Toke Townley

Infobox actor
name = Toke Townley


caption = Toke as Sam Pearson in "Emmerdale"
birthname = John Antony Townley
birthdate = Birth date|1912|11|6|df=yes
location = Great Dunmow, Essex, England
deathdate = Death date and age|1984|9|27|1912|11|6|df=yes
deathplace = Leeds, Yorkshire, England

Toke Antony Townley (born 06 November 1912 in Great Dunmow; died 27 September 1984 in Leeds), was an English actor.

Biography

His father was a vicar and he was christened John Townley, but his first name was then changed by his parents to the surname of an ancestor. After he left school he worked as a clerk in industry, acting in his spare time. He didn't become a professional actor until his early 30s, first appearing at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He appeared in many BBC television programmes during the early pioneering days at Alexandra Palace.

Between 1951 and 1970 - in the heyday of the British studios, Townley appeared in almost 30 films, including "Lady Godiva Rides Again", "Doctor at Sea", "The Quatermass Experiment", "The Admirable Crichton', "Carry On Admiral", "Doctor in Distress" and "The Scars of Dracula".

Many of his roles were country bumpkins, so it was an appropriate move when Townley joined 'Emmerdale' as Annie Sugden's father, Sam Pearson, complete with cloth cap and collarless shirt, when the serial began in 1972. He appeared in over 800 episodes of "Emmerdale Farm". Loved and admired by the rest of the cast of the rural soap opera, Townley was said to be a private person, living alone at a Leeds Hotel, to which he returned after working on the serial.

He went on to appear in many film and television roles over the years including "The Avengers" He was also an accomplished flautist and played the instrument on screen. He died from a heart attack.

elected filmography

*"The Runaway Bus" (1954) (in which he played Henry Waterman)
*"Doctor at Sea" (1955)
*"The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955) (in which he played a chemist)
*"Three Men in a Boat" (1956)
*"Carry On Admiral" (1956)
*"Men of Sherwood Forest" (1957)
*"Look Back in Anger" (1958)
*"The Avengers" (1961) (TV)
*"Damn the Defiant" (1962)
*"Scars of Dracula" (1970)
*"Emmerdale Farm" (1972-1984) (TV)(in which he played Sam Pearson)

Persondata
NAME=Toke Anthony Townley
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=
DATE OF BIRTH=November 06 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH=Dunmow, England
DATE OF DEATH=September 27 1984
PLACE OF DEATH=Leeds, England