Errol John's professional journey began in his native Trinidad, where he worked as a journalist and commercial artist before co-founding the Whitehall Players, an amateur theatre group, with Errol Hill in 1946. Within this group, John took on various roles, including that of a playwright. In 1950, he relocated to Britain, where he started acting in local stage productions, gradually transitioning to film and television work, albeit mostly in small roles. His breakthrough came when he was cast in the BBC's A Man from the Sun in 1956.
John's play, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, won the Observer Drama Competition in 1957 and was subsequently adapted for radio as Small Island Moon, then staged as a play at the Royal Court Theatre, starring Earle Hyman. Although the initial stage production received mixed reviews, the television adaptation, featuring John, was well-received and aired as a segment of ITV Play of the Week in 1960. The play was later brought to the United States, with an off-Broadway production directed by George Roy Hill, featuring James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, and Vinnette Carroll, which received positive reviews.
Meanwhile, John continued to work as an actor in television, film, and theatre. He appeared at London's Old Vic as the Prince of Morocco in The Merchant of Venice and Othello in the title role. On television, he wrote and appeared in The Dawn, an episode of the BBC series First Night in 1963, as well as The Exiles for BBC1's The Wednesday Play in 1969.
In the 1960s and 1970s, John appeared in supporting and bit roles in Hollywood films such as Assault on a Queen in 1966 and Buck and the Preacher in 1972. Prior to this, he had appeared in the critically acclaimed The Nun's Story in 1959. Despite achieving some recognition during his career, John grew increasingly frustrated with the entertainment industry and the lack of opportunities for him as an actor, director, and writer in his later years.
Errol John's life came to a tragic end when he was found dead in his London home on July 10, 1988, shortly after the closing of a production of Moon on a Rainbow Shawl staged by Maya Angelou.
