Acting

John Rapley

Born April 18, 1935 · West Ham, Essex, England, UK

Died April 18, 2016 · aged 81

John Rapley was born on 18 April 1935 in West Ham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Elephant Man (1980), Jane and the Lost City (1987) and Goodnight Sweetheart (1993). He died on 18 April 2016 in Theydon Bois, Essex, England, UK.

Known For

The Elephant ManThe Elephant Man · 1980
The Elephant Man
★ 8.01980
MovieDramaHistory
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity.
Jane and the Lost CityJane and the Lost City · 1987
Jane and the Lost City
★ 4.51987
MovieAdventureComedy
Jane and the Colonel must journey to Africa to the lost city to retrieve the diamonds before the Nazis do. Comedy based on the popular wartime comic strip.
TerrorTerror · 1979
Terror
★ 5.31979
MovieHorror
The descendants of a witch-hunting family and their close friends are stalked and killed by a mysterious entity.
Nurse Will Make It BetterNurse Will Make It Better · 1975
Nurse Will Make It Better
★ 8.01975
MovieMysteryHorror
A woman is hired to care for a young paraplegic girl at her father's estate. Unbeknownst to them, the woman is a devil-worshiper who sets out to steer the young girl down the path of evil.
Our Miss FredOur Miss Fred · 1972
Our Miss Fred
★ 6.11972
MovieComedyWar
Danny La Rue stars in this 1970s drag comedy as Fred Wimbush, a Shakespearean actor who is drafted into WWII and is appearing in a camp show in France when the Nazis advance. Unless he continues in his female costume, Fred is certain to be shot as a spy. The risque gags and double entendres fly as he attempts to make his escape in the company of a troupe of Girl Guides.
The Death of GloryThe Death of Glory · 1973
The Death of Glory
1973
Movie
Prevented by health reasons from joining the Army, a man lives out his military fantasies by leading a failing marching band. His life changes when he discovers his beloved ex-Army father has a secret.
The Fools on the HillThe Fools on the Hill · 1986
The Fools on the Hill
1986
MovieDramaTV Movie
This is a dramatisation of the events surrounding the opening night of British television on November 2, 1936 at Alexandra Place in London. It was produced to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
Pit StrikePit Strike · 1977
Pit Strike
1977
Movie
1972: striking miners converge on London's power stations. Among them, the huge, dignified figure of Joshua.

Filmography

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The Onedin LineThe Onedin Line · 1971
The Onedin Line
★ 7.01971
SeriesDrama
The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin. Around this central theme are the lives of his family, most notably his brother and partner, shop owner Robert, and his sister Elizabeth, giving insight into the lifestyle and customs at the time, not only at sea, but also ashore. The series also illustrates some of the changes in business and shipping, such as from wooden to steel ships and from sailing ships to steam ships. It shows the role that ships played in affairs like international politics, uprisings and the slave trade.

Barman

Shine on Harvey MoonShine on Harvey Moon · 1982
Shine on Harvey Moon
★ 7.71982
SeriesDrama
Shine on Harvey Moon! is a British comedy-drama series made by Central Television for ITV from 8 January 1982 to 23 August 1985 and briefly revived in 1995 by Meridian. This generally light-hearted series was created by comedy writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The series is set in the East End of London shortly after the Second World War. Upon being demobbed RAF serviceman Harvey Moon, played by Kenneth Cranham, returns home and finds his family involved in various troubles. His wife Rita, played by Maggie Steed, is not interested in resuming their relationship, and works in a seedy nightclub frequented by American servicemen. He becomes involved with the Labour Party and the union movement. The name of the series is a wordplay on the title of the popular 1908 song 'Shine On, Harvest Moon'. The first series was commissioned and recorded by ATV at their Elstree studios with the remaining series filmed at newly constructed facilities in Nottingham.

Bull

Danger UXBDanger UXB · 1979
Danger UXB
★ 8.01979
SeriesDrama
Danger UXB is a 1979 British television series developed by John Hawkesworth and starring Anthony Andrews as Lieutenant Brian Ash, an officer in the Royal Engineers. The programme is titled and partly based on the memoirs of Major A. B. Hartley, M.B.E, RE, Unexploded Bomb - The Story of Bomb Disposal, with episodes written by Hawkesworth and four screenwriters. The series chronicles the exploits of the fictional 97 Tunnelling Company which, as a result of thousands of unexploded bombs in London during the Blitz, has become a bomb disposal unit. As with all his fellow officers, Ash must for the most part learn the techniques and procedures of disarming and destroying the UXBs through experience, repeatedly confronted with more cunning and deadlier technological advances in aerial bomb fusing. The storylines were primarily military, with a romantic thread between Ash and an inventor's married daughter, and other human interest vignettes.

Silversmith