Editing John Sessions

{{Short description|British actor and comedian (1953–2020)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = John Sessions
| image              = GAA0084.jpg
| caption            = Sessions in 2018
| birth_name         = John Marshall
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|df=yes|1953|1|11}}
| birth_place        = [[Largs]], Scotland, or [[Bedford]], England{{efn|name = Birth|While Sessions is often reported to have been born in [[Largs]], Ayrshire,<ref name="Ind_8508264"/> the ''[[Dictionary of National Biography]]'', citing his birth certificate,<ref name = ODNB/> give his place of birth as [[Bedford]], which is also where his birth was registered.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=sKm%2Fy8IfHrH%2Fo25eZOVNcA&scan=1|title=Index entry|accessdate=15 September 2024|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref>}}
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2020|11|02|1953|1|11|df=y}}
| death_place        = London, England
| occupation         = Actor, comedian
| television         = ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway? (British TV series)|Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'' (UK)<br />''[[Stella Street]]''
| education          = [[Bangor University|University College of North Wales]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]])<br>[[McMaster University]]<br>[[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| years_active       = 1980–2020
}}
'''John Sessions''' (born '''John Marshall;''' 11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020) was a British actor and comedian. He was known as a regular performer on comedy improvisation show ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway? (British TV series)|Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'', as co-creator, co-writer and co-star of the sitcom ''[[Stella Street]]'', as a panellist on ''[[QI]]'', and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/search?q=Marshall%2C+John+Gibb%2C+%28John+Sessions%29%2C+%2811+Jan.+1953%E2%80%932+Nov.+2020%29%2C+actor%2C+writer|title=Search Results for Marshall, John Gibb, (John Sessions), (11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020), actor, writer|website=WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO}}</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00940gq|title=BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, John Sessions|website=BBC|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

==Early life==
John Sessions was born as '''John Marshall''' on 11 January 1953{{efn|name = Birth}} to John and Esme (née Richardson) Marshall.<ref name = ODNB>{{cite ODNB|title = Sessions, John [real name John Marshall] (1953–2020), comedian, actor, and writer|last = Hayward|first = John|doi = 10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000381700|date = 2024}}</ref> His family was Scottish; his father was a gas engineer from [[Largs]], Ayrshire, and his mother was from [[Glasgow]].<ref name = ODNB/> He had an older brother, Bill, and a twin sister, Maggie.<ref name="Ind_8508264">{{cite news | last = Mesure | first = Susie | title = John Sessions: 'I do tend to sound like a bit of a creep' | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-sessions-i-do-tend-to-sound-like-a-bit-of-a-creep-8508264.html | location = London | work = [[The Independent]] | publisher = Independent Print Ltd | date= 24 February 2013 | access-date = 26 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112040000/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/john-sessions-i-do-tend-sound-bit-creep-8508264.html|archive-date=12 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> He was raised in [[Bedford]] and [[St Albans]].<ref name = ODNB/><ref name="Ind_8508264"/>

===Education===
Sessions was educated at [[Bedford Modern School]], an independent school for boys (now co-educational), and [[Verulam School]], [[St Albans]], followed by the [[Bangor University|University College of North Wales]] in [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]], from which he graduated with an [[Master of Arts|MA]] in [[English literature]].<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> At university, he had begun to appear to audiences with his comedy in shows such as "Look back in Bangor" and "Marshall Arts". He later studied for a PhD on [[John Cowper Powys]] at [[McMaster University]] in [[Hamilton, Ontario]], Canada, although he did not complete the doctorate.<ref name=Ind_8508264 />

This period in his life was unhappy.<ref name="scotsman.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/film/john-sessions-on-playing-scots-legend-harry-lauder-1-3444350|title=John Sessions on playing Scots legend Harry Lauder|website=Scotsman.com|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> In a "Worst of Times" column for ''[[The Independent]]'' from around 1990, he talked of how the freezing Canadian weather had depressed him, he was smoking "far too many cigarettes" and "had a couple of disastrous flings", and described his PhD dissertation as "200 pages of rubbish".<ref name="scotsman.com"/>

