Ian Cullen first trod the boards in a village pantomime at the age of
four and has been an actor ever since. He became a household name when
he played PC Joe Skinner in
Freie Hand für Barlow (1962), first appearing in
1969, the character was later promoted to Detective and stayed with the
show for 6 years, until he was gunned down in the line of duty in one
of TV's biggest shocks in the mid 70s.
Other recurring roles include the classic 60s hospital drama
Emergency-Ward 10 (1957),
where he played Warren Kent (1966-67),
When the Boat Comes In (1976),
as Geordie Watson (1977-81) and as Angus Hart, the original lead of the
Channel 5 soap opera
Family Affairs (1997). Ian's
character, Angus Hart, was also killed in a shock storyline when the
entire Hart family were killed in a boat explosion. He has also guest
starred in many British television series, including
Doctor Who (1963),
The Bill (1984),
Blake's 7 (1978) and
Sorry! (1981).
Ian's stage work is extensive and has seen him perform all over the
Country, with 8 West End productions to his name and 2 years with the
Royal Shakespeare Company. He won rave reviews for his performance as
Jay in 'Road to the Sea' at the Orange Tree Theatre, in 2003.
In 2008 he won a Gold Award for his narration of the feature length
documentary
The Destiny of Britain (2007).
Constantly busy, Ian also runs the Surrey Heath Youth Actors Company
with his wife, actress Yvonne Quenet. They
have been married for over 30 years and have three daughters.
