JOHN BENTLEYThe dashing British actor John Bentley died on 13 August, 2009.During the 1950s he was known for playing crime and adventure heroes, such as Philip Lombard in a 1949 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, the genteel detective Paul Temple in three films and Chief Insp. Paul Derek in the television series African Patrol (1958-59).He had leading roles in a dozen films and appeared on screen with the likes of Dirk Bogarde, John Mills and Errol Flynn. He also spent a spell working in LA.But he was perhaps best remembered as Hugh Mortimer, the handsome husband of motel owner Meg Richardson (played by Noele Gordon) – their onscreen marriage in 1975 attracted 18 million viewers and was described as the ‘wedding of the decade’.Despite being a housewives’ favourite, Mr Bentley’s character was killed off in 1977 in an outlandish plot involving international terrorists.He was from Sparkhill in Birmingham and the Birmingham Mail reported that he had died at the age of 92. He spent his retirement in Petworth, Surrey.Maria Brabiner of the Crossroads Appreciation Society said: “When I found out that he had died I was gutted.“He has always been my favourite actor and always will be. He was not only good-looking but he had a lovely voice, was smooth, sophisticated and charming.”
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