==Career==
Sessions attended [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art|RADA]] in the late 1970s, studying alongside [[Kenneth Branagh]]; the two would work together on many occasions later in their careers.<ref name="auto2">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/14/john-sessions-interview-comedy-pudsey-the-dog-the-movie|title=John Sessions, comedy pioneer: 'I lost my way'|first=Stephen|last=Moss|date=14 July 2014|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> His name change occurred when he became a performer, owing to the presence of a John Marshall already on the [[British Actors' Equity Association|Equity]] register.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/actor-john-sessions-lawyer-malcolm-2655925|title=Actor John Sessions and lawyer Malcolm Evans among Bangor University's honorary fellowships|first=Rhodri|last=Barker|date=10 July 2012|website=northwales|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> In the early 1980s, he worked on the small venue comedy circuit with largely improvised freewheeling fantasy [[monologue]]s. He topped a double bill with [[French and Saunders]] during this period.<ref name="Ind_8508264"/> He had a number of small parts in films including ''[[The Sender]]'' (1982), ''[[The Bounty (1984 film)|The Bounty]]'' (1984) and ''[[Castaway (film)|Castaway]]'' (1986).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=15647|title=John Sessions|website=Aveleyman.com|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

Sessions played to his strengths in improvisation and comedy with his one-man stage show ''Napoleon'', which ran in London's [[West End of London|West End]] for some time in the mid-1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4715084/Lord-its-hard-to-be-humble.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160226170343/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4715084/Lord-its-hard-to-be-humble.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 February 2016|title=Lord, it's hard to be humble|date=31 July 1998|access-date=1 April 2019|website=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> He and [[Stephen Fry]] were the only two regular panellists on the original radio broadcast of ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway? (British TV series)|Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'' in the late 1980s. When the show, still hosted by [[Clive Anderson]], made the transition to television, Fry departed from regular appearances, but Sessions remained the featured panellist for the first season. A frequent player in the second, he did not appear again after his two appearances in the third series.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/dec/13/clive-anderson-whose-line-is-it-anyway-30th-anniversary-shows|title=Clive Anderson on Whose Line Is It Anyway? We were making it up as we went along|first=Clive|last=Anderson|date=13 December 2018|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

A gifted impressionist who also voiced characters for ''[[Spitting Image]]'', he drew heavily on his extensive literary education and developed a reputation for being "a bit of a swot", being able to quote extensive passages of text and make endless cultural and historical references.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b0v5xg|title=BBC Radio 4 – Six Degrees of John Sessions, Series 1, Episode 3|website=BBC|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> His ready ability to switch between accents and personae meanwhile allowed his career in improvisation to flourish. On ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'', his ability to affect the contrived witticisms of ''[[Restoration Comedy]]'' became an audience favourite. In 1987 he played Lionel Zipser in [[Channel 4]]'s mini-series ''[[Porterhouse Blue (TV series)|Porterhouse Blue]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/porterhouse_blue/|title=Porterhouse Blue – C4 Comedy Drama|website=British Comedy Guide|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

In 1989, he starred in his own one-man TV show, ''John Sessions''.<ref name="Ind_8508264"/> Filmed at the [[Donmar Warehouse]] in London, the show involved Sessions performing before a live audience who were invited to nominate a person, a location and two objects from a selection, around which Sessions would improvise a surreal performance for the next half-hour.<ref name="scotsman.com"/> This series prompted two further one-man TV shows: ''John Sessions' Tall Tales'' (1991) and ''John Sessions' Likely Stories'' (1994).<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/john_sessionss_likely_stories/|title=John Sessions's Likely Stories – BBC2 Comedy|website=British Comedy Guide|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> Although billed as improvisation, these were increasingly pre-planned.<ref name="auto1"/> In an interview headlined 'Who The Hell Does John Sessions Think He Is?' in ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine in the early 1990s, he admitted that some of his improv was not entirely spontaneous, but that if it were advertised as scripted 'it had to be funnier'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qitranscripts.com/transcripts/6x11|title=Series 6, Episode 11 – QI Transcripts dot com|website=Qitranscripts.com|access-date=1 April 2019}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 1991 also saw Sessions in the BBC drama ''Jute City'', a three-part thriller based around a sinister [[Freemasonry|Masonic]] bunch of villains, co-starring with vocalist [[Fish (singer)|Fish]] (Derek W. Dick, singer in the first incarnation of rock band [[Marillion]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vhistory.wordpress.com/2014/08/05/jute-city-tape-1290/|title=Jute City – tape 1290|website=Vhistory.wordpress.com|date=5 August 2014|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

In 1994, Sessions auditioned for the role of the [[Eighth Doctor]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Segal|first=Philip|author2=Gary Russell |year=2000|title=Doctor Who:Regeneration|location=London|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=0-00-710591-6}}</ref> In 1996, he was commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts to write "Paint, said Fred", the life of [[Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton|Frederic, Lord Leighton]], the pre-eminent Victorian artist, in a one-man show that used his comic writing abilities and his gift for impersonation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sessions-john-1953|title=Sessions, John 1953|website=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

