Nicholas Ball (actor)

John Nicholas Ball (11 April 1946 – 4 June 2024) was an English actor. He was best known for playing the title role of private detective James Hazell in the television series Hazell between 1978-1979.

Nicholas Ball
Ball in 2008
Born	John Nicholas Ball (1946-04-11)11 April 1946 Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England
Died	4 June 2024(2024-06-04) (aged 78)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1967–2024
Spouse	Pamela Stephenson ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1984)​ Ayda Kay ​ (m. 2019)​

Ball portrayed the vicious gang lord Terry Bates in EastEnders between 2007 and 2009. He played Garry Ryan in series five of Footballers' Wives and both series of its spin-off programme Footballers' Wives: Extra Time.

He had played a number of supporting roles in various television series including Z-Cars, Mr. Rose, The Gold Robbers, Softly Softly: Task Force, The Crezz, The Young Ones, Bergerac, Spooky, Tales of the Unexpected, Boon, Colin's Sandwich, Red Dwarf, The Governor, The Bill, Pie in the Sky, Heartbeat, Jonathan Creek, Cold Feet, New Tricks, The Commander, Casualty, Hustle, Holby City and Doctors.

The voice of Nicholas Ball can be heard as well on various audio books offered via the internet; he has narrated books from such authors as Christopher Hitchens and James Maybrick. In 2019 he appeared in an advert for Premier Inn, playing the part of Lenny Henry's manager.

Personal life

Ball was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, and raised in Hastings, Sussex, and trained to be an actor at Bristol Old Vic.^[1]

Ball was married to actress and psychologist, Pamela Stephenson from 1978 until they divorced in 1984, when she left him for the comedian Billy Connolly.^[2][3] He later married his long-term partner, actress Ayda Kay, in 2019.^[4]

Ball died on 4 June 2024, at the age of 78.^[5][6][7]

Selected Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1968	Z-Cars	Despatch Rider	Episode: "The Punch-Up - Part 2"
	Mr. Rose	Francis	Episode: "Free and Easy"
1969	The Gold Robbers	Terry Craddock	3 episodes
1970	Coronation Street	Spider Smart	1 episode
	The Black Tulip	Captain Tilley	3 episodes
	From a Bird's Eye View	Jack Desmond	Episode: "Nobody Sleeps on a Honeymoon"
1971	Jamie	Edward Bruce	Episode: "Ettercap"
1975	Overlord	Arthur	Film
	Softly, Softly: Task Force	Andrews	Episode: "Protection"
1976	BBC Play of the Week	James Vane	Story: "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
	The Crezz	Colin Pitman	5 episodes
	Rogue Male	2nd Seaman	TV movie
	Play for Today	PC Wilding	Story: "A Story to Frighten the Children"
1978	Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?	Skeffington	Film
1978 - 1979	Hazell	James Hazell	22 episodes
1980	Play for Today	John Arnott	Story: "Thicker Than Water"
	Hammer House of Horror	William	Story: "The House that Bled to Death"
1981	Play for Today	Terry	Story: "Sorry"
1982	The Young Ones	Dr. Jim Morrison	Episode: "Interesting"
1983	Who Cares Wins - The Key to Success	Salesman	Austin Rover staff training video
	Bergerac	Hardaker	Episode: "A Miracle Every Week"
	Spooky	Danny Roberts	Story: "The Danny Roberts Show"
1985	Lifeforce	Derebridge	Film
1988	Bergerac	Gravel Beresford	Episode: "Retirement Plan"
	Tales of the Unexpected	Ken Johnson	Story: "The Dead Don't Steal"
1989	Boon	Gerry Anscomb	Episode: "Walking Off Air"
1990	Colin's Sandwich	Alan Hunter	3 episodes
1991	Red Dwarf	Simulant	Episode: "Justice"
	El C.I.D.	Brian	Episode: "In the Rough"
1995	The Governor	Edward Maynard	1 episode
1996	The Bill	Jim Brodie	Episode: "Judgement Call"
	Pie in the Sky	DCI Doggett	Episode: "Doggett's Coat and Badge"
1997	The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous	Larry Lockton	3 episodes (mini-series)
	Heartbeat	Charlie Fenton	Episode: "The Family Way"
	The Famous Five	Tiger Dan	Episode: "Five Go Off in a Caravan"
1998	Croupier	Jack Snr.	Film
1999	Jonathan Creek	Vince Rees	Episode: "Miracle in Crooked Lane"
2000	Cold Feet	Felix Bishop	3 episodes
2004	The Courtroom	Philip Catlow	Episode: "Slaves and Donkeys"
2005	New Tricks	Webb	Episode: "Trust Me"
2005	The Commander	John Dawson	2 episodes
2005 - 2006	Footballers' Wives: Extra Time	Garry Ryan	14 episodes
2006	Footballers' Wives		6 episodes
2007	Heartbeat	Gregory Flambard	Episode: "Mind Games"
	Casualty	Michael Shapiro	Episode: "Fish Out of Water"
2007 - 2009	EastEnders	Terry	15 episodes
2008	Sisterhood	Jack	Film
2009	Hustle	Frank Rice	Episode: "Diamond Seeker"
2009	Dead Man Running	Fight Bookie	Film
2011	Casualty	Frank Fonteyne	Episode: "When the Bough Breaks..."
2015	Holby City	Barry Copeland	2 episodes
2018	The Krays: Dead Man Walking	Harry Webster	Film
2020	Doctors	Harold 'Aitch' Snetterton	Episode: "Bye-Bye, Mr Kippy"
2024	The Kingdom by the Sea	Ray	Film (final role)