
John Henshaw
Acting
Born 1950-08-01 · Manchester, England, UK
John Henshaw is a British actor famed for his roles as Ken the landlord in Early Doors, Wilf Bradshaw in Born and Bred and PC Roy Bramwell in The Cops. Henshaw was born one of 12 children. He grew up in Ancoats, Manchester's "Little Italy" community. He was a refuse collector for ten years before deciding to become an actor at the age of 40. His first big break in acting was as a minder to Robert Lindsay's character Michael Murray in the acclaimed Channel 4 series, G.B.H. Other TV credits include The Royle Family, The Visit, Life on Mars, whilst film credits include the Steve Coogan comedy The Parole Officer, the Bert Trautmann biopic The Keeper, and the Ken Loach films Looking For Eric and The Angels' Share. Henshaw is chairman of the 24:7 Theatre Festival, an annual festival of new writing for theatre based in Manchester.
Known for

Born and Bred
2002 · TV

The Cops
1998 · TV

Early Doors
2003 · TV

Midsomer Murders
1997 · TV

The Visit
2007 · TV

G.B.H.
1991 · TV

The Long Shadow
2023 · TV

Talamasca: The Secret Order
2025 · TV

Cilla
2014 · TV

Candy Cabs
2011 · TV

South Riding
2011 · TV

Cutting It
2002 · TV

Cradle to Grave
2015 · TV

Going Postal
2010 · TV

By Any Means
2013 · TV

The Second Coming
2003 · TV

Johnny and the Bomb
2006 · TV

See No Evil: The Moors Murders
2006 · TV

Casualty
1986 · TV

Father Brown
2013 · TV

Heartbeat
1992 · TV

The Bill
1984 · TV

Life on Mars
2006 · TV

Documentary Now!
2015 · TV

The Royle Family
1998 · TV

Cracker
1993 · TV

The Full Monty
2023 · TV

The Afternoon Play
2003 · TV

Boat Story
2023 · TV

Red Riding
2009 · TV

Ridley
2022 · TV

The Grand
1997 · TV

Remembers…
2022 · TV