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 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

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, nam ...

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

Early life

Born in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, Germany, and brought up in

Nunthorpe Nunthorpe is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Yorkshire, North Riding. It is near to the villa ...

North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire was a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point was at Mickle Fell at . From the Restoration it was used as a lieutenancy area, having b ...

, 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, 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 London ...

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 ''The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery'' is a British comedy film, directed by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, written by Sidney and Leslie Gilliat, and released on 4 April 1966. It is the last of the original series of films based on the ' ...

'' (1966), ''

Oh! What a Lovely War ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British epic comedy historical 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 Mo ...

'' (1969), '' The Abominable Dr. Phibes'' (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" (

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

POP 740), in 1960. He played Macheath opposite Jan Waters as Polly in a 1968 production of the ''

Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of sati ...

'' 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 ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' 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 Constable, PC Nick Rowan in ''Heartbeat (British TV series), Heartbeat'' f ...

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 a British actress, television personality, and dancer who appeared on British television, 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 (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 ''Carry On Cleo'' is a 1964 British historical comedy film, the tenth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, and Jim Dale are present and Connor made his l ...

'' (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 *''

'' (1966) - Butters *'' Don't Lose Your Head'' (1966) - Citizen Robespierre *'' The Jokers'' (1967) - Man at Party *'' Follow That Camel'' (1967) - Captain Humphrey Bagshaw *'' Carry On Doctor'' (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 But ...

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

'' (1969) - Private Burgess *'' Carry On Again Doctor'' (1969) - Henry *'' My Lover My Son'' (1970) - Barman *'' Carry On Henry'' (1971) - King Francis of France *'' The Abominable Dr. Phibes'' (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 w ...

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