Jack Watson (actor)

Jack Watson (15 May 1915 – 4 July 1999) was an English actor who appeared in many British films and television dramas from the 1950s onwards.

Watson was born in Thorney, Cambridgeshire. He was the son of a Gaiety Girl, Barbara Hughes, and a music hall comedian, Nosmo King. Watson often appeared on stage with his father as straight man, where he was known simply as Hubert. During the Second World War he was a physical training instructor in the Royal Navy, and his physique was much in evidence in many of his subsequent screen roles. During the war he was resident compère of 'Navy Mixture'.

After the war, his talent as an impersonator resulted in his becoming a regular on BBC radio programmes such as Take it from Here, Hancock's Half Hour and The Clitheroe Kid. He gradually made the transition to television, where his first major role was in Coronation Street, in which he became Elsie Tanner's (Pat Phoenix) first lover. Probably his best-known television role was as Llud, Arthur's craggy sidekick in Arthur of the Britons. His last major TV role was in the award-winning Edge of Darkness (1985). He died 14 years later, at the age of 84.

Watson appeared in over 70 films, including Peeping Tom, This Sporting Life, Grand Prix, Tobruk, The McKenzie Break, The Devil's Brigade and The Wild Geese.