John Chapman (screenwriter)

John Roy Chapman (27 May 1927 – 3 September 2001) was a British actor, playwright and screenwriter, known for his collaborations with Ray Cooney

John Chapman
Born
John Roy Chapman

27 May 1927
London, England, United Kingdom
Died3 September 2001 (aged 74)
EducationRoyal Academy of Dramatic Arts
OccupationActor, playwright, screenwriter
FamilyEdward Chapman (actor), Paul Chapman (actor)

Biography

Early life

Born in London, John Chapman was the nephew of the actor Edward Chapman; his own father was an engineer. His brother, Paul Chapman, became an actor.

He trained at the RADA, and made his acting debut in Enid Bagnold's National Velvet in 1946.[1]

Early theatre career

Initially a stage manager and understudy at the Whitehall Theatre for the first two years of Reluctant Heroes, the first Whitehall farce, he subsequently spent a few years in weekly rep before returning to Brian Rix's company with his first play. Dry Rot (1954), which is about dishonest bookmakers, had a four-year run with 1,475 performances.[1] Ray Cooney joined the cast in 1956 and first met the author at this time. Chapman followed this production with Simple Spymen (1958),[2] which was staged 1,404 times[1] over a three-year run.

Playwright, screenwritimg and collaboration with Cooney

Before the production of Simple Spymen closed, Chapman and Cooney had begun their collaboration. Together they wrote Not Now, Darling (1967, which Chapman adapted for the film version), Move Over, Mrs. Markham (1968), My Giddy Aunt (1968) and There Goes the Bride (1973).[3] Meanwhile, he also wrote extensively for television including episodes of the sitcoms Hugh and I (1962-1965) and Happy Ever After (1974-1977), both of which were BBC vehicles for Terry Scott. Fresh Fields (1984–1986), and its sequel French Fields (1988-1992) for Thames Television, featured Anton Rodgers and Julia McKenzie in the leads.

Chapman was married to actress Betty Impey, from Whitehall and they had four children, Mark, Adam, Justin and Guy (who died when he was young). Chapman died in Périgueux, France, on 3 September 2001, aged 74.

Filmography

Screenwriter

References
  1. Obituary: John Chapman, telegraph.co.uk, 7 September 2001
  2. "12 Successful Years For Mr. Brian Rix", The Times, 13 September 1962, p. 12
  3. Ray Coonety Obituary: John Chapman, The Guardian, 8 September 2001
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