Gary James Bond was an English actor and singer, born in the charming town of Liss, Hampshire, where his family had a strong background in industrial and military occupations. From a young age, Gary had a burning desire to pursue a career in acting, which was encouraged by his family. Tragedy struck in December 1955 when his father passed away, leaving Gary free to make his own decisions and follow his dreams. He attended Churcher's College in Petersfield, where he excelled academically and won a scholarship to the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama.
Gary made his professional stage debut in 1962 in the play "Not By The Book" at the Connaught Theatre in Worthing, and his television debut the following year in the ITV Play of the Week "War and Peace" (1963). This was quickly followed by his film debut as Private Cole in the epic historical drama "Zulu" (1964). Throughout the 1960s, Gary balanced his career between the stage and television, and he made his musical debut in Brian Epstein's revue "On The Level" in 1966. Although this experience sparked his passion for singing, he declined a recording contract, choosing instead to focus on his acting career.
Gary returned to the musical stage several times, most notably in the role of Joseph in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in 1972 and as Che in "Evita" in 1978. He also had a successful career in radio, recording several titles including "Lady Windermere's Fan", "Trelawny of the Wells", "A Patriot for Me", and "Bhowani Junction". In 1982, Gary was commissioned to sing Harold Baum's biochemistry lectures to accompany a book on the subject, "The Biochemist's Songbook", and the following year he became the first guest reader in Josephine Hart's Gallery Poets series, performing on stage in London.
Gary's greatest film achievement is arguably his lead role in the Australian classic "Wake in Fright" (1971),in which he played an arrogant teacher stranded in the wilds of Australia. This film was restored and re-released to great acclaim in 2009. On television, Gary is perhaps best remembered for his role as Lt Clive Russell in "Frontier" (1968) and for the recording made of his musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (1972).
Gary's last television appearance was in 1990 in the Bergerac episode "All The Sad Songs", and he made his last stage appearance in 1994 in "Aspects of Love", in which he played the aging roué George Dillingham. Tragically, Gary passed away in October 1995 at Ealing Hospital, surrounded by his many friends and admirers, who mourned his loss deeply.
