Gerald Campion

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English actor (1921–2002)

title: "Gerald Campion" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1921-births", "2002-deaths", "alumni-of-the-royal-academy-of-dramatic-art", "english-male-stage-actors", "english-male-film-actors", "english-male-television-actors", "people-educated-at-university-college-school", "actors-from-the-london-borough-of-camden", "people-from-wittersham", "male-actors-from-london", "male-actors-from-kent", "people-from-bloomsbury", "actors-from-the-borough-of-ashford", "billy-bunter"] description: "English actor (1921–2002)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Campion" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary English actor (1921–2002) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameGerald Campion
birth_nameGerald Theron Campion
imageActor_Gerald_Campion.jpg
birth_date
birth_placeBloomsbury, London, England
death_date
death_placeAgen, Lot-et-Garonne, France
alma_materRADA
occupationActor
spouse

| | parents | Cyril Campion | | children | 3 | | yearsactive | 1938–1992 | ::

| name = Gerald Campion | birth_name = Gerald Theron Campion | image = Actor_Gerald_Campion.jpg | image_size = | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = Bloomsbury, London, England | death_date = | death_place = Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France | alma_mater = RADA | occupation = Actor | spouse =

| parents = Cyril Campion | children = 3 | yearsactive = 1938–1992

Gerald Theron Campion (23 April 1921 – 9 July 2002) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his role as Billy Bunter in a 1950s television adaptation (Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School) of books by Frank Richards (Charles Hamilton).

Biography

His father Cyril Theron Campion (1894–1961) – a playwright and screenwriter – and Blanche Louise Tunstall née Bear (1890–1933) – a first cousin of Charlie Chaplin – married in 1920 in London. Campion was born in Bloomsbury, London, an only child.

He won a place at RADA at age 15, and appeared in numerous films and television programmes – mostly comedies. In 1937, he appeared in Tavs Neiiendam's radio play Inspiration to a Poet on the BBC Home Service.

His only major success was as Bunter, a juvenile role he played successfully despite being much older than his character (he was 40 when the series ended). Campion later reprised the role (now Lord Bunter of Hove, who had succeeded in betting shops and property) in the BBC Radio 7 series Whatever Happened to ...? in the episode that speculated on whether Bunter's form master at Greyfriars School, Horace Henry Samuel Quelch, became a secret agent.

He played Coatsleeve Charlie, in the very first epidode of Hancock's Half Hour, ' The First of the Series ', broadcast on 2nd. November, 1954.

In 1979, he recorded an appearance in Shada, a Doctor Who story which was not completed in its intended form.

After dropping out of acting, Campion ran clubs and restaurants in London's Soho, the best known of which is Gerry's, a long running private members' club attracting a mainly theatrical membership.

Personal life

Campion's first marriage, with Jean M Sherman (Simmonds) (b. 1925) in London in 1947, ended in divorce in 1972. They had three children: Anthea (a singer who married composer Thomas Rajna); Anthony, born in 1948; and Angelica, born in 1962. His second marriage, with Susan (Suzie) Marks in 1973, ended with his death.

Campion lived in Wittersham, Kent for many years. He and his wife Suzie moved to France in 1991. He died in 2002 aged 81 in Agen, Aquitaine, France.

Selected filmography

References

Sources

  1. {{cite web | url = https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba5e34ae4 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180828105049/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba5e34ae4 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 28 August 2018 | title = Gerald Campion | last1 = BFI | date = 2018
  2. {{cite web | url = http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/GeraldCampion.htm | title = Profile of Gerald Campion | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090304202424/http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/GeraldCampion.htm | archive-date = 4 Mar 2009 | url-status = dead | last1 = ComicsUK | date = 4 Oct 2002
  3. {{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1401093/Gerald-Campion.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141030062048/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1401093/Gerald-Campion.html | archive-date = 30 Oct 2014 | url-status = live | title = Gerald Campion | date = 11 Jul 2002 | last1 = Daily Telegraph
  4. {{cite web | url = https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/arts/my-dad-gerald-campion/ | title = My Dad, Gerald Campion | publisher = Hastings Independent Press | first1 = Angelica | last1 = Campion | date = 9 Feb 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180906124541/https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/arts/my-dad-gerald-campion/ | archive-date = 6 Sep 2018 | url-status = live
  5. {{cite book |first1 = David |last1 = Robinson |title = Chaplin: His Life And Art |date = 1985 |publisher = McGraw-Hill |isbn = 978-0070531819 |url-access = registration |url = https://archive.org/details/chaplinhislifear00robi

References

  1. [[The Times]], "Broadcasting: A Danish Play", 11 March 1937.
  2. Dixon, Stephen. (10 July 2002). "Obituary: Gerald Campion".
  3. "Horace Henry Samuel Quelch, Series 1, Whatever Happened to...? – BBC Radio 7". BBC.
  4. Campbell, Mark. (24 March 2011). "Doctor Who: The Complete Guide". Little, Brown Book Group.
  5. Simkins, Michael. (11 July 2002). "Michael Simkins recalls an evening with actor Gerald Campion".

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1921-births2002-deathsalumni-of-the-royal-academy-of-dramatic-artenglish-male-stage-actorsenglish-male-film-actorsenglish-male-television-actorspeople-educated-at-university-college-schoolactors-from-the-london-borough-of-camdenpeople-from-wittershammale-actors-from-londonmale-actors-from-kentpeople-from-bloomsburyactors-from-the-borough-of-ashfordbilly-bunter