Nicholas Victor Leslie Henson (12 May 1945 – 15 December 2019)[1] was a British actor.
Early life
Henson was born in London, the son of Harriet Martha (née Collins) and comedian Leslie Henson,[2] a few days after VE Day, hence the middle name Victor.[3]Adam Henson, a farmer and regular presenter on BBC TV's Countryfile, was Henson's nephew; being the son of Nicky's brother Joe Henson.[4]
In 2005, he played Hugo, an antique dealer, in Bad Girls. In February 2006, Henson joined the cast of EastEnders, playing Jack Edwards. Henson left the production towards the end of the year due to health problems.[6]
Henson played three different characters in the police drama series The Bill, the first in 1991, the second in 1998, and the third in 2007. In 2010, he appeared as Charles Grigg, a former acquaintance of Carson the butler, in an episode of Downton Abbey and appeared in two episodes in 2013.[7]
He also played Randolph Mepstead, the older brother of David Jason's character in the pilot episode of the mid-1970s series Lucky Feller.
Henson played the role of Mr. Johnson in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Psychiatrist". He stated that despite his 50 years of professional acting, his tombstone will probably read "Here lies Nicky Henson – he was in one episode of Fawlty Towers". He was paid a modest appearance fee, and he was told he might earn the same again in repeats fees.[8][9][10][11]
Henson played Lemuel "Chipper" Barnet in Space Force series 1 and 2 (1984–1985). He also played Major in Dombey and Son (BBC Radio 15 Minute Drama, 2007).
Personal life
Henson married actress Una Stubbs (who incidentally played his sister-in-law Caroline Bishop in EastEnders).[12] The couple had two sons, Joe and Christian, both of whom are composers.[12] The marriage ended after Henson began an affair in 1974 with actress Susan Hampshire, his co-star in several stage productions.[13]
He then married ballerina Marguerite Porter, with whom he had a third son, Keaton, a musician and illustrator.[14]
Health
Henson was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. Surgeons removed tumours from around his spleen, but a routine check-up in 2006 showed that other tumours had grown, and it would be dangerous to remove them. Henson was put on a regime of chemotherapy, and he worked regularly to raise funds for cancer charities, especially Marie Curie Cancer Care.[15] He died on 15 December 2019, aged 74.[16]
^Lambert, Angela (2 January 2001). "A rose that refuses to wilt". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 July 2018. When Pierre left [Susan] in 1974, she divorced him...[and] threw herself into work, appearing that year as Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew and Peter Pan that Christmas. Appearing with her was Nicky Henson, then married to Una Stubbs, and the two began a lengthy affair that led to his divorce.
