Stratford Johns died from a heart condition at the end of January 2001 at the age of 77. He was probably best known for his role in the 1960s BBC1 drama series Z Cars. He played the role for more than a decade, first as a detective inspector before rising through the ranks to appear in Softly Softly and then Barlow At Large.
Johns was born in South Africa and did not come to the UK until shortly after the Second World War. An early role was in the Ealing comedy The Ladykillers after which he starred in TV shows such as The Avengers and Department S. Later in his career, Johns appeared in two Ken Russell films, Salome's Last Dance and The Lair of the White Worm, as well as Channel 4's Brond. He also played Magwich in a 1980s BBC adaptation of Great Expectations and Daddy Warbucks in the West End version of Annie.