Jimmy Hanley
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Hanley was a British
actor
.
Born in Norwich, Norfolk, Hanley began his career as a child actor
before becoming popular in juvenile roles. He was groomed by the Rank Studio system
during his teenage years and earned film stardom as a "boy-next-door" type.
The young star-struck actor attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and whilst he was studying there, made his stage debut at the London Palladium
, as John Darling in Peter Pan.
He later worked on TV, hosting the ITV
series Jim's Inn, which combined advertising
messages with the plot of a soap opera
.
Hanley was married twice:
Hanley died from cancer
in Leatherhead, Surrey, aged .
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
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...
.
Born in Norwich, Norfolk, Hanley began his career as a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
before becoming popular in juvenile roles. He was groomed by the Rank Studio system
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
during his teenage years and earned film stardom as a "boy-next-door" type.
The young star-struck actor attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and whilst he was studying there, made his stage debut at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
, as John Darling in Peter Pan.
He later worked on TV, hosting 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...
series Jim's Inn, which combined advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
messages with the plot of a soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
.
Hanley was married twice:
- Dinah SheridanDinah SheridanDinah Sheridan is an English actress who appeared in the films 29 Acacia Avenue and Genevieve .She made her film debut in 1937, and has frequently appeared on television...
(1942–1952, three children, including Jenny HanleyJenny HanleyJenny Hanley is an English actress, the daughter of Dinah Sheridan and Jimmy Hanley.She remains best known for being one of the presenters of the ITV children's magazine programme Magpie....
and the Conservative politician Sir Jeremy HanleyJeremy HanleySir Jeremy James Hanley, KCMG , is a politician and chartered accountant from the United Kingdom. He served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994-95, and as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Richmond and Barnes from 1983-97.Hanley was educated at Rugby School,...
) - Margaret Avery (1955–1970, three daughters: Jane, Sarah and Katy)
Hanley died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Leatherhead, Surrey, aged .
Selected filmography
- Those Were the Days (1933) (uncredited)
- Royal CavalcadeRoyal CavalcadeRoyal Cavalcade is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley , Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, Will Kellino and Marcel Varnel. The film features Marie Lohr, Hermione Baddeley, Owen Nares, Robert Hale, Austin Trevor, James Carew,...
(1935) - Brown on ResolutionBrown on Resolution (film)Brown on Resolution is a 1935 film adaptation of the CS Forester novel Brown on Resolution. The plot is centred on the illegitimate son of a British naval officer singlehandedly bringing about the downfall of a German battleship during World War I...
(1935) - Boys Will Be Boys (1935)
- The TunnelThe Tunnel (1935 film)The Tunnel, also known as Transatlantic Tunnel in the United States, is a 1935 British science fiction film based on the 1913 novel Der Tunnel by Bernhard Kellermann, about the building of a transatlantic tunnel. It was directed by Maurice Elvey and stars Richard Dix, Leslie Banks, Madge Evans,...
(1935) - Housemaster (1938)
- GaslightGaslight (1940 film)Gaslight is a 1940 film directed by Thorold Dickinson, based on Patrick Hamilton's play Gas Light which stars Anton Walbrook, Diana Wynyard, and Frank Pettingell...
(The Murder in Thornton Square) (1940) - Salute John CitizenSalute John CitizenSalute John Citizen is a 1942 British drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Edward Rigby, Mabel Constanduros and Jimmy Hanley. The Bunting family face up to the fortunes of war during the Second World War. It was based on the novels Mr. Bunting and Mr. Bunting at War by Robert...
(1942) - The Gentle SexThe Gentle SexThe Gentle Sex is a 1943 British, black-and-white romantic comedy-drama war film directed and narrated by Leslie Howard. It was produced by Concanen Productions, Two Cities Films and Derrick de Marney.-Synopsis:...
(1943) - Henry VHenry V (1944 film)Henry V is a 1944 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. The on-screen title is The Cronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France . It stars Laurence Olivier, who also directed. The play was adapted for the screen by Olivier, Dallas...
(1944) - The Way AheadThe Way AheadThe Way Ahead is a British Second World War drama released in 1944. It stars David Niven and Stanley Holloway and follows a group of civilians who are conscripted into the British Army to fight in North Africa. In the U.S., an edited version was released as The Immortal Battalion.The film was...
