John Sessions facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Sessions
Sessions in 2018
Born	John Marshall (1953-01-11)11 January 1953 Largs, Ayrshire, Scotland
Died	2 November 2020(2020-11-02) (aged 67) London, England
Education	University College of North Wales (BA, MA) McMaster University Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1980–2017
Television	Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK) Stella Street

John Marshall (born 11 January 1953 – died 2 November 2020) was a well-known British actor and comedian. He was famous for his amazing ability to make up comedy scenes on the spot, especially on TV shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He was also a regular guest on the quiz show QI and acted in many films in both the UK and Hollywood.

Early Life and Education

John Sessions was born John Marshall on 11 January 1953. Most sources say he was born in Largs, Scotland. When he was three years old, his family moved to Bedford, England. His father worked as a gas engineer. John had an older brother named Bill and a twin sister named Maggie.

His School Days

John Sessions went to Bedford Modern School, which was a private school for boys. He also attended Verulam School in St Albans. After that, he studied at the University College of North Wales in Bangor. He earned a master's degree in English literature. While at university, he started performing comedy for audiences. He later studied for a PhD at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, but he did not finish this degree.

Acting and Comedy Career

John Sessions went to the RADA in the late 1970s. This is a famous drama school. He studied with Kenneth Branagh, and they worked together many times later on. John changed his name to John Sessions when he started performing because there was already another actor named John Marshall.

In the early 1980s, he performed comedy in small venues. He was known for his funny, made-up stories and speeches. He also had small roles in early films like The Sender (1982) and The Bounty (1984).

Becoming Famous

John Sessions was very good at improvisation, which means making things up as you go along. He showed off this talent in his one-man stage show called Napoleon. This show was very popular in London's West End in the mid-1980s.

He was one of the main performers on the radio show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. When the show moved to television, John Sessions was the main improviser for the first season. He was also a frequent guest in the second season.

John was a talented impressionist, meaning he could copy other people's voices and manners. He also voiced characters for the puppet show Spitting Image. He was known for his wide knowledge of books and history. This helped him make many clever jokes and references. His ability to switch between different accents and characters made him a star in improvisation.

TV Shows and Films

In 1989, John Sessions got his own TV show called John Sessions. In this show, he would improvise a performance based on suggestions from the audience. He made two more similar shows: John Sessions' Tall Tales (1991) and John Sessions' Likely Stories (1994).

He also starred in Stella Street. This was a funny show about a street where famous people like Michael Caine and Al Pacino lived. John Sessions and his friend Phil Cornwell played many different characters in each episode.

John Sessions also took on more serious acting roles. He played James Boswell in a TV drama and Doctor Prunesquallor in the BBC show Gormenghast (2000). He also lent his voice to the Professor in The Adventures of Pinocchio (1996).

He appeared in several films based on Shakespeare's plays. He was Macmorris in Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989), Philostrate in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), and Salerio in The Merchant of Venice (2004).

John Sessions was a regular guest on the popular quiz show QI. He was on the very first episode and showed off his amazing memory for historical facts. He also narrated the popular Asterix stories for audiobooks.

He appeared in the TV show Doctor Who in a special online story called Death Comes to Time. He also played a lawyer named Brian Cantwell QC in the BBC series Judge John Deed.

In 2010, he played Kenny Prince in the popular detective show Sherlock. He also appeared in the teen drama Skins and the comedy Outnumbered.

John Sessions played two British prime ministers in films: Harold Wilson in Made in Dagenham and Edward Heath in The Iron Lady. In 2014, he was the voice of Gus, a mysterious computer, in a Doctor Who episode called "Mummy on the Orient Express". He also played Mycroft Holmes in the 2015 film Mr. Holmes.

His last work was narrating a radio show called The Adventures of Captain Bobo in 2020.

Death

John Sessions passed away from a heart attack at his home in South London on 2 November 2020. He was 67 years old. The team from the TV show QI remembered him for his "incredible wit and encyclopedic knowledge."

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: John Sessions para niños