
John Standing
Actor · Born August 16, 1934 (92) · London, England, UK
Sir John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet (born 16 August 1934) is an English actor and baronet who is known as John Standing. He is the stepson of John Clements. Standing was born in London, the son of Kay Hammond (née Dorothy Katherine Standing), an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, 3rd Baronet, a stockbroker descended from Sir Herbert Leon, the builder of Bletchley Park. He succeeded his father as the 4th baronet in 1964, but does not use the title. The Leon family were, until 1937, owners of Bletchley Park, the country house in Buckinghamshire used in the Second World War as a code-breaking centre. He was educated at Eton College and Millfield School, Somerset. He served in the King's Royal Rifle Corps as a second lieutenant, before going on to study at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London Standing began his career in Peter Brook's 1955 production of Titus Andronicus starring Laurence Olivier and wife Vivien Leigh and later played leading parts in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Christopher Fry's Ring Round the Moon, A Sense of Detachment by John Osborne, and Noël Coward's Private Lives, with Maggie Smith. He was nominated for an Olivier award (1979) for Close of Play at the National Theatre. He made his film debut in The Wild and the Willing (1962), going on to appear in King Rat (1965), Walk, Don't Run (1966), The Psychopath (1966), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), The Elephant Man (1980), Nightflyers (1987), Mrs Dalloway (1997) and A Good Woman (2004). One of his first major television roles was as Sidney Godolphin in the BBC twelve-part serial, The First Churchills (1969). Other television appearances include Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979); the ITV sitcom The Other 'Arf (1980–84), with Lorraine Chase; The Choir (1995) and King Solomon's Mines (2004). In the United States, he made guest appearances in numerous weekly programmes including L.A. Law, Civil Wars and Murder, She Wrote, and co-starred briefly with Robert Wagner and Samantha Smith in the action series Lime Street (1985). In 1976, he also appeared opposite Peter O'Toole in the little-seen BBC thriller film, Rogue Male, directed by Clive Donner. He appeared in the horror film Nightflyers (1987) adapted from a short story by George R. R. Martin. In 2002, he had a speaking credit on Lost Horizons, the second studio album from the British electronic duo Lemon Jelly. On track 1, "Elements", he lists the basic “elements" that make up the world: ash, metal, water, wood, fire and sky. On track 3, "Ramblin' Man", Standing reads a long list of various locations around the world, ranging from small Sussex villages to major world capitals. In July 2010, it was confirmed that he would be appearing as Jon Arryn in the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 16, 1934 (92)
- London, England, UK
- Actor
- 65 on MovieCove · 132 credits in all
What are John Standing's films like?
Across their 33 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 3 · Earnest 24
Light 10 · Serious 14 · Dark 7
A split, not a type: Grounded 18 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 5
Gentle 6 · Charged 14 · Intense 11
Steady 10 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 2
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 5
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 20 · Relentless 0
Casual 13 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 4
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 15 · Heavy 5
Resolved 18 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 3
Roles they play
Usually the Shadow: 2 of 7 analyzed roles.
Show the 7 rolesHide the roles
- Shadowas Major Quive-Smith in Rogue Male (1976)
- Threshold guardianas Charles Fairbrother in The Class of Miss MacMichael (1978)
- Shadowas Jason Mountolive in The Legacy (1978)
- Mentoras Michael D'Brannin in Nightflyers (1987)
- Heroas Philip Emmenthal in 8 ½ Women (1999)
- Threshold guardianas Foreign Secretary in Witness to a Kill (2001)
- Mentoras Dr. Sam Maitland in King Solomon's Mines (2004)
Moods and endings
- Happy10
- Bittersweet14
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous7
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch John Standing's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 41 of their 65 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (22).
- King Rat (1965) · actor · free
- Eerie, Indiana (1991) · actor · free
- Midsomer Murders (1997) · actor · free
- The Falklands Play (2002) · actor · free
- The Eagle Has Landed (1976) · actor · free
- Walk Don't Run (1966) · actor · free
- The Line of Beauty (2006) · actor · free
- The Vice (1999) · actor · free
- Space: 1999 (1975) · actor · free
- Lexx (1996) · actor · free
- Mrs Dalloway (1997) · actor · free
- Love in a Cold Climate (2001) · actor · free
- +10 more
- Poirot (1989) · actor · free
- Eerie, Indiana (1991) · actor
- Midsomer Murders (1997) · actor · free
- The Falklands Play (2002) · actor
- The Eagle Has Landed (1976) · actor
- Rogue Male (1976) · actor · free
- The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) · actor
- The Line of Beauty (2006) · actor
- The Vice (1999) · actor
- Space: 1999 (1975) · actor
- Lexx (1996) · actor
- King Lear (2018) · actor
- +6 more
- Eerie, Indiana (1991) · actor · free
- Midsomer Murders (1997) · actor · free
- The Eagle Has Landed (1976) · actor · free
- The Vice (1999) · actor · free
- Space: 1999 (1975) · actor · free
- Lexx (1996) · actor · free
- Mrs Dalloway (1997) · actor · free
- Love in a Cold Climate (2001) · actor · free
- The Hippopotamus (2017) · actor · free
- Gulliver's Travels (1996) · actor · free
- Hunter (1984) · actor · free
- King Solomon's Mines (2004) · actor · free
- BritBox
Subscription and free streaming for John Standing's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
132 credits, 65 with a MovieCove page.

