Jonathan Turner (1963)
Jonathan Turner (9 November 1951 – 16 June 2020), better known to some by his stage name John Benfield, was a British character actor but also an Old Loughtonian.
Jonathan was born in Wanstead, Essex, son of Fred Turner and his wife Joan. He was at Loughton School between 1963 and 1968, then the town’s further education college.
After four years as an ambulance driver in London, he went up to the University of Nottingham to read History during which time he discovered a passion for acting with the Student Drama Society. He went on to the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art from 1976 to 1978 to receive formal acting training. There was already an actor called “John Turner”, so as is the practice in the profession he assumed the stage name “John Benfield”, the surname coming from his mother’s side.
He appeared in films and television starting in 1981 with small parts in BBC drama adaptations, such as The Winter’s Tale and The Day of the Triffids. He gained recognition for his performance as Superintendent Michael Kernan in The Prime Suspect [1991 – 1995] alongside Helen Mirren. He had a prolific career appearing in over 70 films and TV dramas.
He died on 16th June 2020 aged 68.
