Gary Shail (born 10 November 1959) is an English actor, director, producer and musician.

Career

Gary Shail began work in TV and film in 1977 and is best known for his roles as Spider in the 1979 film ''

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, Whi ...

'' and as Steve, the punky teenager in '' The Metal Mickey TV Show''. Shail appeared in the 1980 series ''The Further Adventures of Oliver Twist'', portrayed Oscar Drill in ''

Shock Treatment ''Shock Treatment'' is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. While not an outright sequel, the film doe ...

'', the 1981 follow-up to ''

The Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 Musical film, musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White (producer), Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman an ...

'', and portrayed Guy Raines in the 1983 BBC production '' Johnny Jarvis''. He wrote the original songs and theme music for this production, for which he received a nomination for the

Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

. In 1988 Shail appeared as the pimp "Billy White" in the TV mini-series of ''

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer ...

'', starring

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

. He has made appearances in the TV series ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', '' Casualty'', and '' The Professionals''. In 1995, Shail began working with music production company Natural Sound Source in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, producing music for television, film, and advertising. In 2004, he produced the Arabic fusion album ''Infinity'' in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

. In 2010, Shail was back in the recording studio working on his autobiographical self-penned album ''Daze Like This''. A collection of new songs interspersed with some re-workings of some ''Johnny Jarvis'' themes. In October 2015, Shail's memoir ''I Think I'm On The Guest List'' was published. In 2016, Shail returned to acting with a cameo role in the film ''Stranger'', where he was cast as a psychopathic cowboy. He also filmed ''Hound'', a biopic of the 18th century poet

Francis Thompson Francis Joseph Thompson (16 December 1859 – 13 November 1907) was an English poet and Catholic mystic. At the behest of his father, a doctor, he entered medical school at the age of 18, but at 26 left home to pursue his talent as a writer ...

. The film also stars

Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...

Hazel O'Connor Hazel Thereasa O'Connor (born 16 May 1954) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles " Eighth Day", "D-Days" and " Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film '' Breaking Glass''. Career ...

and

Wayne Sleep Wayne Philip Colin Sleep (born 17 July 1948) is a British dancer, director, choreographer, and actor who appeared on the BBC series '' The Real Marigold on Tour'' and ITV's ''The Real Full Monty''. Early life Sleep was born in Plymouth, De ...

and was released in 2018. In 2019 Shail starred in the film 'To be someone' which also featured many of the original cast of Quadrophenia. Gary Shail now lives in Dorset where he continues to compose and produce music in his own residential recording studio.

Filmography

Selected films include: *''

'' (1979) - Spider *''

The Music Machine The Music Machine was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. Fronted by chief songwriter and lead vocalist Sean Bonniwell, the band cultivated a characteristically dark and rebellious image reflected in an untamed mu ...

'' (1979) - Aldo *''

'' (1981) - Oscar Drill *''

Give My Regards to Broad Street ''Give My Regards to Broad Street'' is the fifth solo studio album by Paul McCartney and the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The album reached number 1 on the UK chart. The lead single, " No More Lonely Nights", was BAFTA and Golden ...

'' (1984) - Apache Dancer *'' The Bride'' (1985) - First Circus Hand *''

'' (1988) - Pimp *'' Jekyll & Hyde'' (1990) - Sailor *''Day of the Stranger'' (2020) - Loomweather TV: *'' The Professionals'' (1980) Episode "Take Away" - Jimmy *''

Metal Mickey Metal Mickey is a fictional five-foot-tall robot, as well as the name of a Spin-off (media), spin-off television show starring the same character. The robot character was created, controlled and voiced by Johnny Edward. The character of Metal ...

'' (1980-1983) - Steve

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shail, Gary 1959 births Living people English male television actors English male film actors English film score composers English male film score composers English television composers English male songwriters