Ian Cullen 1939-2019

George Ian Cullen was born in West Boldon, County Durham and attended Washington Grammar School

He 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 Z Cars 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 was  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. Ian also wrote several television series, films and radio plays. He found time to run a very successful youth drama group in Surrey (Surrey Heath Young Actors Company) for nearly 30 years.

He married fellow actor, Yvonne Quenet,  from Sunderland, in 1970

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