Background
John Justinian de Ledesma was born in London, England, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his father"s ranch, he was educated at Bryanston School, Dorset.
John Justinian de Ledesma was born in London, England, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his father"s ranch, he was educated at Bryanston School, Dorset.
Royal Academy of Dramatic Artist
He developed an interest in flying and became a qualified pilot at the age of 12, though he was not allowed to fly solo at the time because of his age. The acting bug bit him early. By the age of 16, he had joined the Plymouth Repertory.
In 1937, he briefly trained with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, but did not like it and soon joined the repertory company of John Gielgud.
World World War II broke out during the film"s production. After completing the picture, Justin joined the Royal Air Force, serving as a test pilot and flying instructor.
He also worked on two films, with Leslie Howard, and Journey Together (1944) with Edward G. Robinson. With the war"s end, Justin returned to acting.
He made more films, such as David Lean"s, and, but his strong preference was for the stage.
He made his Broadway debut in 1960 in the play Little Moon of Alban. In 1979, he played the ghoulish lover in the British Broadcasting Corporation"s dramatisation of Le Fanu"s Strange Incident in the Life of Schalcken the Painter, one of its Christmas ghost stories. In 1968, he played Thorin Oakenshield in the British Broadcasting Corporation Radio adaptation of The Hobbit.
Justin was married three times, first to dancer and choreographer Pola Nirenska.
He became a member of the Old Vic company in 1959.