Sessions also starred in ''[[Stella Street]]'', a surreal "soap opera" comedy about a fantasy suburban British street inhabited by celebrities such as [[Michael Caine]] and [[Al Pacino]], which he conceived with fellow impressionist [[Phil Cornwell]], the two of them playing several parts in each episode.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/oct/01/stella-street-jagger-richards-bowie-caine-nicholson|title=Stella Street box set review: just popping down the shop to see Mick and Keef|first=George|last=Bass|date=1 October 2015|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

Sessions later returned to formal acting, with parts ranging from [[James Boswell]] (to [[Robbie Coltrane]]'s [[Samuel Johnson]]) in the UK TV comedy drama ''Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the [[Western Isles]]'' (1993) to Doctor Prunesquallor in the [[BBC]] adaptation of  ''[[Gormenghast (TV serial)|Gormenghast]]'' (2000) and in 1998 as Hercules Fortesque, a BBC HR manager in the BBC mini-series ''In The Red'' adapted from the book and the BBC radio series by Mark Taverner.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mwft8|title=BBC Two – ScreenPlay, Series 8, Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles|website=BBC|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> He provided the voice of the Professor in ''[[The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996 film)|The Adventures of Pinocchio]]'' in 1996.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/237596541/Pinocchio|title=Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi and John Sessions – Listen Online|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> He also appeared in several [[Shakespeare]] films, playing Macmorris in [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s ''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]'' (1989), Philostrate in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 film)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' (1999), and Salerio in the movie ''[[The Merchant of Venice (2004 film)|The Merchant of Venice]]'' (2004), with [[Al Pacino]] and [[Jeremy Irons]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0785938/bio|title=John Sessions|website=IMDb|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> He also contributed "[[Sonnet 62]]" to the 2002 [[compilation album]] ''[[When Love Speaks]]'' ([[EMI Classics]]), which consists of famous actors and musicians interpreting Shakespearean [[sonnet]]s and play excerpts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-When-Love-Speaks/master/1078436|title=Various – When Love Speaks|website=Discogs|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

In between appearing in regular film and TV roles, Sessions made appearances on ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'' and, more recently, as a semi-regular panellist on ''[[QI]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/john_sessions/|title=John Sessions|website=British Comedy Guide|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto2"/> He was one of four panellists, including the permanent [[Alan Davies]], on the inaugural episode of ''QI'', in which he demonstrated his effortless memory of the birth and death dates of various historical figures (while simultaneously and apologetically deeming the knowledge of such facts "a sickness").<ref name="auto2"/>

On radio, Sessions was a guest in December 1997 on the regular [[BBC Radio 3]] show ''[[Private Passions]]'', presented by [[Michael Berkeley]], not as himself but as a 112-year-old [[Vienna|Viennese]] percussionist called Manfred Sturmer, who told anecdotes (about [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], [[Clara Schumann]], [[Richard Strauss]], [[Arnold Schoenberg]] and others) so realistically that some listeners did not realise that the whole thing was a [[hoax]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usefulvoices.com/john-sessions/|title=John Sessions|date=20 July 2015|website=Usefulvoices.com|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> Other Sessions' creations appeared on Berkeley's show in subsequent years. Sessions had taken the role of narrating the popular [[Asterix]] stories for [[audiobook]], since the death of [[Willie Rushton]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pick-of-the-day-radio-1194406.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/pick-of-the-day-radio-1194406.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Pick of the Day: Radio|date=26 December 1998|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

Sessions made a guest appearance in a special webcast version of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', in a story called ''[[Death Comes to Time]]'', in which he played General Tannis. He occasionally appeared in the [[BBC]] series ''[[Judge John Deed]]'' as barrister Brian Cantwell QC. In 2007, he guest-starred in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' audio adventure ''[[100 (audio drama)|100]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/11_november/05/deed_pack.shtml|title=BBC – Press Office – Judge John Deed series two|website=Bbc.co.uk|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?code=11863|title=Doctor Who Guide: John Sessions|website=Doctor Who Guide|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

