Known for Acting
Karl Johnson is a Welsh actor, appearing on stage, film and television. His most notable role to date is the title role in Derek Jarman's 1993 film Wittgenstein and those of Cato the Younger in the television drama series Rome and of Twister Turrill in the BBC costume drama Lark Rise to Candleford.
Born
March 1, 1948 (age 78)
Birthplace
Wales, UK
Filmography
60 films, 39 shows


National Theatre Live: The Crucible
2023 · 2h 40m · UK
A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller's captivating parable of power with Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Brendan Cowell (Yerma). Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. As a climate of fear, vendetta and accusation spreads through the community, no one is safe from trial. Lindsey Turner (Hamlet) directs this contemporary new staging, design by Tony award winner Es Devlin. Captured live from the Olivier stage of the national theater.


National Theatre Live: Under Milk Wood
2021 · 1h 55m · UK
A community is sleeping. If you listen closely, you can hear their dreams. The retired sea captain yearning for his lost love. The landlady living in terror of her guests. A father who can no longer access his memories. A son in search of redemption. As they awake to boiled eggs and the postman, the residents of a small Welsh village juggle old secrets and new realities.


Dream Horse
2021 · 1h 53m · UK
The inspiring true story of Dream Alliance, an unlikely race horse bred by small town bartender, Jan Vokes. With very little money and no experience, Jan convinces her neighbors to chip in their meager earnings to help raise Dream and compete with the racing elites. Their investment pays off as Dream rises through the ranks and becomes a beacon of hope in their struggling community.


Endgame & Rough for Theatre II
2020 · 1h 44m · UK
Hamm is an ageing, blind tyrant who is confined to a wheelchair – but soon becomes locked in a bleakly funny and subversively devastating stalemate. Endgame forms the first half of a double bill, performed alongside Samuel Beckett’s rarely-seen short play Rough for Theatre II.


The Last Vermeer
2019 · 1h 58m · US
A soldier and member of the Dutch resistance investigates stolen art in the wake of the Second World War, including a Vermeer sold to the Nazis by a flamboyant forger.


Peterloo
2018 · 2h 35m · UK
An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reforms and protest against rising levels of poverty.


King Lear
2018 · 1h 55m · UK
An aging King invites disaster, when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects his loving and honest one.


Kaleidoscope
2017 · 1h 40m · UK
A psychological thriller about the destructive relationship between a middle-aged man and his mother.


The Death of Stalin
2017 · 1h 47m · BE
When dictator Joseph Stalin dies, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to become the next Soviet leader. As they bumble, brawl and back-stab their way to the top, the question remains — just who is running the government?


Winter Thaw
2016 · 52m
In late nineteenth-century Russia, Martin Avdeitch is a humble shoemaker whose life has been characterized by grief. Martin must find the courage to look outside himself and trust in the goodness of God. This BYUtv original holiday special is based on Leo Tolstoy's short story, "Martin the Cobbler," and stars John Rhys-Davies.
Aberfan: The Green Hollow
Aberfan: The Green Hollow
2016 · 1h · UK
A film poem to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, written by Owen Sheers and performed by a stellar cast of Wales's best-known acting talent, including Michael Sheen, Jonathan Pryce, Sian Phillips, Eve Myles and Iwan Rheon, with some contributions from the local community.


The Carer
2016 · 1h 29m · BE
Dorottya is a young Hungarian actress with a burning desire: to make it on the English stage. Legendary actor, Sir Michael Gifford suffers from an incurable disease, and has one desire: be left alone. When Dorottya becomes his carer they both hope their wish will be fulfilled.


Mother
2016 · 22m
In the aftermath of his mother's death, Edwin reaches out to his extended family for support.


National Theatre Live: Hamlet
2015 · 3h 37m · UK
As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father's death but paralyzed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state.


Mr. Turner
2014 · 2h 30m · FR
Eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner lives his last 25 years with gusto and secretly becomes involved with a seaside landlady, while his faithful housekeeper bears an unrequited love for him.


The Gospel According to St Derek
2014 · 37m
Using interviews with close family, friends and collaborators, The Gospel According to St. Derek bears witness to Derek Jarman’s unique approach to low-budget film-making (his near-alchemical ability to turn the base components of film-making in to artistic gold, his placing of himself at the heart of all his work and his need to be part of a repertory company-type set-up). The Gospel… also promotes Derek Jarman’s importance as one of Britain's finest film-makers and acts, therefore, as a rally call to all would-be independent film-makers. This is the ’10 commandments of St. Derek ‘(who was indeed canonised by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence) on low-budget film-making.


