ABOUT TOKE TOWNLEY
During the 1950s and '60s, this British actor appeared in almost three dozen films, including Doctor at Sea, The Admirable Crichton, and H.M.S. Defiant. His most well known role, however, was on television: beginning in the early 1970s, he portrayed Sam Pearson in close to one thousand episodes of the soap opera Emmerdale Farm.
He began his professional acting career in his thirties, initially appearing on the BBC and in productions at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
A musician as well as an actor, he often showcased his skill as a flautist on the big and small screens.
Born John Antony Townley, he grew up in Great Dunmow, Essex, England. His parents, deciding that they wanted to honor an ancestor with their son's first name, changed it from John to Toke sometime after his birth.
He played the father of Sheila Mercier 's Emmerdale character.