(1944) - Kiss the Bride GoodbyeKiss the Bride GoodbyeKiss the Bride Goodbye is a 1945 British romantic comedy drama, directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Patricia Medina and Jimmy Hanley. The film also features an early role for Jean Simmons, almost two years before she achieved stardom in Great Expectations.-Plot:Factory girl Joan Dodd and Jack...
(1945) - For You AloneFor You AloneFor You Alone is a 1945 British World War II romance melodrama, one of only two films directed by cinematographer Geoffrey Faithfull, starring Lesley Brook, Dinah Sheridan and Jimmy Hanley...
(1945) - 29 Acacia Avenue29 Acacia Avenue29 Acacia Avenue is a play by Denis and Mabel Constanduros, and its 1945 film adaptation, directed by Henry Cass and released in the U.S. as The Facts of Love.-Plot:...
(1945) - The Captive HeartThe Captive HeartThe Captive Heart is a 1946 British war drama, directed by Basil Dearden for Ealing Studios. The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1946) - It Always Rains on SundayIt Always Rains on SundayIt Always Rains on Sunday is a film adaptation of the novel by Arthur La Bern, adapted and directed by Robert Hamer. In its gritty, unsentimental depiction of everyday life in post-war Britain, and in its exploration of the tedium, frustration and desperation wrought by grinding poverty, the film...
(1947) - Holiday Camp (1947
- Master of BankdamMaster of BankdamThe Master of Bankdam is a 1947 British historical film directed by Walter Forde from the novel, The Crowthers of Bankdam, by Thomas Armstrong. It starred Anne Crawford, Dennis Price, Tom Walls, Stephen Murray, Linden Travers and David Tomlinson...
(1947) - Here Come the HuggettsHere Come the HuggettsHere Come the Huggetts is a 1948 British film, the first of the Huggetts Trilogy about a working class English family. All three films were directed by Ken Annakin and released by Gainsborough Pictures....
(1948)) - It's Hard to Be GoodIt's Hard to Be GoodIt's Hard to Be Good is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Jeffrey Dell and starring Jimmy Hanley, Anne Crawford and Raymond Huntley. An ex-army officer and do-gooder finds his attempts to improve the world leads invariably to disasters.-Cast:...
(1948) - The Huggetts AbroadThe Huggetts AbroadThe Huggetts Abroad is a 1949 British film starring Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Petula Clark and Susan Shaw. It was the final film of the Huggetts Trilogy. After Joe Huggett loses his job, the family decide to emigrate to South Africa travelling via a land route which takes them across Africa....
(1949) - Don't Ever Leave MeDon't Ever Leave MeDon't Ever Leave Me is a 1949 English romantic comedy film starring Petula Clark, Jimmy Hanley, Hugh Sinclair, Edward Rigby, and Anthony Newley...
(1949) - Boys in BrownBoys in BrownBoys in Brown is a 1949 British drama film directed by Montgomery Tully. Depicting life in a borstal for young offenders, it starred Jack Warner, Richard Attenborough, Dirk Bogarde and Jimmy Hanley.-Cast:* Jack Warner as Governor...
(1949) - The Blue LampThe Blue LampThe Blue Lamp is a British crime film released in early 1950 by Ealing Studios, directed by Basil Dearden and produced by Michael Balcon. It stars Jack Warner as police constable George Dixon, Jimmy Hanley and Dirk Bogarde in an early role...
(1950) - Room to LetRoom to LetRoom to Let is an award winning short film directed by Joe McStravick, written by Gerlind Becker and starring Robin Edwards and Roz McCutcheon .- Plot :...
(1950) - The Galloping Major (1951)
- The Black RiderThe Black Rider (film)The Black Rider is a 1954 British thriller film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Jimmy Hanley, Rona Anderson and Leslie Dwyer. A gang of smugglers use a haunted castle as their base, detering curious locals by pretending to be ghosts.-Cast:...
(1954) - Radio Cab Murder (1954)
- The Deep Blue Sea (1955)
- Satellite in the Sky (1956)
- The Lost ContinentThe Lost Continent (1968 film)The Lost Continent is a 1968 science fiction film made by Seven Arts - Hammer Films featuring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Beckley and James Cossins. The film was produced, directed and written by Michael Carreras based on Dennis Wheatley's 1938 novel Uncharted Seas...
(1968)
Television series
- Jim's Inn (1957–1963, ITV advertising programme) as host
- Five O'Clock Club (1963–1966, ITV children's programme) as host
- Futurama (1964, ITV children's science programme) as host