John Peter Gilmore (25 August 1931 – 3 February 2013), known as Peter Gilmore, was an English actor, known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in 91 episodes of the BBC television period drama ''

The Onedin Line ''The Onedin Line'' is a BBC television drama series that ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, n ...

'' (1971–1980), created by Cyril Abraham.

Early life

Born in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

, Germany, and brought up in

Nunthorpe Nunthorpe is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the historic county of Yorkshire, North Riding. It is near to the village of Great Ayton and formerly part of the Ayton an ...

, North Riding of Yorkshire, Gilmore left school at the age of 14 and started pursuing his dream of becoming an actor. In 1952, he attended the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...

preparatory school Parada for a short time before being expelled.

Career

Gilmore had roles in 11 '' Carry On'' films, and appeared in many British films including '' The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery'' (1966), ''

Oh! What a Lovely War ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British comedy musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Oli ...

'' (1969), ''

The Abominable Dr. Phibes ''The Abominable Dr. Phibes'' is a 1971 British dark comedy horror film, produced by Ronald S. Dunas and Louis M. Heyward, directed by Robert Fuest, written by William Goldstein and James Whiton, and starring Vincent Price and Joseph Cotten. It ...

'' (1971) and '' Warlords of Atlantis'' (1978). During his early career, he appeared in several stage musicals, including '' Lock Up Your Daughters'' and released a single, "Follow That Girl" (HMV POP 740), in 1960. He played Macheath opposite Jan Waters as Polly in a 1968 production of the '' Beggar's Opera'' in London, in which both were praised for their portrayals. After achieving notice in the role of James Onedin, Gilmore felt he had become typecast as the rugged sea captain.Obituary in ''The Times'', 8 February 2013; accessed 9 February 2013
/ref> He later appeared in a '' Doctor Who'' serial '' Frontios'' (1984) in which he played a character called Brazen. Gilmore also appeared in a ''Heartbeat'' episode, called "The Frighteners", during the

Nick Berry Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in '' EastEnders'' from 1985 to 1990, and as PC Nick Rowan in ''Heartbeat'' from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart sin ...

era; his third wife, actress Anne Stallybrass was a regular in the series.

Personal life

He married three times: to actress

Una Stubbs Una Stubbs (1 May 1937 – 12 August 2021) was an English actress, television personality and dancer who appeared on British television and in the theatre, and occasionally in films. She became known after appearing in the film '' Summer Holiday ...

(1958–1969), with whom he adopted a child; to

Jan Waters Jan Waters (born ) is an English actress of the theatre, television, and film. She was particularly active in the London theatre scene during the 1960s and 1970s, notably appearing in the original West End productions of Jule Styne's '' Do Re M ...

(1970–1976); and to actress, and former ''Onedin Line'' colleague, Anne Stallybrass (1987–2013), who survived him.

Death

Peter Gilmore died in London on 3 February 2013, aged 81. He was survived by his third wife (Stallybrass), and a son, Jason, adopted during his first marriage.Stuart Jeffries (6 February 2013
Peter Gilmore obituary
''The Guardian''

Selected filmography

*'' Master Spy'' (1963) - Tom Masters *'' Carry On Cabby'' (1963) - Dancy *'' Bomb in the High Street'' (1963) - Shorty *'' Carry On Jack'' (1963) - Patch, Pirate Captain, aka Roger *'' Every Day's a Holiday'' (1964) - Kenneth *'' Carry On Cleo'' (1964) - Galley Master *'' I've Gotta Horse'' (1965) - Jock *'' You Must Be Joking!'' (1965) *'' Carry On Cowboy'' (1965) - Henchman Curly *'' Doctor in Clover'' (1966) - Len the choreographer *'' The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery'' (1966) - Butters *''

Don't Lose Your Head ''Don't Lose Your Head'' is a 1967 British swashbuckling comedy film, the 13th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It features regular team members Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey, and Joan Sims. S ...

'' (1966) - Citizen Robespierre *''

The Jokers ''The Jokers'' is a 1967 British comedy film written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and directed by Michael Winner. The film stars Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed as brothers who hatch a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. Very much of ...

'' (1967) - Man at Party *'' Follow That Camel'' (1967) - Captain Humphrey Bagshaw *''

Carry On Doctor ''Carry On Doctor'' is a 1967 British comedy film, the 15th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It is the second in the series to have a medical theme. Frankie Howerd makes the first of his two appearances in the film series ...

'' (1968) - Henry *''

Carry On Up the Khyber ''Carry On Up the Khyber'' is a 1968 British comedy film, the 16th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It stars ''Carry On'' regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Bu ...

'' (1968) - Private Ginger Hale *''

'' (1969) - Private Burgess *'' Carry On Again Doctor'' (1969) - Henry *''

My Lover My Son ''My Lover, My Son'' is a 1970 American-British coproduction drama film directed by John Newland. It tells the story of a mother played by Romy Schneider clinging to her maturing son. The film is based on Edward Grierson's 1952 novel ''Reputatio ...

'' (1970) - Barman *''

Carry On Henry ''Carry On Henry'' is a 1971 British historical comedy film, the 21st release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It tells a fictionalised story involving Sid James as Henry VIII, who chases after Barbara Windsor's characte ...

'' (1971) - King Francis of France *''

'' (1971) - Dr. Kitaj *''

Freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance ...

'' (1971) - Boss *'' Warlords of Atlantis'' (1978) - Charles Aitken *'' The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne'' (1987) - Kevin O'Nell *''

Carry On Columbus ''Carry On Columbus'' is a 1992 British comedy film, the 31st and final release in the ''Carry On'' film series (1958–1992). The film was a belated entry to the series, following 1978's '' Carry On Emmannuelle''. It was produced to coincid ...

'' (1992) - Governor of the Canaries

References

External links

*
site dedicated to Gilmore and Stallybrass
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmore, Peter 1931 births 2013 deaths 20th-century English male actors English male film actors English male television actors People from Nunthorpe