John Henshaw Biography

JOHN HENSHAW

Date of Birth: 1951

John Henshaw, born in Ancoats, a.k.a. Manchester’s “Little Italy,” comes from a family of 12 children. Some of his siblings are also actors, but have not reached the same level of success.

John worked at a variety of jobs, from apprentice motor mechanic to van driver to milk man. After a back injury forced him to discontinue his job as a garbage collector at age 40, he decided to try his hand at acting. He worked as an extra in numerous productions before getting a few lines on the acclaimed Channel 4 mini-series G.B.H.. He achieved recognition when he landed a starring role as Ken the landlord on the BBC sitcom Early Doors and as Wilf Bradshaw on the BBC drama series Born and Bred.

Following his TV success, John earned a role in the feature film Looking for Eric, for which he received a 2009 British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. Roles in other films, such In Our Name, The Second Coming, Closer to the Moon and The Angels’ Share followed.

He is familiar to Downton Abbey fans as Jos Tufton, who romances Mrs. Patmore in several episodes of Season 3 of the popular series. Other TV credits include the ITV Drama Confessions of a Diary Secretary, Nice Guy Eddie and Candy Cabs.

John has also played roles on stage, including Smee in the musical Peter Pan and Terry in The End of the Day. He is a patron of Royton Hospice and Dr. Kershaw's Hospice in Oldham, where he lives with Margaret, his wife of 40 years.

FILMOGRAPHY

Closer to the Moon (2013)
The Angels’ Share (2013)
Just Henry (2011)
Looking for Eric (2010)
Red Riding: 1974 (2010)
Red Riding: 1983 (2010)
South Riding (2010)
In Our Name (2010)
Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday (2009)
Someone Else (2006)
Starter for 10 (2006)
The Second Coming (2003)
This is Not a Love Song (2002)
Happy Now (2001)