Whatever Happened To ... Julian Holloway?

As Julian Holloway is my Carry on Hero of the Week, I thought I would repost this blog from earlier in the year in which I look back at Julian's career. Enjoy!

I have been running a series of blogs which take a look at some of the lesser known actors involved with the Carry On films over the years. Their faces are often instantly recognisable but we seldom know a great deal about them or their careers. While they were never part of the main Carry On team, their contributions to the series should never be underestimated.

So far I have written about Gail Grainger, Esma Cannon, Carol Hawkins, Marianne Stone, June Jago, Judith Furse, Peter Gilmore and Michael Nightingale. Today I'm going to look back at the career of that marvellous cheeky chappie, Julian Holloway.

Julian Holloway is a familiar face to many Carry On fans. It was great to see him take part in the recent Carry On Forever documentary but as far as I can remember that is the first time he's really been interviewed about his time working on the Carry Ons. While he very nearly made it to full Carry On star status, most of his appearances are in supporting roles. I think it was a missed opportunity not to elevate Julian to a main team member following Jim Dale's departure. He was great in each of his eight Carry On roles.

Julian first appeared in Follow That Camel in 1967, playing a cheeky ticket collector who offered to punch Angela Douglas' ticket! Later that year he was back for a brief bit of fun and games with Frankie Howerd and Valerie Van Ost in Carry On Doctor. This was followed up with a further two appearances in 1968, both much more substantial. First of all he played Major Shorthouse in Up The Khyber, sharing many enjoyable scenes with Sid James. He returned in the Autumn of '68 for another bigger role as coach driver Jim Tanner. This was obviously a role meant for Jim Dale. Sadly, although he shared some effective scenes with Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor, the role was greatly reduced and a planned on-screen romance with Trisha Noble's character was unexpectedly scrapped.

Julian next appeared in Carry On Loving in 1970. He played Adrian, a lusty and slightly pervy fashion photographer who popped up throughout the film working mainly with the likes of Janet Mahoney, Jacki Piper and Imogen Hassall. Later in 1970 he was back for a supporting role as Sir Thomas in Carry On Henry. In 1971 he appeared in an uncredited cameo as Roger in At Your Convenience, sharing a memorable scene at The Whippit Inn with Richard O'Callaghan and Jacki Piper. Julian then had quite a long gap before rejoining the gang in 1976, with a cameo role as the medical officer in Carry On England. And sadly that was his last part in the Carry Ons.

So what else did Julian get up to in his career? During a career dating back to the early 1960s, Julian has appeared in a wide range of films such as A Hard Day's Night (1964), Scream and Scream Again and Ryan's Daughter (both 1970), Young Winston (1972) and Porridge (1979). On the small screen Julian cropped up in a lot of very popular telly during the 60s and 70s, including Elizabeth R (1971), Rebecca (1979), The Professionals (1978), The Sweeney (1976), Minder (1982) and Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads. Thankfully Julian is still acting today, most recently appearing in American television series such as Regular Show and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Julian has been based over in California for many years, forging a successful career as a voiceover artist. 

Julian Holloway was born in Oxfordshire in June 1944. His father was the famous actor Stanley Holloway, his mother Violet Lane. In the 1970s he had a relationship with Tessa Dahl, daughter of the author Roald Dahl. This relationship produced a daughter, the author and former model, Sophie Dahl. Julian married the late actress Zena Walker during the 1980s but the marriage ended in divorce. He married again, to the actress Debbie Wheeler in the 1990s.

It was great to see Julian again in Carry On Forever. He shared some affectionate memories of his time at Pinewood with the Carry On gang and he still had that cheeky twinkle in his eye. It's a shame he didn't gradate to bigger roles in the series as he was definitely a good fit. If you know any more about the life and career of Julian Holloway, do get in touch!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan

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