John Gregson
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John Gregson (15 March 1919 - 8 January 1975) was a British actor. He was born in Liverpool, England, of Scottish descent, where he was educated at the St Francis Xavier School. He married the actress Thea Gregory, having six children. He appeared in about 40 films in the fifties and sixties, and on television. He was often cast as a police inspector or as a navy or army officer, or for his comedy roles in Ealing and other British films. From 1965 he mainly worked on TV, starring as Commander George Gideon in the series Gideon's Way, known as Gideon C.I.D. in America.
His most famous comedy role was in the film chosen for the Royal Command Performance in 1953, Genevieve, also starring Kenneth More, Dinah Sheridan and Kay Kendall. He also appeared in the Ealing comedies The Titfield Thunderbolt and The Lavender Hill Mob. Kenneth More has been described as his "rival" in British cinema at the time, although Gregson tended to appear in less comedy films and more dramas than More, and was less 'broad' in his performances.
His best known drama films are probably The Battle of the River Plate, Angels One Five and Above Us the Waves. Among his many other roles he had leads in Treasure Island and The Treasure of Monte Cristo. Gregson concentrated on TV from the mid-sixties onwards, including The Saint with Roger Moore and a popular comedy adventure series with Shirley MacLaine; Shirley's World. He took over from Kenneth More in long running TV adverts for coffee on British television.
He appeared in 'It's The Geography That Counts', the last play at the St James's Theatre before its closure in 1957.
John Gregson died from a heart attack in Porlock Weir, Somerset, at the age of 55.
