| Tristan John de Vere Cole | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-03-16) 16 March 1935 (age 89) |
| Education | Kelly College, Tavistock, Devon |
| Alma mater | Royal Naval College, Dartmouth |
| Occupation | Actor & TV Director |
| Spouse(s) |
Diana Crosby (m. 1962) Prudence Murdoch (m. 2000; died 2010) |
| Partner | Anne Stow |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Gwen John (aunt) Caspar John (half-brother) Amaryllis Fleming (half-sister) Gwyneth Johnstone (half-sister) Vivien John (half-sister) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1953-1960 |
Tristan John de Vere Cole (born 16 March 1935) is an English television director, now retired. He is believed to be the last-surviving illegitimate son of the painter Augustus John (1878–1961).
In his first career, he was a Royal Navy Officer for seven years. His career as a television director included work on Z-Cars, Doctor Who, Emmerdale Farm, Howards' Way and Bergerac.
Life
His mother, Mavis Cole, met painter Augustus John (1878–1961) at the Café Royal in 1928, and agreed to model for him. In 1931 she married Horace de Vere Cole, a well-known Edwardian practical joker, then in 1932 she became the mistress of Augustus John. Cole was born in 1935 and is believed to be John's last-surviving illegitimate son. Cole was brought up in the John household at Fryern Court, Fordingbridge, from the age of 18 months, partly by his mother, and then later by Dorelia McNeill. Cole was educated for three years at Kelly College, Tavistock.
He married Diana Crosby Cook in 1962 and they had a son, Cassian de Vere Cole, born in 1966, a fine art dealer in London. In 1993 Cole met Prudence Murdoch, a divorced lawyer with three children, and they set up house together near Newbury in Berkshire. They were married in 2000 and stayed together until her death in 2010. He lives in Sutton Scotney, not far from his partner Anne Stow, eldest grandchild of Neville Chamberlain, a former prime minister, whose wife was a sister of Horace de Vere Cole.
Through his father, Gwen John was Cole's aunt, his half-siblings were cellist Amaryllis Fleming, Sir Caspar John, Gwyneth Johnstone, and Vivien John; Johnstone and Vivien also were artists in their own right. Only Caspar was born from his father's marriage, and he later became prominent as an admiral also in the Royal Navy and First Sea Lord.
Career
From 1951, Cole trained for a naval career at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. He went on to serve as an officer in the Royal Navy from 1953 to 1960.
After his return to civilian life, Cole worked at the Bristol Old Vic as assistant stage manager and actor, before moving on to a career with BBC television.
In May 2024 it was reported that Cole had written the screenplay for the adventure thriller Storm Witch, an independent U.K./Ireland co-production, to be directed by David Blair and starring British actress Gemma Arterton.
Work as television director
- Z-Cars (episodes in 1968)
- Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space (1968)
- Take Three Girls (1969)
- Emmerdale Farm (1972–1973)
- Trinity Tales (1975)
- Angels (1976)
- Survivors (1977 episodes)
- Secret Army (1979)
- Juliet Bravo (1980)
- The Spoils of War (1981)
- Howards' Way (1985–1988)
- Rockliffe's Folly (1988)
- Bergerac (1988–1992)
- Trainer (1992)
Work as film director
- Orion's Belt (1985)
- The Dive (1990)
Publications
- With Roderic Owen, Beautiful and Beloved: the Life of Mavis de Vere Cole (Hutchinson, 1974)
References
- Finding aid: Tristan de Vere Cole (Augustus John) manuscripts at library.wales, accessed 1 March 2019
- Darren Devine, "Last illegitimate son of Augustus John on life with 'King of Bohemia'", in Wales Online dated 9 March 2012
- Bernard Dolman, Who's who in Art, Volume 32 (Art Trade Press, 2006), p. 262
- Teresa Davies, Prudence de Vere Cole obituary dated in The Guardian dated 5 July 2010, accessed 28 February 2019
- Holroyd, Michael (1996). Augustus John – The New Biography. London: Chatto & Windus.
- Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.
- "Gwen John". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- "Obituary: Vivien John". The Independent. 27 May 1994.
- "Gwyneth Johnstone obituary". The Guardian. 6 January 2011.
- Fergus Fleming (5 August 1999). "Obituary: Amaryllis Fleming". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
- Roderic Owen, Tristan de Vere Cole, Beautiful and Beloved: The Life of Mavis de Vere Cole (Hutchinson, 1974), pp. 156, 246
- Owen and Cole (1974), p. 265
- Ritman, Alex (1 May 2024). "Gemma Arterton to Lead David Blair's Adventure Thriller 'Storm Witch' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Chris Perry, Kaleidoscope British Christmas Television Guide 1937-2013 (2016), p. 618
- David Butler, Time and Relative Dissertations in Space: Critical Perspectives on Doctor Who (Manchester University Press, 2008), p. 316
- Harris M. Lentz, Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Television shows (McFarland, 2001), p. 2132