Ray Lonnen
Encyclopedia
Ray Lonnen is an English
stage and television actor
. His most prominent roles include Willie Caine in the cold-war
spy drama series The Sandbaggers
(1978–80), and also as Harry Brown in the television mini-series Harry's Game
(1982).
(1966), The Fellows (1967), and Honey Lane (1968). He then had a semi-regular role in the British crime drama series Z Cars between 1972-77, and also appeared in the cult TV series Doctor Who
in the 1973 story "Frontier in Space
".
Lonnen played one of the leads in the 1978 ITV
espionage series The Sandbaggers
, in which he played Willie Caine (aka "Sandbagger 1"). The Sandbaggers ran for three series until 1980. Lonnen's next lead role was in the 1982 ITV mini-series Harry's Game
, based on the novel by Gerald Seymour
. In this, Lonnen played Harry Brown, a British agent sent to Northern Ireland
to smoke out an IRA
assassin who had slain a cabinet minister
. In 1984, Lonnen went on to star in yet another spy-themed drama series, The Brief, in which he played a British barrister who travels to Germany to represent a British soldier accused of spying and treason. Aside from his lead roles, Lonnen also continued to appear in guest roles throughout the 1980s, including episodes of The Gentle Touch
, Hammer House of Horror
, Tales of the Unexpected
, and Lovejoy
.
In 1990, Lonnen played Detective Inspector Alex Vale in the ITV detective drama series Yellowthread Street
, which was set in Hong Kong. Based on the novels by William Leonard Marshall
, the series ran for 13 episodes.
Throughout the 1990s, Lonnen continued to make guest appearances in various television series and even voiced several characters in the children's animated series Budgie the Little Helicopter
. In 2001, he had a recurring role in the ITV
police series The Bill
. He also appeared in several episodes of the Canadian sci-fi series Starhunter
as well as a recurring role in the short-lived revival of the ITV soap-opera Crossroads.
(as the Narrator), In Praise of Love
, Run for Your Wife, Having a Ball, Wonderful Town
, Make Me An Offer, Lock Up Your Daughters
, Wonderland, Bells Are Ringing
, How the Other Half Loves, The Anniversary, A Touch of Danger, Murder by the Book, Same Time Next Year, Misery, Worm’s Eye View, Rebecca, Jeffrey Archer’s The Perfect Murder
and he has played Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. He also played Clark Gable
in a play about the making of the 1961 film The Misfits
, he toured South-East Asia in a production of Catch Me If You Can
, and also toured New Zealand in the play Rose.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
stage and television actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. His most prominent roles include Willie Caine in the cold-war
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
spy drama series The Sandbaggers
The Sandbaggers
The Sandbaggers is a British television drama series about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980, The Sandbaggers examines the effect of the espionage game on the personal and professional lives of British and...
(1978–80), and also as Harry Brown in the television mini-series Harry's Game
Harry's Game
Harry's Game is a British television miniseries made by Yorkshire Television for ITV in 1982. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour, which was published in 1975.The three-part serial starred Ray Lonnen as Capt...
(1982).
Television career
Lonnen's early television appearances include The Power GameThe Plane Makers/The Power Game
The Plane Makers is a British television series made by ATV for ITV between 1963 and 1965.The series focused on the power struggles between the trades union and the management on the shop floor of an aircraft factory, Scott Furlong Ltd, as well as the political in-fighting between the management...
(1966), The Fellows (1967), and Honey Lane (1968). He then had a semi-regular role in the British crime drama series Z Cars between 1972-77, and also appeared in the cult TV series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
in the 1973 story "Frontier in Space
Frontier in Space
Frontier in Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from February 24 to March 31, 1973...
".
Lonnen played one of the leads in the 1978 ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
espionage series The Sandbaggers
The Sandbaggers
The Sandbaggers is a British television drama series about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980, The Sandbaggers examines the effect of the espionage game on the personal and professional lives of British and...
, in which he played Willie Caine (aka "Sandbagger 1"). The Sandbaggers ran for three series until 1980. Lonnen's next lead role was in the 1982 ITV mini-series Harry's Game
Harry's Game
Harry's Game is a British television miniseries made by Yorkshire Television for ITV in 1982. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour, which was published in 1975.The three-part serial starred Ray Lonnen as Capt...
