profiles

It’s no mean feat to break into TV at the age of forty, but it's a gamble that paid off for John. 

Actor John Henshaw in "Road"

He got his first break playing a minder in Alan Bleasedale's 'GBH', then went on to secure roles in some great productions, like the award winning BBC drama 'The Cops', and nostalgic TV series 'Born and Bred'. 

Acting was never on the radar when he was younger though. As he says, he's 'had more jobs than Charlie Drake'. At various times he was:

- an apprentice motor mechanic at Kennings Ltd on Elizabeth St; driver; roofer; tyre verifier; pipe fitter; heating and ventilation fitter; on the family business at Bury Market; milkman; and several other jobs before working for the Cleansing dept sweeping the streets and driving a bin wagon!

"Which is, of course", he jokes, "the usual path into thespianism."

Little Italy

John grew up one of twelve in Manchester’s 'Little Italy' where, he said, everybody worked hard.

Despite the hard work, John has plenty of fond memories from those times. The family was part of a very tight knit community.

"My paternal grandmother was Angelina Crolla and a lot of my friends were second-generation Italian including the Marrochia twins, who’s Father Tony used to make the brown twists for the ice cream, and stored barrel organs in their big rambling house on Jersey St. I remember him making fresh pasta for the family."

"It was a great place for a kid with the old Smithfield Market just over the road, Shudehill market where most of us bought pigeons - and Tib St, where in those days, you could buy puppies, rabbits, tortoises and all sorts of exotic animals. But most of the time we just had our noses pressed against the window."

Untrained

It’s obvious he feels he's had few breaks. “Many of my colleagues spent three years at RADA. I spent two years at ASDA!"

John Henshaw in "Road"

“I am totally untrained, blagging it and I'm just waiting for the tap on the shoulder that is still fresh in my mind from the store detectives at Lewis' department store in Piccadilly. As kids we used to play with the toys which were on display on the top floor.

He might feel like he's blagging it, but there's plenty of people who have faith in his talents, including local director Noreen Kershaw - who asked him to appear in the Bolton Octagon’s production of “Road”. Written by Jim Cartwright – the man behind “Little Voice” - it's a bittersweet tale of life in a northern industrial town during the Thatcher years.

According to John the play is a 'gift for actors'. He plays the part of Scullery, "a sort of narrator and inhabitant of The Road. It's his domain and he loves the richness and madness of its inhabitants. To quote Scullery - you’ll meet all sorts, and 'owt can happen."

A bit like John’s life too really.