John Maurice Roëves (; 19 March 1937 – 14 July 2020) was a British actor. He appeared in over 120 film and television roles, in both the United Kingdom and the United States. His breakthrough performance was as Stephen Dedalus in the 1967 film adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses. He was a regular fixture on BBC and BBC Scotland programmes, often portraying what The Guardian called "tough guys, steely villains or stalwart military figures with directness, authenticity and spiky energy".
Early life and education Roëves was born in Sunderland to Rhoda (nee Laydon) and Percival Roëves. When he was six the family moved to Glasgow, where he was raised from then on. He left Hyndland Secondary School early to help his father, and undertook National Service in the Royal Scots Greys, where he was a tank mechanic. After he left the Army he studied at the College of Dramatic Art at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he won a Gold Medal for acting.
Career Roëves took to the stage at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow in the 1960s in a production of The Merchant of Venice.
Roëves's first notable roles were in films. He played the leading role of Stephen Dedalus in the film adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses (1967) and also appeared in Oh! What a Lovely War (1969). Other films he acted in include A Day at the Beach (1970), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), Hidden Agenda (1990), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Judge Dredd (1995), The Acid House (1998) and Beautiful Creatures (2000). In 2003 he appeared in May Miles Thomas's film Solid Air. His final film role was in Justin Kurzel's Macbeth (2015), playing Menteith.
His first television role was in the series Scobie in September in 1969. Roëves played a schoolmaster in Out of the Unknown, in the episode "Taste of Evil" in 1971. A short thriller series called The Scobie Man followed in 1972. He then went on to appear in The Sweeney (1975), Danger UXB (1979), The Nightmare Man (1981), the Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani (1984), Days of Our Lives (1986), North and South (1985), Tutti Frutti (1987), Rab C. Nesbitt (1990), The New Statesman (1990), Spender (1991), Star Trek: The Next Generation (1993), the BBC adaptation of Vanity Fair (1998), EastEnders (2003), A Touch of Frost (2003) and Skins (2008). He played Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield in the television film Hillsborough (1996). In 2006 he appeared in the BBC docudrama Surviving Disasters, portraying Sir Matt Busby in the story of the Munich air disaster. He starred as Robert Henderson in BBC Scotland's drama River City. Roëves also appeared as a retired police superintendent in Southcliffe (episode 3, "Sorrow's Child").
Personal life In 2014 he stated that he had moved to Nottinghamshire with his wife, Vanessa Rawlings-Jackson. They also spent part of each year at a condo in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States.
Death Roëves died in Edinburgh on 14 July 2020 at the age of 83, after a period of ill health.
Filmography +YearTitleRoleNotes1966The Fighting Prince of DonegalMartin1967UlyssesStephen Dedalus1969Oh! What a Lovely WarGeorge Patrick Michael Smith1970A Day at the BeachNicholas1971When Eight Bells TollLt. Williams1972Young WinstonBrockie1976The Eagle Has LandedMaj. Corcoran1981OutlandFirst VictimUncreditedEscape to VictoryCaptain Pyrie1982Who Dares WinsMaj. Steele1990Hidden AgendaHarrisThe Big ManCam Colvin1992The Last of the MohicansCol. Edmund Munro1995Judge DreddMiller1996Guardians Sergeant Reed1998The Acid HouseGod/Drunk/PriestSegments: "The Granton Star Cause", "A Soft Touch" and "The Acid House"2000Beautiful CreaturesRonnie McMinn2003Solid Air Robert Houston2005The DarkDafydd2007Hallam FoeRaymond2008Fast Track: No LimitsSchmitty2009The Damned UnitedJimmy Gordon2010Brighton RockChief Inspector2013HarriganBilly Davidson2014LunaJacob As The Doctor2015MacbethMenteith