, based on the novel by Gerald Seymour
Gerald Seymour
Gerald Seymour is a British writer.-Life:The son of two literary figures, he was educated at Kelly College at Tavistock in Devon and took a BA Hons degree in Modern History at University College London...
. In this, Lonnen played Harry Brown, a British agent sent to Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to smoke out an IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
assassin who had slain a cabinet minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
. In 1984, Lonnen went on to star in yet another spy-themed drama series, The Brief, in which he played a British barrister who travels to Germany to represent a British soldier accused of spying and treason. Aside from his lead roles, Lonnen also continued to appear in guest roles throughout the 1980s, including episodes of The Gentle Touch
The Gentle Touch
The Gentle Touch is a British police drama television series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of...
, Hammer House of Horror
Hammer House of Horror
In 1980, Hammer Films created a series for British television, the Hammer House of Horror, which ran for 13 episodes with 51 minutes per episode...
, Tales of the Unexpected
Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)
Tales of the Unexpected is a British television series originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television for ITV. Filming began in 1978.The series was an anthology of different tales...
, and Lovejoy
Lovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
.
In 1990, Lonnen played Detective Inspector Alex Vale in the ITV detective drama series Yellowthread Street
Yellowthread Street
Yellowthread Street was a 1990 ITV police drama about detectives of the Royal Hong Kong Police based on the novels by William Leonard Marshall....
, which was set in Hong Kong. Based on the novels by William Leonard Marshall
William Leonard Marshall
William Marshall is an Australian author, best known for his Hong Kong-based "Yellowthread Street" mystery novels, some of which were used as the basis for a British TV series....
, the series ran for 13 episodes.
Throughout the 1990s, Lonnen continued to make guest appearances in various television series and even voiced several characters in the children's animated series Budgie the Little Helicopter
Budgie the Little Helicopter
Budgie the Little Helicopter is a series of children's books and animated television series relating to a fictional character 'Budgie' and his friends. The characters were based on the books by Sarah, Duchess of York , who was influenced by her flight training in the Royal Navy...
. In 2001, he had a recurring role in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police series The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
. He also appeared in several episodes of the Canadian sci-fi series Starhunter
Starhunter
Starhunter is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired for two seasons. The series was produced in Canada by The Danforth Studios Ltd. in association with Alliance Atlantis with some photography in the United Kingdom. Grosvenor Park Productions UK Ltd...
as well as a recurring role in the short-lived revival of the ITV soap-opera Crossroads.
Stage roles
Since the 1960s, Lonnen has performed in a variety of stage roles, including drama, comedy and musicals. His stage credits include Under Milk WoodUnder Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, adapted later as a stage play. A movie version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released during 1972....
(as the Narrator), In Praise of Love
In Praise of Love (play)
In Praise of Love is a 1973 play by the English playwright Terence Rattigan - it was the penultimate play he wrote and was inspired by the true life relationship between Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall...
, Run for Your Wife, Having a Ball, Wonderful Town
Wonderful Town
Wonderful Town is a musical with a book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein...
, Make Me An Offer, Lock Up Your Daughters
Lock Up Your Daughters
Lock Up Your Daughters is a musical based on an 18th century comedy, Rape Upon Rape, by Henry Fielding and adapted by Bernard Miles. The lyrics were written by Lionel Bart and the music by Laurie Johnson...
, Wonderland, Bells Are Ringing
Bells Are Ringing (musical)
Bells Are Ringing is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service and the characters that she meets there. The main character was based on Mary Printz, who worked for Green's answering...
, How the Other Half Loves, The Anniversary, A Touch of Danger, Murder by the Book, Same Time Next Year, Misery, Worm’s Eye View, Rebecca, Jeffrey Archer’s The Perfect Murder
The Perfect Murder (short story)
"The Perfect Murder" is a short story by the British politician and author Jeffrey Archer, first published in his 1988 anthology A Twist in the Tale.-Plot summary:...
and he has played Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. He also played Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
in a play about the making of the 1961 film The Misfits
The Misfits (film)
The Misfits is a 1961 American drama film written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, and Eli Wallach. It was the final film appearance for both Gable and Monroe...
, he toured South-East Asia in a production of Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical comedy-drama film based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor...
, and also toured New Zealand in the play Rose.
External links
- "The Sandbaggers" OpsRoom. Org