In 2006, Sessions presented some of the BBC's coverage of [[The Proms]] and featured in one of the two ''[[Jackanory]]'' specials, voicing the characters and playing the storyteller in the [[audiobook]] version of [[Paul Stewart (writer)|Paul Stewart]] and [[Chris Riddell]]'s children's book ''[[Muddle Earth]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/oct/20/broadcasting.bbc|title=Jackanory gets revamp for specials with CGI characters |first1=Owen|last1=Gibson|date=20 October 2006|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> In 2007 he appeared in the final episode of the second series of ''[[Hotel Babylon (BBC series)|Hotel Babylon]]'', playing hotel owner Donovan Credo, and as [[Geoffrey Howe]] in 2009's ''[[Margaret (2009 film)|Margaret]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/hotel_babylon/episodes/2/8/|title=Hotel Babylon Series 2, Episode 8|website=British Comedy Guide|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref> In 2010, he played Kenny Prince in ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Ci7BAAAQBAJ&q=john+sessions+kenny+prince&pg=PT30|title=The Immortals: An Unauthorized guide to Sherlock and Elementary|first=Matthew J.|last=Elliott|date=23 October 2013|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781780924922|access-date=1 April 2019|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Sessions appeared in the teen drama TV show ''[[Skins (British TV series)|Skins]]'' in 2011 as one of two adopted fathers of [[Franky Fitzgerald]].<ref name="scotsman.com"/> He also appeared as a [[Brummie dialect|Brummie]] vicar in an episode of ''[[Outnumbered (British TV series)|Outnumbered]]'' on [[BBC One]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0147jll|title=BBC One – Outnumbered, Series 4, Episode 1|website=BBC|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

He had the distinction of playing two British [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime ministers]] in films, [[Harold Wilson]] in ''[[Made in Dagenham]]'' and [[Edward Heath]] in ''[[The Iron Lady (film)|The Iron Lady]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9497767/John-Sessions-reviews-a-trio-of-Margaret-Thatchers.html|title=John Sessions reviews a trio of Margaret Thatchers|first=Tim|last=Walker|date=25 August 2012|access-date=1 April 2019|website=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> In 2013 he appeared in the premiere production of the new play ''[[Longing (play)|Longing]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/news/2013/01/casting-announcement-iain-glen-to-star-opposite-tamsin-greig-and-john-sessions-in-longing/|title=CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT: Iain Glen to star opposite Tamsin Greig and John Sessions in Longing|website=Hampstead Theatre|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

In 2014, he made a short appearance in ''[[Outlander (TV series)|Outlander]]'' as Arthur Duncan.<ref>{{cite web | last1 = Byrne-Cristiano | first1 = Laura | title = First Look: 'Outlander' images feature Jaime and Geillis | url = http://www.hypable.com/2014/08/21/exclusive-outlander-images-feature-jamie-and-geillis/ | archive-url = https://archive.today/20140915104423/http://www.hypable.com/2014/08/21/exclusive-outlander-images-feature-jamie-and-geillis/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = 15 September 2014 | website = hypable.com | date = 21 August 2014 | access-date = 15 September 2014 }}</ref>  In October 2014, Sessions was heard as Gus, the mysterious, psychopathic computer that controlled the eponymous train/spaceship in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[Mummy on the Orient Express]]" as well as<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04lny6c|title=BBC One – Doctor Who, Series 8, Mummy on the Orient Express|website=BBC|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>  appearing as [[Mycroft Holmes]] in the 2015 film ''[[Mr. Holmes]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/film-week-mr-holmes|title=Film of the week: Mr. Holmes – Sight & Sound|website=British Film Institute|date=5 December 2016 |access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

In addition to appearing in the role of [[Arthur Lowe]] in the 2015 drama ''We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story''.<ref>{{Cite web|title = John Sessions went bald for the 'terrific' challenge of playing Dad's Army icon Arthur Lowe (VIDEO) – TV News – What's on TV|url = http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/tv-news/news/john-sessions-went-bald-for-the-terrific-challenge-of-playing-dads-army-icon-arthur-lowe-video|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160302232147/http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/tv-news/news/john-sessions-went-bald-for-the-terrific-challenge-of-playing-dads-army-icon-arthur-lowe-video|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2 March 2016|website = What's on TV|access-date = 20 February 2016}}</ref> he also played Dr Hermann in the 2016 film ''[[Florence Foster Jenkins (film)|Florence Foster Jenkins]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b084zbf0|title=BBC One – Florence Foster Jenkins|website=BBC|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

