John Franklyn-Robbins (1924-2009) was a British actor who played the ailing Tzar of Russia in The StoryTeller episode "The Soldier and Death."
In both film and television, Franklyn-Robbins was a familiar face in projects ranging from period drama to science fiction and fantasy. He guest starred on Doctor Who (as a Time Lord in "Genesis of the Daleks"), Star Trek: The Next Generation (as rebel leader Macias in "Preemptive Strike"), The Avengers, and the Mystery! series starring Albert Campion, Lord Peter Wimsey, and Inspector Alleyn. He also played Atticus in I, Claudius, had prominent roles in TV versions of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and The Taming of the Shrew, and later played the dean in the Terry Pratchett adaptation Hogfather.
Franklyn-Robbins' film work was in a similar vein, encompassing Hammer's Dracula A.D. 1972, Lionheart, Emma, Vanity Fair, Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, Bright Young Things, and The Golden Compass.