Television +YearTitleRoleNotes1966Dr. Finlay's CasebookMr. ThompsonEpisode: "For Services Rendered"The Wednesday PlayIan TiggottEpisode: "Cook, Hen and Courting Pitt"1967The Revenue MenPrivate BinghamEpisode: "Swallowtale"1969Scobie in SeptemberScobieMiniseriesITV PlayhouseGeoff/Sam/FrancoEpisode: "Square on the Hypotenuse"1970The BorderersRobert ScottEpisode: "Where the White Lillies Grow"DoomwatchPeter ShiptonEpisode: "The Devil's Sweets"Thirty-Minute TheatreCassEpisode: "The Tidewatchers"1971A Family at WarSergeant HazardEpisode: "Hazard"Out of the UnknownStephen ChambersEpisode: "Taste of Evil"Paul Temple JappEpisode: "Critics, Yes! But This Is Ridiculous!"1971-1976Play for TodayVarious3 episodes1971-1979JackanoryStoryteller4 stories1972Dixon of Dock GreenRichard BennettEpisode: "Molenzicht"The Shadow of the TowerHumphrey Stafford2 episodesJason KingRigueraEpisode: "A Kiss for a Beautiful Killer"1973Scotch on the RocksBrodieMiniseriesSutherland's LawCallum LithgowEpisode: "The Climb"1974Marked PersonalPeter Barker2 episodes1975Whodunnit?Ian CockburnEpisode: "Death at the Top"Oil Strike NorthMcGraw3 episodesThe SweeneyPhil DeaconEpisode: "Big Brother"Crown CourtBernard WatsonSerial: "Dicing"1977WarshipSub-Lieutenant CarwithEpisode: "Jack Fell Down"TargetHarry SkeatsEpisode: "Blow Out"1978Return of the SaintWillcoxEpisode: "The Judas Game"1979Danger UXBSergeant JamesMiniseriesS.O.S. TitanicLeading Stoker: Fred BarretTV movie1980BBC Television ShakespeareAntonioEpisode: Twelfth Night1981BBC2 PlayhouseAdolf HitlerEpisode: "Journal of Bridget Hitler"The Nightmare ManInspector InskipMiniseries1982Inside the Third ReichRudolf HessTV movieThe Chinese DetectiveDoc HallidayEpisode: "Bounty Hunter"1984Magnum, P.I.HopkinsEpisode: "Holmes is Where the Heart Is"Doctor WhoStotzSerial: "The Caves of Androzani"Remington SteeleAngus WhitewoodEpisode: "Blue Blooded Steele"1985Lytton's DiaryMaximEpisode: "Come Uppance"Code Name: FoxfireEpisode: "Goodbye, Mr Microchips"Big Deal Mr. SmithEpisode: "Windfall"BergeracVacarroEpisode: "Sins of the Fathers"1985-1989Days of Our LivesDavid Helpern/The Professor15 episodes1986North and South ShainBook Two: "Love and War"1987Tutti FruttiVincent DriverMiniseries1988The Play on OneJackEpisode: "Unreported Incident"1989Hunter Michael MullenbyEpisode: "Blood Line"Jake and the FatmanTattooistEpisode: "It Ain't Necessarily So"1991El C.I.D.CharlieEpisode: "Piece of Cake"The New Statesman Ken PriceEpisode: "Natural Selection"SpenderMal BalmerEpisode: "Tough"Rumpole of the BaileyClive ClymptonEpisode: "Rumpole and the Right to Silence"1992Moon and SonRuss NapleyEpisode: "Music in the Air"Rab C. NesbittYoung Young McGurnEpisode: "That's Entertainment"BaywatchRolandEpisode: "Princess of Tides"1993CheersSeanEpisode: "Bar Wars VII: The Naked Prey"Star Trek: The Next GenerationRomulan CaptainEpisode: "The Chase"1994Murder, She WrotePolice CaptainEpisode: "Fatal Paradise"1995-1996MosesZerack2 episodes1996Hillsborough Chief Superintendent DuckenfieldTV movie1998GraftersLennie3 episodesVanity Fair Captain McMurdo1 episode2000Forgive and ForgetMichael O'NeilTV movie2003A Touch of Frost Mr. McIntoshEpisode: "Close Encounters"EastEndersGeoff2 episodes2004William and MaryAlly1 episodeThe BillDI Tom Henry2 episodes2004-2007Holby CityRoy Collins/Cecil Heaney3 episodes2006Surviving DisasterMatt BusbyEpisode: "Munich Air Crash"2008Trial & RetributionKen Randle2 episodesSkins AlexEpisode: "Sid"The Invisibles McLelland1 episode2009New TricksFrank PowellEpisode: "Death of a Timeshare Salesman"2010Casualty Carl Jackson2 episodes2010-2013DoctorsWilliam McIntyre/Earnest Pike2012Falcón Virgilio GuzmánEpisode: "The Silent and the Damned"2013Case Histories RayEpisode: "Started Early, Took My Dog"SouthcliffeMarsden2 episodes2016Two Doors Down Willie1 episode2020The Nest Lenny
References
External links
2012 Interview with Maurice Roeves Maurice Roëves (Aveleyman)