Sessions narrated a 10-part radio adaptation of ''The Adventures of Captain Bobo'' on [[Fun Kids]] in 2020,<ref name="BBCobit">{{cite web |title=John Sessions: Comedian dies at the age of 67 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54797823 |website=BBC News  |access-date=3 November 2020 |date=3 November 2020}}</ref><ref name="Belle">{{cite web |title=Captain Bobo – John Sessions narrates the radio series on Fun Kids |url=https://bellemedia.co.uk/blog/captain-bobo-john-sessions-narrates-the-radio-series-on-fun-kids/ |website=Belle Media |access-date=3 November 2020 |language=en |date=21 August 2020}}</ref> which was still running at the time of his death.<ref name="funkidstwit">{{cite web |title=Everyone at Fun Kids is very sad to hear that actor John Sessions has died. He was the voice of the current series "The Adventures of Captain Bobo" which he brought to life so vividly for our audience this year.|url=https://twitter.com/funkids/status/1323621279585521665 |website=Twitter |access-date=3 November 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Sessions was gay.<ref name="howwemet">{{cite news | last = Hoggard | first = Liz | title = How we met: Alan McWalter & John Sessions | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-alan-mcwalter-amp-john-sessions-454924.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100926193850/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/how-we-met-alan-mcwalter-amp-john-sessions-454924.html | archive-date = 26 September 2010 | location = London | work = [[The Independent]] | publisher = Independent Print Ltd | date= 1 July 2007 | access-date = 4 January 2009 }}</ref> He was [[Outing|outed]] in a 1994 ''[[Evening Standard]]'' article, while starring in the comedy ''[[My Night with Reg]]'', a play set in London's gay community.<ref name="tdeath" />

A [[Euroscepticism|Eurosceptic]], Sessions voiced his support for the [[UK Independence Party]] (UKIP) in 2014.<ref>{{cite web | last = Dessau | first = Bruce |title = Opinion: Comedians & UKIP | url = http://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/945/opinion-comedians-ukip | publisher = Beyond The Joke | date = 15 July 2014 | access-date = 26 August 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Moss | first = Stephen |title=John Sessions, comedy pioneer: 'I lost my way' &#124; Film |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/14/john-sessions-interview-comedy-pudsey-the-dog-the-movie | work = [[The Guardian]] | date = 14 July 2014 | access-date = 26 August 2014 }}</ref> He stated, "I get so bored with people going, 'UKIP are a bunch of racists.' They're nothing of the kind. [[Nigel Farage]] talks more sense than the rest of the politicians put together. The United States of Europe is madness."<ref name=Ind_8508264 />

He was also critical of [[Scottish nationalism]], and argued for the abolition of the [[Scottish Parliament|Scottish]], [[National Assembly for Wales|Welsh]] and [[European Parliament|European]] parliaments.<ref name=Ind_8508264 /> In August 2014, he was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''[[The Guardian]]'' expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on that issue]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/07/celebrities-open-letter-scotland-independence-full-text |title=Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=26 August 2014}}</ref>

== Death ==
Sessions died at his home in [[Raynes Park]], [[South London]] on 2 November 2020, aged 67.<ref name = ODNB/><ref name="tdeath">{{cite news|title=John Sessions, actor and comedian, dies aged 67 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/john-sessions-actor-comedian-dies-aged-67/ |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=3 November 2020 |date=3 November 2020}}</ref> His agent noted that he had a heart condition; his entry in the ''[[Dictionary of National Biography]]'', citing his death certificate, gives the exact cause of death as "an excess of aspirin, paracetamol, and caffeine".<ref name = ODNB/>

