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Gerald Harper, now 93, became a household name in the BBC cult classic Adam Adamant Lives! a dramatic all-action fantasy series about a flambouyant Victorian who is frozen in a block of ice and then thawed out in the 1960s.

In his mid thirties by the time he achieved nationwide recognition in the UK, he had previously filmed supporting roles in a host of classic British movies like “The Dam Busters (1955), The Admirable Crichton (1957), “A Night to Remember” (1958), The League of Gentlemen (1960) and Tunes of Glory (1960). In between filming assignments – as throughout his entire career – he would always return to his first love, the theatre.

Although originally intending to train as a doctor, he became interested in acting while still at school, eventually attending RADA upon completion of his National Service. His theatrical career began with a series of one-act plays by Bernard Shaw at the Arts Theatre, before starring opposite Frankie Howerd in ‘Charley’s Aunt’. He later spent two years with the Old Vic Company, touring America and appearing on Broadway.

After Adam Adamant, he would consolidate his success as the lead character in the ITV series “Hadleigh,” which ran inherits a mansion and a considerable fortune but soon tires of the sedate lifestyle of a country squire and finds himself torn between his passion for risky adventure and beautiful women, and his love for his new country estate.
I would expect Talking Pictures to screen the entire series before too long but in the meantime, it is well represented on YouTube.

Between theatre engagements, Harper would subsequently embark upon a a second career as a disc jockey, famously giving away champagne and chocolates to favoured listeners on his Radio 2 ‘Saturday afternoon selection’show. He would also enjoy a stint broadcasting on Capital Radio presenting the “Sunday Affair.”