Gary Bond
Gary James Bond was an English actor and singer, born in Liss, Hampshire, in 1940. Although his father and uncles were all in the Army, he always had ambitions to become an actor, and trained at Central School of Speech and Drama on a scholarship in the late 1950s.
His professional debut was in ‘Not By The Book’ at the Connaught Theatre in 1962. Seasons with the Royal Court, the Prospect Theatre Company, and the Royal Shakespeare Company followed, and in 1966 he made his musical debut in ‘On the Level’, followed by leading roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ (as Joseph) and ‘Evita’ (as Che).
On television he made his debut in 1963 in ‘War and Peace’ and played a number of leading roles through the 1960s-80s, including Pip in ‘Great Expectations’ in 1967. He also appeared in three films, ‘Zulu’ (as Private Cole), ‘Anne of the Thousand Days’ (as Mark Smeaton), and ‘Wake in Fright’ (in which he played the lead, John Grant).
Gary Bond died in Ealing Hospital, West London, at the age of 55 following a long battle with HIV/AIDS. He left behind his long-term partner of sixteen years, the American artist E.J. Taylor.
Past productions
- George Dillingham, Aspects of Love
- Arnold Champion-Cheney, The Circle
- The Royal Baccarat Scandal
- Rosmersholm
- Otto, Design For Living, Birmingham Repertory/Greenwich Theatre Co-Production with Triumph Apollo Productions
- Otto, Design For Living, Birmingham Repertory/Greenwich Theatre Co-Production
- Che, Evita, Robert Stigwood in association with David Land
- Alice’s Boys
- Alice’s Boys
- Willie Oban, The Iceman Cometh, Royal Shakespeare Company