The team behind the BBC television programme ''QI'' praised his "incredible wit and encyclopaedic knowledge [which] played a huge part in the show's history."<ref name="tdeath" /><ref>{{Cite news|title=Actor and comedian John Sessions dies aged 67|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/nov/03/actor-and-comedian-john-sessions-dies-aged-67|last=J Davies|first=Hannah|date=3 November 2020|access-date=3 November 2020|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1980 || ''[[Animalympics]]'' || || Uncredited
|-
| 1981 || ''[[The Great Muppet Caper]]'' || Muppet Performer || Uncredited
|-
| 1982 || ''[[The Sender]]'' || Patient ||<ref name="scotsman.com"/>
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1984 || ''[[The Bounty (1984 film)|The Bounty]]'' || Steward John Smith ||
|-
| ''[[The Muppets Take Manhattan]]'' || Muppet Performer || Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1986 || ''[[Sky Bandits (1986 film)|Sky Bandits]]'' || Flight ||
|-
| ''[[Castaway (film)|Castaway]]'' || Man in Pub ||
|-
| ''[[Whoops Apocalypse (film)|Whoops Apocalypse]]'' || Mr Sweetzer ||
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]'' || Macmorris ||
|-
| 1990 || ''Sweet Revenge'' || John Michaels ||
|-
| 1991 || ''[[The Pope Must Die]]'' || Dino ||
|-
| 1992 || ''[[Freddie as F.R.O.7]]'' || Scotty || Voice
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Princess Caraboo (film)|Princess Caraboo]]'' || Prince Regent ||
|-
| 1995 || ''[[In the Bleak Midwinter (film)|In the Bleak Midwinter]]'' || Terry Du Bois (Queen Gertrude) ||
|-
| 1996 || ''[[The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996 film)|The Adventures of Pinocchio]]'' || The Professor ||
|-
| 1997 || ''[[My Night with Reg (film)|My Night with Reg]]'' || Daniel ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998 || ''The Scarlet Tunic'' || Humphrey Gould ||
|-
| ''[[Cousin Bette (film)|Cousin Bette]]'' || Musical Director ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999 || ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999 film)|A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' || [[Philostrate]] ||
|-
| ''[[Faeries (1999 film)|Faeries]]'' || Chudley || Voice
|-
| 2000 || ''[[One of the Hollywood Ten]]'' || [[Paul Jarrico]] ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001 || ''The Kingdom of Bones'' || William Rutherford ||
|-
| ''[[High Heels and Low Lifes]]'' || Director ||
|-
| 2002 || ''[[Gangs of New York]]'' || Harry Watkins / Lincoln ||
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2004 || ''[[Hawking (2004 film)|Hawking]]'' || [[Dennis W. Sciama|Dennis Sciama]] ||
|-
| ''[[Stella Street|Stella Street: The Movie]]'' || Mrs. Huggett / Keith Richards / Jeremy Hickman <br> Joe Pesci / Dean Baraclough / News Reader <br> Jack Flatley / Johnny Van Damm / Muthatrucker <br> Lord Tony Stanford / Dustin Hoffman / The Vicar <br> Policeman / Al Pacino ||
|-
| ''[[Lighthouse Hill (film)|Lighthouse Hill]]'' || Mr. Reynard ||
|-
| ''[[The Merchant of Venice (2004 film)|The Merchant of Venice]]'' || Salerio ||
|-
| ''[[Five Children and It (film)|Five Children and It]]'' || Peasemarsh ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Rag Tale]]'' || Felix Miles Sty ||
|-
| 2006 || ''[[The Good Shepherd (film)|The Good Shepherd]]''  || Valentin Mironov No. 1 / Yuri Modin ||
|-
| 2007 || ''[[Intervention (2007 film)|Intervention]]'' || Joe ||
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Inconceivable (2008 film)|Inconceivable]]'' || Finbar "Finn" Darrow ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 || ''[[The Last Station]]'' || [[:sk:Dušan Makovický|Dr. Dušan Makovický]] ||
|-
| ''[[Nativity! (film)|Nativity]]'' || Mr Lore ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010 || ''[[The Making of Plus One]]'' || Derek ||
|-
| ''[[Made in Dagenham]]'' || Prime Minister [[Harold Wilson]] ||
|-
| 2011 || ''[[The Iron Lady (film)|The Iron Lady]]'' || [[Edward Heath]] ||
|-
| 2012 || ''The Domino Effect'' || Talk Show Host ||
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Filth (film)|Filth]]'' || Bob Toal ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2014 || ''[[Pudsey the Dog: The Movie]]'' || Thorne ||
|-
| ''[[The Silent Storm]]'' || Mr. Smith ||
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Mr. Holmes]]'' || [[Mycroft Holmes]] ||
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Legend (2015 film)|Legend]]'' || [[Lord Boothby]] ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2016 || ''[[The Rack Pack]]'' || Ted Lowe ||
|-
| ''[[Florence Foster Jenkins (film)|Florence Foster Jenkins]]'' || Dr Hermann ||
|-
