Jonathan Linsley

Jonathan was born in Yorkshire and went to school in Skipton "the Gateway to the Dales." His first loves in life were, Rugby Union (he played for Upper Wharfedale) Football (life long Leeds United supporter) and the Theatre. Thanks to Mr Thomas a dedicated English teacher who nurtured in him a love of drama he auditioned for, and joined, the National Youth Theatre. He appeared in the West End of London in classic early 70s NYT productions of Shakespeare's Henry V, and Peter Terson's Zigger Zagger among others. After graduating with honours in Theatre Studies at Warwick University he trained as an actor at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Jonathan made his professional debut as an actor in 1980 at the Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich and after a year playing in fourteen different shows from Shakespeare to Pantomime with a few musicals thrown in, he went to Southampton to play Falstaff in Henry IV part 1. In 1981 he made his TV debut alongside Ian Lavender in a David Nobbs sitcom called The Hello Good-bye Man for the BBC. At this time he met Alan J.W. Bell, the Producer/Director of Last of the Summer Wine and this meeting gave him the opportunity to star as the much loved Crusher/ Milburn in this TV show for the remainder of the eighties. He also appeared in First of the Summer Wine, a successful spin off from the original show. In the last 40 years Jonathan has appeared as a regular character in TV shows such as Emmerdale (Albert Mistlethwaite), Casualty (DC Newby), The Bill (Dennis Weaver), The Governor (Bert Threlfall) and also as a leading guest in Heartbeat, Peak Practice, London's Burning, Silent Witness, Dempsey and Makepeace, Ultimate Force and Dalziel and Pascoe, among many others. Made for TV movies have included Ruth Rendell's Secret House of Death, The Gentleman Thief (alongside Nigel Havers and Sir John Mills), The Great Dome Robbery, and The Day Britain Stopped. In the Theatre he appeared in the West End as Frank Rowley in the original production of Up'n'Under (1984 comedy of the Year) also as Miss Trunchbull in the original production of Roald Dahl's Matilda, alongside Timothy West and Jack Shepherd in Its Ralph by Hugh Whitemore at the Comedy Theatre, As Bottom in Midsummer Nights Dream at the globe and most Recently as Dad in East, written and directed by Steven Berkoff, at the Vaudeville Theatre, the National Theatre and also international tours to Paris and Milan. He has appeared in Rep in York, Coventry, Bristol, Birmingham, Farnham, Leeds, Windsor and Manchester. He has written and directed and appeared in Pantomimes alongside Ken Dodd, Charlie Williams, Lulu, Linda and Bernie Nolan, Steven Lewis, Bill Owen among many others. Most recently he played Don Vito Corleone in Echoes of Artemesia in Florence, Rome, and London He has made over fifty TV commercials showing world wide, advertising everything from Burgers to Beer and is a familiar face to the public right across the world. Jonathan worked on two blockbuster Hollywood movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest released in July 2006 and Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End, released in May of 2007. He is the villainous Olgilvey Head Gunner aboard the Flying Dutchman, nemesis of Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl.Jonathan was born in Yorkshire and went to school in Skipton "the Gateway to the Dales." His first loves in life were, Rugby Union (he played for Upper Wharfedale) Football (life long Leeds United supporter) and the Theatre. Thanks to Mr Thomas a dedicated English teacher who nurtured in him a love of drama he auditioned for, and joined, the National Youth Theatre. He appeared in the West End of London in classic early 70s NYT productions of Shakespeare's Henry V, and Peter Terson's Zigger Zagger among others. After graduating with honours in Theatre Studies at Warwick University he trained as an actor at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Jonathan also enjoys chatting about his long and successful career in Acting and speaks to audiences all over the UK with his one man show "From Holmfirth to Hollywood". He is also a successful portrait artist and prints of his paintings are sold in many countries