A veteran British actor with deep ties to Hollywood has passed away.
The paternal uncle of filmmakers Christopher and Jonathan Nolan — who appeared in several of their projects, including two “Batman” films and the CBS series “Person of Interest” — has died at the age of 87.
Appeared in Dunkirk
According to the Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald, actor John Nolan died Saturday.
Over a career that spanned decades, Nolan became a familiar face in both film and television, including memorable roles in his nephews’ work. He played Wayne Enterprises board member Douglas Fredericks in Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), both directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. He also appeared in Following (1998) and Dunkirk (2017).
On television, he gained a new generation of fans in 2013 when he joined Person of Interest, created by Jonathan Nolan. He portrayed John Greer, a former MI6 agent who becomes the calculating head of Decima Technologies and the face behind the powerful Samaritan A.I.
Born May 22, 1938, in London, Nolan began his career on stage after training at Drama Centre London. Early in his career, he toured with an Irish theater company and performed as Romeo opposite Francesca Annis at Richmond Theatre.
He later joined the Royal Court Company and spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in productions of Julius Caesar, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Relapse. His breakout screen role came in the 1970 BBC miniseries Daniel Deronda, where he played the title character — a performance that helped launch his television career.
How his voice reached a global audience
Following that success, the London native starred in the BBC drama Doomwatch as scientist George Harcastle and appeared in ITV’s Shabby Tiger.
His film credits include Bequest to the Nation (1973), Terror (1978), and The World Is Full of Married Men (1979), along with TV appearances in The Prisoner, General Hospital, and Silent Witness. Nolan’s voice also reached a global audience, as he was featured on international airlines as the voice of Discovery Channel’s in-flight entertainment.
Beyond acting, he also worked behind the scenes, co-writing and starring in a Dostoyevsky trilogy for the Bristol New Vic company in the early 1980s.
John Nolan is survived by his wife, actor Kim Hartman, their children Miranda and Tom, and grandchildren Dylan and Kara — along with a lasting legacy across stage and screen.