| ''[[Whisky Galore! (2016 film)|Whisky Galore!]]'' || Doctor McLaren ||
|-
| ''[[Denial (2016 film)|Denial]]'' || [[Richard J. Evans]] ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017 || ''[[Loving Vincent]]'' || [[Portrait of Père Tanguy|Julien Tanguy]] || Voice
|-
| ''[[Finding Your Feet]]'' || Mike Abbott ||
|-
| 2019 || ''[[Intrigo: Dear Agnes]]'' || Pumpermann ||
|-
| 2021 || ''[[Belfast (film)|Belfast]]'' || Joseph Tomelty as Marley || Posthumous release
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1984 || ''Danger: Marmalade at Work'' || Announcer / Scorpion || 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee]]'' || || Also writer
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985 || ''[[Happy Families (1985 TV series)|Happy Families]]'' || Dean || Episode: "Cassie"
|-
| ''Tender Is the Night'' || Young Scot || Episode: "Episode Six"
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1986 || ''[[Boon (TV series)|Boon]]'' || Barney Spitz || Episode: "Box 13"
|-
| ''[[Spitting Image]]'' || Prince Edward / Caspar Weinberger / Laurence Olivier || Voice, 13 episodes
|-
| ''[[Girls on Top (British TV series)|Girls on Top]]'' || Rodney || Episode: "Who's Ya Uncle Shelley?"
|-
| ''The Madness Museum'' || Dr. Arthur Foulis Uwins || TV movie
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987 || ''Gramsci: Everything that Concerns People'' || [[Antonio Gramsci]] || TV movie
|-
| ''[[Porterhouse Blue (TV series)|Porterhouse Blue]]'' || Zipser || 3 episodes
|-
| 1988 || ''Menace Unseen'' || Larry Knight || 3 episodes
|-
| 1988–1991|| ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway? (British TV series)|Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'' || Himself || 24 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1989 || ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'' || Radio Voice Overs || Voice, Episode: "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"
|-
| ''A Day in Summer'' || Croser || TV movie
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990 || ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]'' || || Voice, Episode: "Dramatic Fever"
|-
| ''Die Fledermaus'' || Frosch || TV movie
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1991  || ''[[The New Statesman (1987 TV series)|The New Statesman]]'' || Lord Penistone || Episode: "Let Them Sniff Cake"
|-
| ''John Sessions' Tall Tales'' || || 6 episodes: also writer
|-
| ''Jute City'' || McMurdo || 3 episodes
|-
| 1992  || ''Life with Eliza'' || Eliza's husband || 12 episodes
|-
| 1993  || ''[[Screenplay (TV series)|Screenplay]]'' || [[James Boswell]] || Episode: "Boswell & Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1994 || ''Citizen Locke'' || John Locke || TV movie
|-
| ''John Sessions' Likely Stories'' || || 6 episodes; also writer
|-
| ''Nice Day at the Office'' || Tippit || 6 episodes
|-
| 1997 || ''[[The History of Tom Jones: a Foundling (TV series)|The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling]]'' || Henry Fielding || 5 episodes
|-
| 1997–2000 || ''[[Stella Street]]'' || Various characters || Also writer and creator
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998 || ''[[In the Red (TV series)|In the Red]]'' || Hercules Fortescue || 3 episodes
|-
| ''Queen's Park Story'' || The Owl || TV movie
|-
| 2000 || ''[[Gormenghast (TV serial)|Gormenghast]]'' || Dr Alfred Prunesquallor || 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001 || ''[[Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes]]'' || Prof. Rutherford || Episode: "The Kingdom of Bones"
|-
| ''[[Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000 TV series)|Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)]]'' || Combe Fishacre || Episode: "O Happy Isle"
|-
| 2001–2002 || ''[[Death Comes to Time]]'' || General Tannis || Voice, 5 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2002 || ''[[The Inspector Lynley Mysteries]]'' || John Corntel || Episode: "Well Schooled in Murder"
|-
| ''George Eliot: A Scandalous Life'' || [[George Henry Lewes]] || TV movie
|-
| ''[[Dalziel and Pascoe (TV series)|Dalziel and Pascoe]]'' || Charlie Penn || 2 episodes
|-
| 2002–2005 || ''[[Judge John Deed]]'' || Brian Cantwell, Q.C. || 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2003 || ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'' || Barrett Filby || Episode: "Painted in Blood"
|-
| ''[[That'll Teach 'Em]]'' || Narrator || Voice: 5 episodes
|-
| ''[[The Lost Prince]]'' || Mr. Hansell || TV movie
|-
| 2003–2012 || ''[[QI]]'' || Himself || 10 episodes
|-
| 2004 || ''The Legend of the Tamworth Two'' || Rival Editor || TV movie