Under Milk Wood
2014 · 1h · UK
An all star cast unite to perform a distinctive BBC Wales Television adaptation of Dylan Thomas's radio play, presented in collaboration with National Theatre Wales, to mark the centenary of Dylan Thomas' birth. The plot reveals the innermost thoughts of the residents of the small, Welsh fishing village Llareggub as it delves into the dreams of various townspeople including blind sailor Captain Cat, who is haunted by visions of drowned shipmates, Mog Edwards and Myfanwy Price, who dream of each other, and Mrs. Ogmore Pritchard, who dreams of her former husbands.
Mr Invisible
Mr Invisible
2013 · 14m
A lonely old man seems invisible to the world around him. But when he journeys to the heart of London, being 'invisible' proves to be his greatest weapon.


The Sea
2013 · 1h 26m · IE
A man returns to the sea where he spent his childhood summers in search of peace following the death of his wife.


Good Vibrations
2012 · 1h 51m · IE
The story of music legend Terri Hooley, a key figure in Belfast's punk rock scene. Hooley founded the Good Vibrations store from which a record label sprung, representing bands such as The Undertones, Rudi and The Outcasts.


The Deep Blue Sea
2011 · 1h 38m · UK
The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.


The Pier
2011 · 1h 24m · IE
After 20 years of no contact with his father, Jack McCarthy (played by Hurley) travels from New York to his father Larry's death bed in Cork. Upon arrival he is furious to find his father alive and well and even more so when he then discovers he can't leave. Soon, father and son are forced to deal with a painful history. At the core of their conflict is Larry's denial about the death of his wife, Jack's mother. The story explores the difficult and painful, but often very hilarious ways they try to communicate. Forging a begrudging peace, the reality of life sets in when Larry discloses to Jack another truth that leads to a final reconciliation.


National Theatre Live: Frankenstein
2011 · 2h 10m · UK
Childlike in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein’s bewildered creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror-struck maker. Meeting with cruelty wherever he goes, the friendless Creature, increasingly desperate and vengeful, determines to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal. Urgent concerns of scientific responsibility, parental neglect, cognitive development and the nature of good and evil are embedded within this thrilling and deeply disturbing tale.


Third Star
2010 · 1h 32m · UK
James and his three closest lifelong friends go on an ill-advised trip to the stunning coastal area of Barafundle Bay in West Wales. What follows is a touching and comical adventure dealing with friendship, heroism and love.


Is Anybody There?
2009 · 1h 35m · UK
A young boy who lives in an old folks' home strikes up a friendship with a retired magician.


I Know You Know
2009 · 1h 21m · UK
Jamie, an 11-year-old boy, is fascinated by his father Charlie’s espionage work until the world of spies becomes all too real. Charlie lives in his own reality—an undercover agent, always on an important mission, always on the move. Life for Charlie is highly charged and on the edge. He is unpredictable, explosive, yet kind hearted and fiercely protective of his Jamie who hero-worships his father.


The Edge of Love
2008 · 1h 50m · UK
When the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his flirtatious wife Caitlin sweep into war-torn London, the last thing they expect is to bump into Dylan's childhood sweetheart Vera. Despite her joy at seeing Dylan after so many years, Vera is swept off her feet by a dashing officer, William Killick, and finds herself torn between the open adoration of her new found beau and the wily charms of the exotic Welshman.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Ladies and Gentlemen
2007 · 25m · UK
The story revolves around the rather self-centred ladies and gentlemen living in a Victorian house with their maids and money looking after them and not really anything to be that concerned about in the world.


Dog Altogether
2007 · 16m · UK
Joseph is a man plagued by a violence and rage who is driving him to self destruction. As he falls further into turmoil, Joseph scours the landscape in search of a single grain of redemption that might restore hope to his fractured life.


Hot Fuzz
2007 · 2h 1m · FR
Former London constable Nicholas Angel finds it difficult to adapt to his new assignment in the sleepy British village of Sandford. Not only does he miss the excitement of the big city, but he also has a well-meaning oaf for a partner. However, when a series of grisly accidents rocks Sandford, Angel smells something rotten in the idyllic village.


