

Testimony

Testimony

Andre Zhdanov

Hamlet Within

Hamlet Within

Alone

Alone

Hannah

Run.

Run.

St. Peter

Alien Empire

Alien Empire

Narrator

Horizon: Supermassive Black Holes

Horizon: Supermassive Black Holes

Narrator

The Ha-Ha

Jamie

OXI, an Act of Resistance

Creon

Hindenburg: Titanic of the Skies

Hindenburg: Titanic of the Skies

Himself (Narrator)

The Race for Everest

The Race for Everest

Narrator

King Arthur: His Life and Legends

King Arthur: His Life and Legends

King Lear

King Lear

Duke of Cornwall

England, My England

England, My England

Samuel Pepys

An Organization of Dreams

An Organization of Dreams

Father

The Burston Rebellion

The Burston Rebellion

Rev. Charles Tucker Eland

It's Called the Sugar Plum

Wally Zuckerman

The Gentleman Thief

The Gentleman Thief

Monty Sinclair

Hamlet

Hamlet

Claudius/Ghost

SS-3: The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich

Narrator

Whistle

Whistle

Paul

Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2

Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2

Narrator

Claim

Claim

Lex Vandenberg

Wild Women of Viramba

Narrator

Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece

Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece

Narrator

The Tom Machine

Animals of the Ocean Desert

Animals of the Ocean Desert

Narrator

Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt

Seven Wonders of Ancient Egypt

Narrator

Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome

Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome

Narrator

Hamlet

Hamlet

Claudius

Britain's Nuclear Bomb - The Inside Story

Britain's Nuclear Bomb - The Inside Story

Narrator (Voice)

The Return of the Flying Scotsman

Narrator - (Voice)

Partition

Partition

General Flood

The Victim

Vincent Craig

Building Burma's Death Railway: Moving Half the Mountain

Building Burma's Death Railway: Moving Half the Mountain

Narrator

Hitting Town

Leonard Brazil (voice)

Lion Queen

Lion Queen

Narrator (voice)

Lost on Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine

Lost on Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine

Self - Narrator