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Ronald Allen

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For other people named Ronald Allen, see Ronald Allen (disambiguation).

Ronald Allen
Born
Ronald John Allen

(1930-12-16)16 December 1930
Reading, England
Died18 June 1991(1991-06-18) (aged 60)
London, England
Resting placeReading Cemetery and Crematorium, Reading, England
OccupationActor
Years active1957–1990
Spouse
​
(m. 1991)​
PartnerBrian Hankins (died 1978)

Ronald John Allen (16 December 1930[1] – 18 June 1991) was an English actor. He is most well known for playing David Hunter in the long-running ITV soap opera Crossroads, a role he played from 1969 to 1985.

Biography

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Allen was born in Reading, Berkshire. He studied at Leighton Park School in Reading and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, where he won the John Gielgud Scholarship. He worked in repertory theatre and had a season at the Old Vic in London. Allen also appeared in several films, including A Night to Remember (1958) about the sinking of the Titanic,[2] the espionage film A Circle of Deception (1960), the British horror films The Projected Man (1966) and The Fiend (1972), the war film Hell Boats (1970), and the black comedy Eat the Rich (1987).

After roles in the BBC soaps Compact (1963–64) and United! (1966–67)[3] came his best-remembered role, in the long-running soap Crossroads (1969–85). Allen played David Hunter, who was a shareholder of the Crossroads Motel with Meg Mortimer, Tish Hope and Bernard Booth. He also twice appeared as a guest star in the science fiction programme Doctor Who, in the stories The Dominators (1968) and The Ambassadors of Death (1970).

Allen also frequently appeared as a guest in The Comic Strip Presents.[3] In the first episode, Five Go Mad in Dorset (1982), which spoofed Enid Blyton's The Famous Five stories, he makes a surprise appearance as Uncle Quentin; deliberately sending up his staid image, he most memorably told The Famous Five, "Your Aunt Fanny is an unrelenting nymphomaniac – and I am a screaming homosexual". Allen reprised the role in the sequel Five Go Mad on Mescalin (1983), and also appeared in South Atlantic Raiders Part 2 (1990), The Strike (1988) and Oxford (1990), in addition to the feature film The Supergrass (1985). There was much comic mileage to be gained from Allen sending up his conservative image. In a 1987 interview, he said that he was approached by a very intimidating-looking punk who shook his hand and said, "I thought you were really cool in The Supergrass". Then, as he was about to walk away, he turned back and said, almost apologetically, "I loved you in Crossroads too!"

His other screen appearances included roles in television's The Adventures of Robin Hood (1957), Danger Man (1960, 1961), The Avengers (1964), and Bergerac (1990).

Allen's performance as David Hunter was also the inspiration for "Mr Clifford" in Victoria Wood's spoof soap Acorn Antiques in her 1980s comedy sketch series Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV. Duncan Preston played the role, mimicking Allen's appearance, mannerisms and particularly his "absurdly plummy" manner of speech.[4]

In the 2023 ITVX miniseries Nolly, which dramatised the life of his former Crossroads colleague Noele Gordon, Allen was portrayed by Richard Lintern.[5]

Personal life

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Allen was in a relationship with actor Brian Hankins, who also appeared in Crossroads. They lived together for many years, until Hankins' death in 1978.

Allen was also very close friends with his co-star and on-screen wife, Sue Lloyd. The two became a couple and made their relationship public when the British media started to intrude into their private lives. In March 1991, when Allen learned that he had terminal cancer, he and Lloyd got engaged and married in May 1991. He died six weeks later, on 18 June 1991, at the age of 60. Lloyd died of cancer in 2011.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1958 A Night to Remember Mr. Clarke
1960 Circle of Deception Abelson
1963 Cleopatra Minor role Uncredited
1966 The Projected Man Dr. Chris Mitchel
1970 Hell Boats Commander Ashurst, R. N.
1972 The Fiend Paul
1985 The Supergrass Commander Robertson
1987 Eat the Rich Commander Fortune

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1957 Producers' Showcase Benvolio Episode: "Romeo and Juliet"
ITV Play of the Week Julian Episode: "The Green Bay Tree"
Paul Episode: "Mrs. Willie"
The Adventures of Robin Hood Walter Neville Episode: "The Bride of Robin Hood"
Armchair Theatre Jimmy Episode: "Dear Murderer"
Episode: "The Women Have Their Way"
1958 Gustave Episode: "The Lady of Camellias"
1959 Mr. Burch Episode: "My Guess Would Be Murder"
Playhouse 90 Tommy Episode: "Dark as the Night"
1960 Schilling Playhouse Christopher Johns Episode: "The Big Miracle"
The Four Just Men Ted Episode: "The Bystanders"
Danger Man Walter Bernard Episode: "Colonel Rodriguez"
Ted Baker Episode: "The Honeymooners"
1962 Drama 61-67 Tommy Prince Episode: "Drama '62: The Days and Nights of Beebee"
1962–1965 Compact Ian Harmon Series regular
1963 BBC Sunday-Night Play The Passenger Episode: "Night Express"
No Hiding Place Derek Breen Episode: "Expert with Salt"
1964 The Avengers Allan Paignton Episode: "The Secrets Broker"
1966–1967 United! Mark Wilson Series regular
1967 No Hiding Place Captain Jeffrey Sangster Episode: "A Through and Through with Powder"
The Dick Emery Show 1 episode
Half Hour Story Hugh Banks Episode: "Quick on the Takeover"
1968 Doctor Who Rago The Dominators – 5 episodes
1969 The Root of All Evil? Gerald Episode: "What's in It for Me?"
1970 Doctor Who Ralph Cornish The Ambassadors of Death – 7 episodes
1971 The Liver Birds Derek Episode: "The New Neighbour"
1972–1985 Crossroads: Kings Oak David Hunter Series regular
1982–1983 The Comic Strip Present... Uncle Quentin 2 episodes
1988 Prime Minister Episode: "The Strike"
1989 Generations Lloyd Bradfield Series regular
1990 Bergerac Giles Grey Episode: "My Name's Sergeant Bergerac"
The Comic Strip Present... Captain Phillips Episode: "South Atlantic Raiders: Part 2 Argie Bargie!"
Professor Roland Breeze Episode: "Oxford"

References

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Citations

  1. ^ "The Ronald Allen Tribute Page".
  2. ^ Massingberd (2001), pp. 146–147
  3. ^ a b Massingberd (2001), p. 147
  4. ^ Rees, Jasper (October 2020). Let's Do It: the Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood. London: Trapeze. ISBN 978-1409184102. OCLC 1226752410. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Nolly cast: Meet the actors and their real-life counterparts". Radio Times. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.

Bibliography

  • Massingberd, Hugh, ed. (2001) [1987], "Ronald Alen", The Very Best of the Daily Telegraph Books of Obituaries, Pan Books, pp. 144–148, ISBN 978-0-330-48470-1
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