John Henshaw is a British actor famed for his roles as Ken the landlord in Early Doors, Wilf Bradshaw in Born and Bred and PC Roy Bramwell in The Cops. Henshaw was born one of 12 children. He grew up in Ancoats, Manchester's "Little Italy" community. He was a refuse collector for ten years before deciding to become an actor at the age of 40. His first big break in acting was as a minder to Robert Lindsay's character Michael Murray in the acclaimed Channel 4 series, G.B.H. Other TV credits include The Royle Family, The Visit, Life on Mars, whilst film credits include the Steve Coogan comedy The Parole Officer, the Bert Trautmann biopic The Keeper, and the Ken Loach films Looking For Eric and The Angels' Share. Henshaw is chairman of the 24:7 Theatre Festival, an annual festival of new writing for theatre based in Manchester.

Filmography

• 2026Fishbrain — Jeb
• Talamasca: The Secret Order — Detective Hough
• Boat Story — Nigel
• The Full Monty — Bus Driver
• The Long Shadow — Mike Dugdale
• Ridley — Frank Stanford
• 2022Wolf Manor — Thaddeus Saxon (the landlord)
• 2021Early Doors - Live — Ken
• 2021I'm Not in Love — Tony
• 2021Silky Hotel — Jim Knightshade
• 2019Sunny — Pavlo
• 2018Pin Cushion — Percy
• 2018Stan & Ollie — Nobby Cook
• 2018The Keeper — Jack Friar
• 20176 Days — Metropolitan Police Spokesman
• 2017The Man Who Invented Christmas — Butcher / Mr. Fezziwig
• 2016A Street Cat Named Bob — Tube Station Guard
• 2016Swallows and Amazons — Harbour Master
• Cradle to Grave — Mr Glover
• Documentary Now!
• Cilla — John White
• 2014Closer to the Moon — Judge
• 2014The Night Runner — Dennis
• By Any Means — Stan Bond
• Father Brown — Barny Butterfield
• 2013The Last British Execution — Marcus Peabody
• 2013The Ringer — Danny
• 2012The Angels' Share — Harry
• 2012The Rochdale Pioneers — John Holt
• Candy Cabs — Mervyn Monkford
• 2011Going Postal 2in1 — Mr. Pony
• South Riding — Alfred Huggins
• Going Postal — Mr Pony
• 2010In Our Name — Frank
• 2009A Bit of Tom Jones? — Bar Owner
• 2009Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday — Glen
• 2009Looking for Eric — Meatballs
• Red Riding — Bill Hadley
• 2009Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 — Bill Hadley
• 2007Confessions of a Diary Secretary — John Prescott
• 2007Grow Your Own — Charlie
• The Visit — Dad
• Johnny and the Bomb — Councillor Seeley
• Life on Mars — Ted Bannister
• New Street Law — Tony Lyons
• See No Evil: The Moors Murders — DCS Arthur Benfield
• 2006Someone Else — Paul
• 2006Starter for 10 — Des
• 2005Open Wide — Brian Tonkin
• 2003Cheeky — Kenny
• Early Doors — Ken Dixon
• The Afternoon Play — Sir Terry Bucklethwaite
• The Second Coming — Clive Saxon
• Born and Bred — Wilf Bradshaw
• Cutting It — Bruce Gutteridge
• 2002Put Your Coat On — Dad
• 2002The Fishmonger — Davis
• 2002This Is Not a Love Song — Arthur
• 2001Happy Now — Pete Copsey
• 2001The Parole Officer — Cochran
• 2000There's Only One Jimmy Grimble — Ken Burley
• The Cops — Roy
• The Royle Family — Roger Kavanagh
• Midsomer Murders — Arthur Potts
• The Grand — Taxi Driver, Bob Jessop
• 1996When Saturday Comes — M.C
• Cracker — Quarry Foreman
• 1993Olly's Prison — Prisoner (uncredited)
• Heartbeat — Guard, Albert Ross
• G.B.H. — Murray's Minder
• 1990Dancin' Thru the Dark — Doorman
• Casualty — Lenny Adams
• The Bill

Appearances as themselves (2)

• Remembers… — Self
• 2010The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa — Self