Can You Hear Me?(2024)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
The Great Escaper(2023)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
May… I Have This Dance? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

A Family Affair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
King Lear(2018)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Patrick Melrose(2018)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
The Happy Prince(2018)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Hippopotamus(2017)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
The Crown(2016)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Churchill's Secret(2016)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Queen & Country(2014)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Last Resort (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

Rosamunde Pilcher: The Other Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

Borgia(2011)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
Game of Thrones(2011)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
The Shadow in the North(2007)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Consenting Adults (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

The Contractor(2007)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
I Want Candy(2007)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Fallen Angel(2007)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all showsRabbit Fever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

Scoop(2006)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Line of Beauty(2006)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
V for Vendetta(2005)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Lassie(2005)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Animal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

A Good Woman(2004)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
King Solomon's Mines(2004)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows
Shoreditch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

Keen Eddie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

Trust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

The Real Jane Austen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

The Gathering Storm(2002)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Falklands Play(2002)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Witness to a Kill(2001)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Pandaemonium(2000)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Queen's Messenger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

In Deep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

Love in a Cold Climate(2001)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows
The Calling(2000)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Longitude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

Longitude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

Mad Cows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

Rogue Trader(1999)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
8 ½ Women(1999)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Joan of Arc (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

The Vice(1999)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
The Woman In White (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

The Woman In White (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
A Dance to the Music of Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

Mrs Dalloway(1997)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Lexx(1996)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Midsomer Murders(1997)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Gulliver's Travels(1996)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all showsLook at the State We're In! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

The Choir (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

Riders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

Chaplin(1992)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all filmsThe Old Boy Network (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

The Count of Solar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Civil Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Eerie, Indiana(1991)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Tonight at 8.30 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Night of the Fox(1990)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Chameleons(1989)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Paddington Bear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

The Endless Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

The Endless Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Dark Holiday(1989)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Poirot(1989)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Murphy's Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

Flapjack Floozie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

Nightflyers(1987)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Visitors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

L.A. Law(1986)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows
Lime Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

The Biko Inquest(1984)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Murder, She Wrote(1984)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Hunter(1984)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
To Catch a King(1984)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Pygmalion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

Privates on Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Hotel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

Shillingbury Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

The Elephant Man(1980)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Sea Wolves(1980)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The Other 'Arf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

Hart to Hart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
The Legacy(1978)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Beryl Reid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

The Sinking of the HMS Victoria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

BBC2 Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Nanny's Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Jubilee 1977 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

The Eagle Has Landed(1976)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Rogue Male(1976)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Space: 1999(1975)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
Van der Valk(1972)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows
The Frighteners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

Au Pair Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

X, Y & Zee(1972)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows
All the Right Noises (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Wine of India (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Charley's Aunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

The First Churchills (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

A Touch of Love(1969)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Main Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

ITV Saturday Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

Torture Garden(1967)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
ITV Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

Walk Don't Run(1966)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
The Psychopath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

King Rat(1965)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

The Wednesday Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

Agent 8 3/4(1964)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all filmsSharp at Four (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

The Iron Maiden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

Young and Willing(1962)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
The Saint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

A Pair of Briefs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Drama 61-67 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

The Avengers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

Armchair Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Career shape
Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 132 titles from 1956 to 2025; peak year 1998.
Film career
Peak 1998 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1964Screen debut· Hot Enough for June
- 1999First top-billed film· 8 ½ Women
- 1999Career best· 8 ½ Women
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do John Standing's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 45; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up18
- 50th to 74th23
- 25th to 49th14
- Below 25th10
Shape of the crowd
29 of their 65 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved10
- Universally Panned2
- Crowd Pleaser29
- Broadly Agreed6
- Mixed18
Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 41. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is John Standing's work okay for kids?
Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does John Standing work with?
People who share at least 2 of John Standing's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jack Higgins shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Clive DonnerShared titles: To Catch a King (1984), Rogue Male (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Clive Donner
Writers
- Jack HigginsShared titles: Night of the Fox (1990), To Catch a King (1984), The Eagle Has Landed (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Jack Higgins

Actors
- Michael CaineShared titles: The Great Escaper (2023), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), X, Y & Zee (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Caine

- Glenda JacksonShared titles: The Great Escaper (2023), The Class of Miss MacMichael (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Glenda Jackson

- Tim McInnernyShared titles: The Hippopotamus (2017), Rogue Trader (1999)See all 2 shared titles with Tim McInnerny

- Charles DanceShared titles: Fallen Angel (2007), The Contractor (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Dance

Composers and editors
- Anne V. CoatesShared titles: The Elephant Man (1980), The Legacy (1978), The Eagle Has Landed (1976)See all 3 shared titles with Anne V. Coates

- Stanley MyersShared titles: The Class of Miss MacMichael (1978), X, Y & Zee (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Stanley Myers

Producers
- Jimmy de BrabantShared titles: I Want Candy (2007), 8 ½ Women (1999)See all 2 shared titles with Jimmy de Brabant
- Christopher BallShared titles: Rogue Trader (1999), Mrs Dalloway (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Ball
- William TyrerShared titles: Rogue Trader (1999), Mrs Dalloway (1997)See all 2 shared titles with William Tyrer
- Max RosenbergShared titles: A Touch of Love (1969), Torture Garden (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Max Rosenberg
Mixed roles
- Freddie FrancisShared titles: The Elephant Man (1980), Torture Garden (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Freddie Francis