The Trial of Tony Blair
2007 · 1h 12m · UK
Biting political satire starring Robert Lindsay as a beleaguered Tony Blair, who stubbornly refuses to see the danger he faces from a Special Tribunal on Iraq that has been set up to investigate war crimes


Four Last Songs
2007 · 1h 50m · ES
A comic drama set on a Mediterranean island, where a motley collection of characters is seeking musical redemption.


Copying Beethoven
2006 · 1h 44m · DE
Serving as Ludwig van Beethoven's copyist gives a conservatory student access to the composer's musical genius, but also exposes her to his cruelty.


The Illusionist
2006 · 1h 50m · US
With his eye on a lovely aristocrat, a gifted illusionist named Eisenheim uses his powers to win her away from her betrothed, a crown prince. But Eisenheim's scheme creates tumult within the monarchy and ignites the suspicion of a dogged inspector.


The Chatterley Affair
2006 · 1h 30m · UK
The trial, under The Obscene Publications Act, of the publishers of D.H. Lawrence's 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'in 1960 was a sensation that consumed the nation. The movie follows two fictional jurors, Helena and Keith, who become passionate lovers during the course of the trial and whose affair mirrors the themes of the novel.


Elizabeth David: A Life in Recipes
2006 · 1h 30m · UK
Elizabeth David is the most important cookery writer of the 20th century. David's public image was of an elegant, respectable and somewhat austere figure. In reality she was a deeply unconventional person with a profound passion for food, life and men.


Heidi
2005 · 1h 37m · UK
Swiss girl Adelheid 'Heidi' is orphaned young. Aunt Detie brings her to grandpa Alp and his wife, who live isolated in the Alps since his murder charge. Heidi soon takes to the wild country, especially accompanying young goatherd Peter. Grandpa refuses to send her to school in the city, but aunt Detie returns and forces him to give in. She's sent to a posh lady in Frankfurt, where she'll be a companion for crippled daughter Clara after school hours.


Frozen
2005 · 1h 30m · UK
It's two years since the mysterious disappearance of Kath Swarbrick's older sister Annie, but Kath remains haunted by a need to know what happened. When police investigations wind down, Kath continues the search herself. She gets nowhere until she steals some CCTV footage of her sister on her final day. Visiting the spot where Annie was filmed, Kath becomes convinced she has found a portal to another reality and from this portal Kath is trying to say something.


When I'm Sixty-Four
2004 · 1h 27m · UK
When widowed cabbie Ray and retired teacher Jim meet by chance, they discover they long for the same things from life: adventure, challenge and love. Together Ray and Jim discover that being 64 means a new beginning: it's time to try the things they never dared in their youth.
England Expects
England Expects
2004 · 2h · UK
The story follows former football hooligan Ray Knight (Steven Mackintosh), a normal everyday family man who works as a security guard at a financial trading company in Canary Wharf, the symbol of corporate wealth which looms high over the impoverished communities below. Newfound social responsibilities are trampled underfoot when Ray's racist past is revived amid tensions between Whites and Asians jostling for position on the council housing list. Among those who are wanting to be rehoused in a new development is Ray's alcoholic ex-wife Sadie (Camille Coduri), and his teenage daughter Nikki (Sadie Thompson). After a failed attempt to rehouse Sadie and Nikki, and soon discovering that Nikki is involved in heroin addiction, Ray's anger drives him to re-join a BNP organisation led by his old friend Larry Knowles (Keith Barron).


77 Beds
2003 · 10m
One sleepless night Ishmael, a young spacey urban nomad, starts counting back through all the beds he has ever slept in.


Tomorrow La Scala!
2002 · 1h 30m · UK
Members of a British opera troupe mount a production of "Sweeney Todd" within a maximum-security prison.


Pure
2002 · 1h 36m · UK
A young boy trying to deal with his mother's heroin addiction befriends a waitress who helps him cope with the tough situation.


Contagion
2002 · 1h 35m · US
Terrorists strike at the U.S. President with a deadly Level Four Ebola virus. To prevent a worldwide epidemic, the army is faced with destroying the hospital containing the victims of a small town and the president while doctors desperately search for a cure.


Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
1998 · 1h 32m · UK
In the 1960s, British painter Francis Bacon surprises a burglar and invites him to share his bed. The burglar, a working class man named George Dyer, accepts. After the unique beginning to their love affair, the well-connected and volatile artist assimilates Dyer into his circle of eccentric friends, as Dyer's struggle with addiction strains their bond.


Saint-Ex
1996 · 1h 22m · UK
Poetic biography of author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.


Wittgenstein
1993 · 1h 12m · JP
A dramatization, in modern theatrical style, of the life and thought of the Viennese-born, Cambridge-educated philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose principal interest was the nature and limits of language. A series of sketches depict the unfolding of his life from boyhood, through the era of the first World War, to his eventual Cambridge professorship and association with Bertrand Russell and John Maynard Keynes. The emphasis in these sketches is on the exposition of the ideas of Wittgenstein, a homosexual, and an intuitive, moody, proud, and perfectionistic thinker generally regarded as a genius.


Close My Eyes
1991 · 1h 49m · UK
After some years of tension, Richard begins a sexual relationship with his sister Natalie. Now married, the relationship proves dangerously obsessional.


Let Him Have It
1991 · 1h 55m · UK
In 1950s England, slow-witted Derek Bentley falls in with a group of petty criminals led by Chris Craig, a teenager with a fondness for American gangster films. Chris and Derek's friendship leads to their involvement in the true case which would forever shake England's belief in capital punishment.


The Shawl
1989
Miss A, troubled by problems, consults a clairvoyant. Can he solve them for her by summoning the spirits? Or is he just a fraud, out to steal her money?


The Black and Blue Lamp
1988 · 59m · UK
Satirical and surreal play by Arthur Ellis, dealing with the manner in which the British police force has been represented on TV for four decades. In 1949 Tom Riley is arrested for the murder of PC George Dixon. As he awaits interrogation at the station he is mysteriously transported into an episode of The Filth - a 1988 police series where the hard men rule, where he is told by the local CID that he'll be confessing to the murder or else his genitals are getting cut off ! This black comedy questions whether the police have changed or is it the way film and television present them.


A Prayer for the Dying
1987 · 1h 47m · UK
Martin, an I.R.A. hitman, is seen by a Catholic priest while carrying out a hit. He grows a bond with the priest and his niece. But his past and his former employers put all their lives in danger.


Prick Up Your Ears
1987 · 1h 51m · UK
When the young, attractive Joe Orton meets the older, more introverted Kenneth Halliwell at drama school, he befriends the kindred spirit and they start an affair. As Orton becomes more comfortable with his sexuality and starts to find success with his writing, Halliwell becomes increasingly alienated and jealous, ultimately tapping into a dangerous rage.


The Magic Shop
1982 · 23m
A father and son enter a magic shop that may contain real magic.


Sons and Lovers
1981 · 6h 25m · UK
An adaptation for television by Trevor Griffiths of DH Lawrence's classic novel


The Tempest
1979 · 1h 35m · UK
Prospero, a potent magician, lives on a desolate isle with his virginal daughter, Miranda. He's in exile, banished from his duchy by his usurping brother and the King of Naples. Providence brings these enemies near; aided by his vassal the spirit Ariel, Prospero conjures a tempest to wreck the Italian ship. The king's son, thinking all others lost, becomes Prospero's prisoner, falling in love with Miranda and she with him. Prospero's brother and the king wander the island, as do a drunken cook and sailor, who conspire with Caliban, Prospero's beastly slave, to murder Prospero. Prospero wants reason to triumph, Ariel wants his freedom, Miranda a husband; the sailors want to dance.


Only Connect
1979 · 50m · UK
When researching the UK labour movement at the turn of the twentieth century, Graham discovers the pioneering socialist and gay rights campaigner Edward Carpenter.
Cold Harbour
Cold Harbour
1978
A beautiful Chilean exile called Tina is stranded in a new country.


Jubilee
1978 · 1h 46m · UK
Queen Elizabeth I visits late 1970s England to find a depressing landscape where life has changed since her time.


Chips with Everything
1975 · 2h · UK
A group of Air Force conscripts begin eight weeks of 'square-bashing' - basic military drill. Two of the conscripts develop a friendship, Pip Thompson, a young aristocrat, and Chas Wingate, a working class boy. The military hierarchy want Pip to become an officer. He rebelliously refuses. The officers patiently tolerate his rebellion thus defusing it and breaking his spirit.