John Standing’s biggest surprise? His pay cheque for starring in TV’s Lime Street

JOHN STANDING has been appearing on stage, television and the silver screen for more than 60 years, writes York Membery.

Most recently, the 89-year-old starred alongside Michael Caine in

The Great Escaper – the true story of a veteran who broke out of his nursing home to attend the 70th anniversary D-Day commemorations in Normandy. His grandfather, Guy Standing, was a Hollywood star in the 1930s, and his actress mother, Kay Hammond, starred in Blithe Spirit in the West End during the war. He lives in London with his second wife, Sarah, the daughter of actress Nanette Newman, and has four children.

What did your parents teach you about money?

They told me never to worry about it – but that was a crass attitude. My stockbroker dad, Ronald Leon, was enormously rich as a young man and bought my actress mother a flat in London’s Park Lane, but the marriage ended in divorce, and he frittered his money away on drink. When he died aged 60, he left my late brother and I just 60 quid each – but in a way, that was a good thing because it forced me to stand on my own two feet.

Ever struggled to make ends meet?

Yes, during my early days as an actor when I was staying in digs in the 1950s. And even after becoming more established, I lived on an overdraft from time to time.

Ever been paid silly money?

Yes, when I appeared in the US television drama series Lime Street with Robert Wagner [playing insurance assessors] in the mid1980s. ‘I don’t really deserve this!’ I thought to myself, but in America, it’s the norm.

The most expensive thing you bought for fun?

A second-hand Mercedes 190 SL convertible which was underpowered but ravishing to look at, for £200-300 in the late 1960s. It was my pride and joy but one night there was a storm and I woke up to find that it had been hit by a water tower that had fallen down. The windows were smashed and the body covered in dents. Your biggest money mistake?

I spent a small fortune wining and dining an incredibly pretty girl between my marriages – she was on heroin, and I was trying to get her off heroin and into bed, but it didn’t pay off. However, it was clearly a blessing in disguise as several years later, I met my darling wife Sarah – who I’ve just treated to a ruby necklace to mark our 40th wedding anniversary.

Your best money decision?

I’ve always subscribed to Noel Coward’s belief that wearing smart clothes makes you look more successful than you really are. I bought my first tailor-made suit for 30 quid as a young man – to buy a similar suit now would probably cost a four-figure sum.

■ The Great Escaper is available to stream online on YouTube, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.