---
name: "John Laurie"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-laurie"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "24 March 1897"
died: "23 June 1980"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T11:59:18.816094+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John Laurie

Actor. Born 24 March 1897 in Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, UK. Died 23 June 1980.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 24 March 1897, Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, UK
- **Died:** 23 June 1980
- **Active:** 1935–1968
- **Also known as:** John Lawrie, John Paton Laurie

## Biography

John Laurie (1897–1980) was a Scottish stage, film and television actor. Born in Dumfries, he trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London after First World War service and made his stage debut in 1921. He became known for Shakespearean roles at the Old Vic and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Laurie appeared in scores of films, often in supporting roles. His screen debut was in Alfred Hitchcock's *Juno and the Paycock* (1930); Hitchcock later cast him as John the Crofter in *The 39 Steps* (1935). He worked with Laurence Olivier on *Henry V* (1944), *Hamlet* (1948) and *Richard III* (1955), and featured in *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943), *I Know Where I'm Going!* (1945) and *Treasure Island* (1950).

He is best known for playing Private James Frazer in the BBC sitcom *Dad's Army* (1968–1977). Laurie served in the Home Guard during the Second World War.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, dadsarmy.fandom.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The 39 Steps* (1935), Fi1m 88, as John the Crofter — [page](https://film.one/film/the-39-steps.md)

## Also credited on (not yet reviewed)

- *Dad's Army* (1968), Actor
- *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943), Actor

## Also known for

- *The Abominable Dr. Phibes* (1971), Darrow
- *Hamlet* (1948), Francisco
- *Treasure Island* (1950), Blind Pew
- *Hobson's Choice* (1954), Dr. McFarlane
- *I Know Where I'm Going!* (1945), John Campbell
- *The Avengers* (1961), Crewe, Juniper, Jasper Lakin
- *Henry V* (1944), Jamy - Captain in the English Army
- *Pandora and the Flying Dutchman* (1951), Angus

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-laurie