John Julian Somers (12 November 1903 – 11 November 1976), known as Julian Somers, was a prolific English stage and screen actor.
Career By 1934, Somers was appearing in rep at Croydon.“LONDON THEATRES: CROYDON REPERTORY” in The Stage (London), Thursday 28 June 1934, p. 10 In 1937, he was on stage in Jeffrey Dell's play Night Alone at the Embassy Theatre with Alexander Archdale.“LONDON THEATRES: THE EMBASSY” in The Stage, Thursday 4 February 1937, p. 10 In 1944, he appeared as the White Rabbit in a stage production of Alice in Wonderland.“LEWIS CARROLL'S AND TENNIEL'S MAGIC STAGED: ALICE IN WONDERLAND” in The Sketch, Wednesday 26 January 1944, pp 14–15
Early film roles came in The Peterville Diamond (1942) and Caravan (1946). Outside his developing screen career as a supporting actor, Somers continued to be heard in BBC radio productions and to appear in West End theatre plays and reviews.Frances Stephens Rockliff, Theatre World Annual (London): A Pictorial Review of West End Productions with a Record of Plays and Players, Issue 15 (1964), p. 30 In 1952 he appeared in the West End in Raymond Massey's Hanging Judge.
Private life In October 1939, Somers was living with his mother, Ethel M. Somers, at Wolnoth, Park Lane, Leatherhead, and was registered as an actor.National Registration Act 1939, Park Lane, Leatherhead, ancestry.co.uk, accessed 26 January 2021 In the summer of 1950, he married Betty Margaret Newcombe at Finsbury.“SOMERS John J / NEWCOMBE Finsbury 5c 1320” in General Register Office Index to Marriages in England and Wales (1950, 3rd Quarter) They had three sons and a daughter.
Death Somers died in London in 1976, aged 72. At the time of his death, he was living at 33, Wharton Street, Clerkenwell.”SOMERS John Julian of 33 Wharton Street WC1 died 11 November 1976” in Probate Index for England and Wales (1976), p. 7814 He was cremated at Islington.Cremation register summary Somers John Julian, deceasedonline.com, accessed 26 January 2021: “Somers John Julian cremation date 17 November 1976 location Islington”
Filmography Film The Peterville Diamond (1942) as Andre Caravan (1946) as Manoel The Small Back Room (1949) as Dr Bryan Diamond City (1949) as van Niekerk Hunted (1952) as Jack Lloyd The Gambler and the Lady (1952) as LicasiHoward Maxford, Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company (2019), p. 302 The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) as Posse leader Three Steps to the Gallows (1953) as John Durante The Long Memory (1953) as Delaney Fatal Journey (1954) as Goff The Battle of the River Plate (1956) as Quartermaster of Graf Spee The Moonraker (1957) as Captain Foster The One That Got Away (1957) as Railway Booking ClerkNik Havert, The Golden Age of Disaster Cinema: A Guide to the Films, 1950-1979 (McFarland, 2019), p. 31 Time Without Pity (1957) as First Warder Battle of the V-1 (1957) as Reichsfuehrer Miracle in Soho (1957) as Potter A Night to Remember (1958) as Bull Another Time, Another Place (1958) as Hotel Manager Room at the Top (1959) as St Clair The Giant Behemoth (1959) as Rear Admiral Summers Sink the Bismarck! (1960) as Civilian on HMS Prince of Wales Reluctant Bandit (1965) Far from the Madding Crowd (1967) as Jan CogganPaul J. Niemeyer, Seeing Hardy: Film and Television Adaptations of the Fiction of Thomas Hardy (McFarland, 2015), p. 256 The Snow Goose (1971) as Jim
Television Saturday Playhouse: episode "Britannia of Billingsgate" (1958) as Brizzi The Adventures of Robin Hood: episode “The Crusaders” (1958) as Sir Paul Armchair Theatre: episode "Hanging Judge" (1958) as Ronald Pond Television Playwright: episode "The Brittle Bond" (1958) as Young The Invisible Man: episode “Blind Justice” (1958) as Simmons The Avengers: episode "Man in the Mirror" (1963) as Mike Brown Coronation Street (1963) as Ministry of Pensions Supervisor Moonstrike: episode "The Bells Are Silent" (1963) as Major Richter Gideon's Way: episode “The Great Plane Robbery” (1965) as Cameron ITV Play of the Week: episode The Winds of Green Monday (1965) as Bosun Brien Object Z (1965) as the Prime Minister Sir John Chandos Thursday Theatre: episode “Celebration” (1965) as Arthur Broadbent The Newcomers (1967-1969) as William Pargeter Crossroads (1970) as Mr. Sinclair ...And Mother Makes Five (1974-1975) as Mr. Turnbull Churchill's People: episode “A Wilderness of Roses” (1975) as John Mauteby
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External links
Julian Somers, aveleyman.com