Gerald Harper (born 15 February 1929) is a retired English actor, best known for his work on

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, having played the title roles in ''

Adam Adamant Lives! ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' is a British adventure television series that ran from 1966 to 1967 on BBC 1, starring Gerald Harper in the title role. The series was created and produced by several alumni from ''Doctor Who''. The titular character w ...

'' (1966–67) and '' Hadleigh'' (1969–76). He then returned to his main love, the theatre. His classical work includes playing on Broadway with the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

company, playing Iago at the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

and Benedick at the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

. Other plays in London included ''Crucifer of Blood'' at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

, ''House Guest'', ''A Personal Affair'', ''Suddenly at Home'' and ''Baggage''. He has directed many plays, amongst them a production of '' Blithe Spirit'' in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

at the Israeli National Theatre.

Early life

Harper was born in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, and originally wanted to be a

doctor Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

, but became interested in acting while still at school. He was educated at Haileybury. After two years of

national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, he decided to abandon his medicine course at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and successfully auditioned for

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

. He started in the London Arts Theatre followed by

Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actre ...

, before returning to London to perform in '' Charley's Aunt'' with

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

Acting career

Harper's film credits include ''

The Admirable Crichton ''The Admirable Crichton'' is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. Origins Barrie took the title from the sobriquet of a fellow Scotland, Scot, the polymath James Crichton, a 16th-century genius and athlete. The epigram-loving E ...

'' (1957), '' A Night to Remember'' (1958), ''

The League of Gentlemen ''The League of Gentlemen'' is a British surreal comedy horror series that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the lives ...

'' (1960), '' Tunes of Glory'' (1960), '' The Young Ones'' (1961), '' The Punch and Judy Man'' (1963), ''

The Shoes of the Fisherman The Shoes of the Fisherman may refer to: * ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (novel), a 1963 novel by the writer Morris West * ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' (film), a 1968 film based on the novel {{disambiguation ...

'' (1968) and ''

The Lady Vanishes ''The Lady Vanishes'' is a 1938 British Mystery film, mystery Thriller (genre), thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, based on the 1936 novel '' ...

'' (1979). Television work included ''The Sleeper'', ''The Corsican Brothers'' and ''

Gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

''. Harper presented ''The Sunday Affair'' for

Capital Radio Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...

in the 1970s, and a series of Saturday afternoon shows for

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

in the early 1990s, in which he played classic songs from the past and gave away bottles of

champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

and chocolates. His opening phrase, usually spoken over the introduction of the first song, was "Hello....I'm Gerald Harper. Welcome to my Saturday selection". The radio show was resurrected for

Talksport Talksport (styled as talkSPORT) is a sports radio station in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned by News Broadcasting. Its content includes live coverage of sporting events, interviews with the leading names in sport and entertai ...

between 2002 and 2003, and re-titled ''Champagne and Roses''. He also had roles in '' Free as Air'' and '' Ross'' and toured in America with the Old Vic and '' Boeing-Boeing''. He toured the country in 2008 as the lead in

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

's ''

And Then There Were None ''And Then There Were None'' is a mystery fiction, mystery novel by the English writer Agatha Christie, who described it as the most difficult of her books to write. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 6 N ...

'' directed by Joe Harmston for producer

Bill Kenwright William Kenwright (4 September 1945 – 23 October 2023) was an English theatre and film producer. He was also the chairman of Everton Football Club for nearly two decades, from 2004 until his death in 2023. Early life Kenwright was born in ...

. He also played one of the barristers in ''The Baccarat Scandal'' at Chichester Festival Theatre which starred Keith Michell.

Personal life

Harper was married to actress

Jane Downs Jane Margaret Downs (22 January 1935 – 20 May 2015) was an English actress. Early life Downs was born in Bromley, Kent, England. Career She started her career in the theatre, and later appeared on radio and in film, playing Kenneth More ...

from 1957 until they divorced in 1975. In 2001, at the age of 70, he began a relationship with 30-year-old actress Sarah Alexander; the relationship ended when she left him for actor Peter Serafinowicz in 2002.

Selected filmography

* '' The Dam Busters'' (1955) – Mocking RAF Officer (uncredited) * '' Tiger in the Smoke'' (1956) – Duds Morrison * '' Stars in Your Eyes'' (1956) – Dicky * ''

The Extra Day ''The Extra Day'' (also known as ''Twelve Desperate Hours'' and ''12 Desperate Hours'') is a 1956 British comedy-drama film directed by William Fairchild and starring Richard Basehart, Simone Simon and George Baker. Plot After the final scen ...

'' (1956) – Police Constable * ''

'' (1957) – Ernest * '' A Night to Remember'' (1958) – 3rd Officer, SS Carpathia * ''

'' (1960) – Captain Saunders * '' Tunes of Glory'' (1960) – Major Hugo Macmillan * '' The Young Ones'' (1961) – Watts * '' The Punch and Judy Man'' (1963) – 1st Drunk * '' Wonderful Life'' (1964) – Sheik / Scotsman / Harold * '' Strangler's Web'' (''

Edgar Wallace Mysteries The ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' is a British second-feature film series mainly produced at Merton Park Studios for Anglo-Amalgamated. There were 48 films in the series, which were released between 1960 and 1965. The series was screened as ''Th ...

'') (1965) – Inspector Murray * '' Up Jumped a Swagman'' (1965) – Publicity Man * ''

'' (1968) – Brian * ''

'' (1979) – Todhunter

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Gerald 1931 births Living people 20th-century British Army personnel Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Male actors from London People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College