death_date death_place children birth_place name birth_date spouse yearsactive image article_title birth_name occupation
6 september 1992 norwood , london , england glynis johns pembroke , wales mervyn johns 18 february 1899 alys diana churchill -lrb- 1976-1992 -rrb- -lrb- his death -rrb- steele -lrb- 1920-1971 -rrb- -lrb- her death -rrb- 1934-1979 file : mervyn johns.jpg mervyn johns
 david mervyn johns actor
mervyn johns

david mervyn johns -lrb- 18 february 18996 september 1992 -rrb- was a distinctive welsh film and television character actor who became an unexpected star of british films during world war ii .
continuing into the postwar era , he was a notable mainstay of ealing studios .
mervyn johns started his career in the theatre in the 1920s , and then made his first film in 1935 .
among his dozens of film roles were the church warden in `` went the day well ? ''
-lrb- 1942 -rrb- , the fearful architect walter craig in the mystery film `` dead of night '' -lrb- 1945 -rrb- and bob cratchit in `` scrooge '' -lrb- 1951 -rrb- with alastair sim .
johns also made many television appearances , in series such as `` the avengers '' , `` danger man '' and `` dixon of dock green '' .
he was well-known for his `` mostly mild-mannered , lugubrious , amusing , sometimes moving ` little men ' '' in over 100 film and television series .
johns was twice married .
his first wife was the concert pianist alys steele .
they had one daughter , the actress glynis johns , born in south africa , with whom he appeared in `` the halfway house '' -lrb- 1944 -rrb- and `` the sundowners '' -lrb- 1960 -rrb- .
after alys 's death in 1971 he married the actress diana churchill in 1976 .
a popular misunderstanding is that he was the elder brother of the actor stratford johns , but they were not related .