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2005 || ''[[Absolute Power (comedy)|Absolute Power]]'' || John Kennedy || Episode: "Spinning America"
|-
| ''The English Harem'' || Ridley || TV movie
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2006 || ''[[Low Winter Sun (British TV series)|Low Winter Sun]]'' || Professor Barry Lennox || Miniseries
|-
| ''[[Agatha Christie's Marple]]'' || Cardew Pye || Episode: "The Moving Finger"
|-
| ''[[Jackanory]]'' || Storyteller || Episode: "Muddle Earth"
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2007 || ''[[Reichenbach Falls (film)|Reichenbach Falls]]'' || Professor Bell || TV movie
|-
| ''[[New Tricks]]'' || Dr Finlay McKenzie || Episode: "Casualty"
|-
| ''[[Hotel Babylon (BBC series)|Hotel Babylon]]'' || Donovan Credo || Episode: "Episode 8"
|-
| ''[[Ronni Ancona & Co]]'' || Special Guest || 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Oliver Twist (2007 TV series)|Oliver Twist]]'' || Mr Sowerberry || 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 || ''[[Margaret (2009 film)|Margaret]]'' || [[Geoffrey Howe]] || TV movie
|-
| ''Breaking the Mould'' || [[Edward Mellanby]] || TV movie
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2010 || ''[[Lewis (TV series)|Lewis]]'' || Professor Rufus Strickfaden || Episode: "Falling Darkness"
|-
| ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]'' || Kenny Prince || Episode: "[[The Great Game (Sherlock)|The Great Game]]"
|-
| ''[[Just William (2010 TV series)|Just William]]'' || Mr. Wellbecker || Episode: "William Holds the Stage"
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2011 || ''[[Outnumbered (British TV series)|Outnumbered]]'' || Vicar || Episode: "The Funeral"
|-
| ''[[Rab C. Nesbitt]]'' || Chief Inspector Haggerty || Episode: "Broke"
|-
| ''[[The Comic Strip|The Comic Strip Presents...]]'' || Tebbit || Episode: "The Hunt for Tony Blair"
|-
| ''[[Little Crackers]]'' || Dr. Edward Cole || Episode: "Alan Davies' Little Cracker: The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Daytime"
|-
| 2011–2012 || ''[[Skins (British TV series)|Skins]]'' || Geoff Fitzgerald || 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2012 || ''[[Dead Boss]]'' || Sir Humphreys || Episode: "Episode six"
|-
| ''[[Shameless (British TV series)|Shameless]]'' || Father McGinn || Episode: "All Fall Down"
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Mr Selfridge]]'' || [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]] || Episode: "Episode 7"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2014 || ''[[Blandings (TV series)|Blandings]]'' || Lord Didcot || Episode: "Necessary Rhino"
|-
| ''[[Doctor Who]]'' || Gus || Voice, Episode: "[[Mummy on the Orient Express]]"
|-
| 2014–2015 || ''[[Outlander (TV series)|Outlander]]'' || Arthur Duncan || 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2015 || ''[[Moone Boy]]'' || Dr. Stephen Gnot || Episode: "Unidentified Feckin' Objects"
|-
| ''[[Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (miniseries)|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell]]'' || John Murray || 2 episodes
|-
| ''We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story'' || [[Arthur Lowe]] || TV movie
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2016 || ''[[Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge]]'' || The Partridge Playhouse Players || Voice, Episode: "Episode 1"
|-
| ''[[Upstart Crow]]'' || Lord Inquisitor || Episode: "Love Is Not Love"
|-
| ''The Rack Pack'' || [[Ted Lowe]] || TV movie
|-
| ''[[Friday Night Dinner]]'' || Mr. Murray || Episode: "The Carpet Cleaner"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017 || ''[[Father Brown (2013 TV series)|Father Brown]]'' || Reverend Adam Gillespie || Episode: "The Eve of St John"
|-
| ''[[The Loch (TV series)|The Loch]]'' || DCI Frank Smilie || ITV drama series
|-
| 2018 || ''[[Death in Paradise (TV series)|Death in Paradise]]'' || Hugh Davenport || Episode: "Murder on the Day of the Dead"
|-
| 2019 || ''[[Victoria (British TV series)|Victoria]]'' || [[John Russell, 1st Earl Russell|Lord John Russell]] || Series 3
|-
| 2020 || ''[[The Great (TV series)|The Great]]'' || Bishop Tarcinkus || Episode: "Moscow Mule"
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|785938|John Sessions}}
* {{Discogs artist|John Sessions}}
* {{NPG name|id=63254}}

{{subject bar | portal1 = Biography | portal2 = Theatre | portal3 = Television | portal4 = Radio | portal5 = Comedy | portal6 = BBC | portal11 = LGBTQ | portal13 = United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sessions, John}}
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