Character actor Nicky Henson was first diagnosed with terminal cancer, which should have ended his career, in 2000. The son of musical hall comic Leslie Henson, Nicky first came to prominence as a potential leading man at the Young Vic in the early 1970s, handling both Shakespeare and Angry Young Man revivals with equal aplomb. Soon spotted by films execs, he had notable roles in the likes of There’s A Girl In My Soup and The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones. However, he’s probably best remembered as the disco lothario Mr Johnson who draws the ire of Basil in a classic Fawlty Towers episode. Despite being diagnosed with cancer in 2000, he managed to continue a career up until quite recently, having a memorable run in Eastenders and popping up in George Clooney’s Syriana.
Nicky Henson
12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019
Died aged 74 (three picks)