John Woodnutt (3 March 1924 – 2 January 2006) was a British actor.
He was born in London, and at the age of 18 made his acting debut at the Oxford Playhouse.
He had many television and film roles, including that of Henry VII in the first episode of The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970); Sir Watkyn Bassett in the television version of Jeeves and Wooster (1990 to 1993); and Merlin and Mogdred in the children's adventure game programme Knightmare (1987-1990). One of his earliest television roles was in 1956 in the ITV drama One, broadcast live. He appeared five times in Z-Cars and once in Softly, Softly.
He appeared four times in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who:
He appeared in The Avengers episode "Quick-Quick Slow Death" in 1966 and played "The Spidron" in the cult science fiction series The Tomorrow People in 1973. He also appeared in the Look and Read educational serial "The Boy From Space" in 1971, as the Thin Spaceman; and in the 1976 HTV series Children of the Stones as the sinister butler Link. In the 1980s, he played various guest roles in several television movies such as Hitler's S.S.: Portrait in Evil, starring Bill Nighy and John Shea. He appeared in producer Barry Letts's classic serials Sense and Sensibility, Stalky & Co., and The Pickwick Papers. He also played the Senior Tutor in Porterhouse Blue and appeared regularly as Sir Watkyn Bassett in the Jeeves and Wooster series alongside Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie
Radio and television Sherlock Holmes stories in which he appeared included the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles and, as Mr. Merryweather, the Granada television version of The Red-Headed League. He also made an appearance in the 1965 Douglas Wilmer Sherlock Holmes series on the BBC.
He was married twice and had two sons and three daughters. The last part of his life was spent at Denville Hall, an actor's retirement home in Northwood.
Adopted a very suspect accent for his role as a Scottish duke in "Doctor Who - Terror of the Zygons".
