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Last updated on the 28 March 2024 by Evandrus
Mini Biography
Born: 24 October 1895, Bromley-by-Bow, London, England.Â
Jack Warner, OBE (born Horace John Waters) was a British actor who became famous for playing PC George Dixon in the film The Blue Lamp (1950) and the TV series Dixon of Dock Green (1955-1976). He was also one of Britain’s most popular film stars in the 1940s and 1950s, often appearing as the head of a working-class family in comedies and dramas.
Jack Warner was born in London, the son of an undertaker’s warehouseman and the brother of comediennes Elsie and Doris Waters, known as Gert and Daisy. He attended the Coopers’ Company’s Grammar School for Boys and studied automobile engineering at the Northampton Institute. During the First World War, he served as a driver in the Royal Flying Corps and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. He returned to the motor trade after the war, but also started performing in music hall and radio with his wife Muriel Peters, whom he married in 1933.
Warner made his film debut in 1937 and soon became a familiar face in British cinema, often playing policemen, soldiers, or fathers. Some of his notable films include The Ladykillers (1955), Carve Her Name with Pride (1958), and Jigsaw (1962). He also starred in the Huggetts series of films, portraying Joe Huggett, the patriarch of a Cockney family, in Holiday Camp (1947) and its three sequels. He also reprised this role in a radio serial.
Warner’s most iconic role was PC George Dixon, a friendly and honest policeman who was killed in the line of duty in The Blue Lamp. The character was so popular that he was revived for the TV series Dixon of Dock Green, which ran for 21 years and made Warner a household name. He also appeared in several Christmas specials and variety shows as Dixon.
Suggested viewing
Dixon of Dock Green (1955)
Bftv 8.0 / IMDb 6.7
A seasoned London bobby in the rough-and-tumble East End, known for his fair hand and folksy wisdom, tackles everyday troubles head-on. Petty crime, pub brawls, and domestic dramas fill the bustling Dock Green station, where community spirit runs deep. With his colleagues by his side, he tackles the human stories behind the headlines, using empathy and wit to keep the peace, one petty robbery or one lost child at a time.
Top cast: Jack Warner, Peter Byrne, Nicholas Donnelly, Graham Ashley, Robert Cawdron, Robert Raglan, Arthur Rigby, Ben Howard, Richard Heffer, Jeanette Hutchinson, Moira Mannion.
Holiday Camp (1947)
Bftv 8.0 / IMDb 6.6
A working class London family embarks on their first summer holiday at a bustling seaside camp, encountering a hilarious mix of fellow vacationers. From mischievous kids and lovelorn sailors to pregnant runaway teens and shady card players, their escapades intertwine with unexpected drama, revealing both the challenges and joys of post-war life and togetherness.
Top cast: Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Dennis Price, Flora Robson, Hazel Court, Jimmy Hanley, Susan Shaw, Esma Cannon, Emrys JonesPeter Hammond, Alfie Bass.Â
Full filmography (@Wikipedia)
Jack Warner Gallery
