British stage and film actor John Nolan has died at the age of 87 after a decades-long career in stage, television and film, including roles in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and the CBS drama Person of Interest, the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald reported.
Born in London on May 22, 1938, Nolan laid his foundations in theater by training at London’s Drama Center before beginning his career on some of Britain’s most revered stages. In his early years, he toured with a traveling theater company in Ireland and appeared as Romeo opposite Francesca Annis at the Richmond Theatre.
Nolan later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in productions of Julius Caesar and The Merry Wives of Windsor. He then worked at the National Theater under director Trevor Nunn, further cementing his reputation as a versatile classical actor.
He became widely known on television for his starring roles in the BBC miniseries Daniel Deronda (1970) and the drama Doomwatch, in which he played scientist Geoff Hardcastle. His television credits also included appearances in series such as “The Prisoner,” “Silent Witness,” and “Return of the Saint.”
In film, Nolan appeared in several projects directed by his nephew Christopher Nolan, playing Wayne Enterprises director Douglas Fredericks in The Following (1998), Batman Begins (2005), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). He also appeared in the 2017 war film Dunkirk.
On television, he is perhaps best known to modern audiences for his role as John Greer in Person of Interest, created by another of his nephews, Jonathan Nolan. Introduced in the show’s second season, his character became the central antagonist and appeared over multiple seasons.
Nolan is survived by his wife, actress Kim Hartman, two children and grandchildren.
