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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).[1]

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Gerald Campion
Born	Gerald Theron Campion (1921-04-23)23 April 1921 Bloomsbury, London, England
Died	9 July 2002(2002-07-09) (aged 81) Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France
Alma mater	RADA
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1938–1992
Spouse(s)	Jean Sherman (1947–1972) (divorced) Susan Mark (1973–2002) (his death)
Children	3
Parent	Cyril Campion

Biography

His father Cyril Theron Campion (1894–1961) – a playwright and screenwriter – and Blanche Louise Tunstall née Bear (1890–1933) – a cousin-german of Charlie Chaplin – married in 1920 in London.[2] Campion was born in Bloomsbury, London, an only child.[3]

He won a place at RADA at age 15, and appeared in numerous films and television programmes – mostly comedies.[4] In 1937, he appeared in Tavs Neiiendam's radio play Inspiration to a Poet on the BBC Home Service.[5]

•	Inspiration to a Poet	(11 Mar 1937)	[6]
Author		Tavs Neiiengam
Translated from the Danish by		Marianne Helweg
Produced by		M H Allen
James Lancaster, a parson and poet		Ronald Simpson
Rorke, Reporter		Eric Messiter
Harkness, Reporter		Leslie Perrins
Editor of the Morning Clarion		Laidman Brown
Johnson, a photographer		Geoffrey Wincott
Martha Duxbury, a café proprietress		Vivienne Chatterton
Joe Duxbury, her son		Philip Wade
Mrs Pratt, Lancaster's housekeeper		Fanny Wright
Announcers, Navvies, Typists, Newsboys, Telephone Operator and other voices		Gerald Campion Diana Lincoln David Bevan Beatrice Rowe Lucie Milner

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).[7] 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.[8]

In 1979, he recorded an appearance in Shada, a Doctor Who story which was not completed in its intended form.[9]

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.[10][11]

Personal life

Campion's first marriage, with Jean M Sherman (Simmonds) (1925–) in London in 1947, ended in divorce in 1972. They had three children: Anthea (a singer who married composer Thomas Rajna); Anthony, born in1948; and Angelica, born in1962. 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.[4]

Selected filmography

References

Sources

External links

• Gerald Campion at IMDb

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