A doctors son John was born in Birmingham and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps then at 21 went to drama school followed by repertory at theatres in Wolverhampton, York Carlisle, Shrewsbury and Minehead. He joined the cast of television's then long running tv series of Emergency Ward 10 in 1962 as Resident Surgical Officer Andrew Shaw. He married actress Jill Rowland by whom he had two sons one of whom became an actor.