John Bardon (born John Michael Jones, 25 August 1939 – 12 September 2014) was an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1988 (1987 season) for Kiss Me, Kate, sharing the award with co-star Emil Wolk.[2] He was best known for playing the patriarch of the Branning family, Jim Branning, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, for 15 years from 1996 to 2011.
Early life and amateur acting
John Michael Jones was born in Brentford, Middlesex; his father was a shipping clerk who formerly ran a building business. "Bardon" was his grandmother's maiden name. His early acting experience was with a group called The Taverners, who played in pubs. He then appeared in productions by the Civil Service drama group, which toured theatres in Germany and Austria.[3]
Acting career
Bardon became a professional actor in 1970 at the age of 31, joining a repertory company in Exeter.[3] He may be best known for having played Jim Branning in EastEnders. His character, the father of established character Carol Jackson, first appeared briefly in 1996. The character of Jim returned to the series in 1999 and this time became a regular character, later marrying Dot Cotton (June Brown). Bardon filmed his final scenes for EastEnders in March 2011 after years of poor health.[4]
In October 1990 he played former boxer, Jack Morris in the series 5 episode "Hiding Place" of Casualty. From 1992 to 1993 he appeared in Get Back (TV series).
He was a guest star in two episodes of Coronation Street in the early 1990s. He appeared as the father of Daryl Stubbs in Birds of a Feather (in 1991 and again in 1998), and played an asylum warden in the 1996 TV adaptation of Gulliver's Travels. In 1997, he appeared briefly as one of the zoo customers in the film comedy Fierce Creatures, and 2 years later he appeared in the film East Is East as Mr. Moorhouse.
Other appearances
Bardon appeared on the BBC show Just the Two of Us. His singing partner was Jocelyn Brown and the pair finished fourth.[5] Bardon also made an appearance in the sitcom Desmond's, in a two part episode of the second series in which he played a police officer.
He has also appeared in Birds of a Feather as the father of Daryl Stubbs.
Prior to his work in EastEnders, Bardon worked as a shuttle driver at Heathrow Airport.[6] In June 2002, he married Enda Gates.[7]
On 14 June 2007, Bardon was admitted to hospital after suffering a major stroke at home.[8] In November 2007, it was reported that he was making steady progress, when he opened a new stroke ward at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Welwyn Garden City. It was reported on 27 December 2007 that Bardon had walked for the first time in six months.[9]
On 8 August 2008, Bardon was rushed to hospital with a second suspected stroke.[10][11] It was confirmed on 5 October 2008 that Bardon had returned home. On 9 November, June Brown confirmed that he would appear in EastEnders again on Christmas Day. Jim was seen on screen briefly on 4 December 2008, when his son Jack went to see him in the care home. Bardon returned to work at EastEnders full-time in June 2009 and was on screen from 20 August 2009.[12]
Bardon's last appearance was aired on 26 May 2011, when his character Jim left Albert Square to move into a care home. On the morning of 12 September 2014, Bardon died of a third stroke at the Romford Grange Care Home, in Collier Row, Romford. News of his death was announced later that day, and the episode of EastEnders that was broadcast that evening was dedicated to his memory.[13][14]
