John Nettles

John Nettles has enjoyed a successful career as a respected theater performer and well-known television actor for over 30 years, and, from his work in the '80s crime drama "Bergerac," became the unofficial face of tourism in Jersey, England. Nettles discovered his interest in acting while at the University of Southampton and joined a local repertory theater soon after graduating. He landed his first major TV role in the 1971 British series "A Family at War," about the experiences of a working-class Liverpool family during World War II. After several minor parts, he landed another high-profile role on the popular sitcom "The Liver Birds," about two single roommates, reserved Sandra and outspoken Beryl, and the problems they encountered in their everyday lives. Nettles played Paul, Sandra's devoted but frustrated boyfriend, from 1972 to 1976. After leaving the show in its final season, Nettles portrayed the romantic and noble Bassanio in the BBC adaptation of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" and scored another critical and commercial hit with his portrayal of the unorthodox Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac in the popular TV drama "Bergerac." Set on the small island of Jersey, the show blended fantasy elements with traditional crime stories, making Bergerac's numerous relationships an ongoing source of drama. He performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company for several years after "Bergerac" went off the air, returning to TV in 1997 as DCI Tom Barnaby in the popular detective series "Midsomer Murders," based on the best-selling books by Caroline Graham.