BBC star who rose to fame in 60s & dated Coupling's Sarah Alexander dies aged 96 as tributes pour in
Gerald Harper, who made his name on British TV, sadly passed away on Wednesday, his agent confirmed.
3
Gerald Harper as Stephen Ashley in 'Crown Court' in 1979
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
3
Gerald Harper in the 'Murder by Misadventure' Play performed in the Vaudeville Theatre in 1991
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
3
Harper in the 2000s
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
CDM Talent Agency posted on social media: "It is with great sadness that Gerald Harper has recently passed away - he was a valued client before he went to Spain to enjoy his retirement."
It is unclear where the actor died or his cause of death.
Gerald is best known for starring as the lead role in the adventure drama Adam Adamant Lives! and then as the main character in Hadleigh.
Following his TV career, he returned to his main passion in theatre.
His classical work includes playing on Broadway with the Old Vic company, playing Iago at the Bristol Old Vic and Benedick at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
Gerald forged an illustrious career on
the stage,
featuring in various West End shows, including Crucifer of Blood and A Personal Affair at the Haymarket Theatre.
The charismatic performer presented The Sunday Affair for Capital Radio in the 1970s.
Gerald also hosted a
series of Saturday afternoon shows for
BBC
Radio 2 in the early 1990s, in which he played classic songs from the past and gave away bottles of champagne and chocolates.
Most read in News TV
The star will also be well remembered for his relationship with Coupling and Green Wing star Sarah Alexander.
Sarah, 54, was only 25 when she was first spotted dating Gerald Harper, then 68, in 1996.
Gerald was in his early 70s when Sarah, then aged around 30, became lovers.
Sarah was at the height of her own fame at the time, as she was a regular in sitcom Coupling.
A passer-by told the Sunday People of Gerald and Sarah at the time: "They were super-glued together! They were all over each other and didn't care who saw them.
"Funnily enough, the young lady was making a lot of the running and kept grabbing him to French kiss him – it was quite a display."
Friends said Harper was "absolutely bereft" when Sarah left him for Amandaland star Peter Serafinowicz in 2002.
Before his relationship with Sarah, Gerald was married to Carla Rabaiotti, a former Pan American air stewardess.
The pair, who later divorced in 1983, share a son.
Read more on the Irish Sun
Harper was previously married to actress Jane Downs from 1957 until they divorced in 1975. They share a daughter.
At the height of his fame Harper was TV's most eligible bachelor in ITV's Hadleigh, which ran from 1969 to 1976.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Line of Duty star hails ‘elite' David Clifford as a ‘joy to watch'
Actor Martin Compston was blown away by David Clifford's first-half performance in the All-Ireland final, hailing the Kerry forward's 'elite' showing against Donegal. Line of Duty actor Compston joined a string of celebrities which included comedian Kayleigh Trappe as he featured on the BBC's coverage of this afternoon's All-Ireland final. Clifford was sensational in the first-half, racking up seven points, the last of which was a sensational two-pointer right on the hooter after a long spell of possession from the Kingdom. At the interval, Compston - who played professional soccer before becoming an actor - was asked what might be going through the Donegal players' heads at half-time, to which he responded: "Your man Clifford is a joy to watch, he genuinely is elite level. "There's just some times when you need to get out of your own head. Simple ones Murphy would normally stick away (He missed) and you're thinking like 'it's just not going to be your day.' "But you just need to get that out of your head and keep going." Clifford's score on the stroke of half-time made it a seven point game at the break and put Kerry just 35 minutes away from a first All-Ireland in three years and a 39th in their history.
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Drake cancels Manchester gig due to 'travel issues'
Rapper Drake has had a concert at Manchester's Co-Op Live Arena cancelled due to "unforeseen" travel issues. The Canadian musician was due to perform at Manchester's Co-Op Live Arena on Monday 28 July, however, has had to reschedule the gig due to "unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics". The 38-year old, whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham, will instead perform at the venue on 5 August. The news was shared in a statement on the Co-Op live website, which said: "Due to unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics, tomorrow's performance in Manchester on July 28th has been rescheduled. "The good news is that Drake will now perform in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5th, and it's set to be an unforgettable night. "All tickets remain valid for the new date—we can't wait to see you there!" This comes after Drake released a new song, Which One, on Thursday with British rapper Central Cee. Drake is midway through the UK leg of his Some Special Shows 4 U tour with Partynextdoor, marking his first return to Europe in six years. Earlier this month Drake performed at Wireless Festival in London after signing a multi-million pound deal to top the bill each night of the three nights. The Canadian brought out UK heavyweights Dave, Central Cee and J Hus as surprise guests during one of his performances on the main stage in Finsbury Park. He also performed with Lauryn Hill on one of the three nights. The five-time Grammy-award winning artist will head to mainland Europe in August with concerts scheduled in Amsterdam, Zurich, and Milan and Paris. The artist is best known for his hit songs One Dance, Hold On We're Going Home, and Hotline Bling.
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Michelle Keegan looks incredible as she shows off abs in sports bra just four months after giving birth
MICHELLE Keega n showed off her toned body as she completed an intense Pilates workout months after welcoming her first born child. Michelle , 38, who , snapped a pic of herself in the mirror in a black sports bra and sitting atop a reformer Pilates machine at a studio near her 4 Michelle Keegan got in an early Sunday morning Pilates class Credit: Instagram 4 Michelle gave birth to her first child in March Credit: Instagram 4 She shares baby Palma with husband Mark Wright Credit: instagram The former Coronation Street star, who shares her adorable daughter with husband Mark Wright , 38, smiled for the camera as she wore her brunette hair in a loose bun above her head. She posted the photo to her Instagram stories and added The La's song, There She Goes to the post. "Love a Sunday morning class," she captioned the post. following the arrival of daughter Palma in March. michelle keegan She jetted to a film set in Bulgaria for her next project and shared a slew of snaps from the shoot, which included an adorable pic of her daughter. Other pictures included Michelle looking happy and relaxed on set as she showed off her incredible post-baby figure. In her caption, she wrote: "A week of work & belly laughs in Bulgaria." The Fool Me Once star, who recently to become the new face of Sky, has been excitedly living it up at the Cannes film festival , on holiday in Spain and showing off her in tiny swimsuits from her own fashion range. Most read in TV The Sun revealed how the We revealed how she would be filming a series of promo clips — which will be shown around the globe — with fellow British actor, Luther star The deal is Michelle's first major job since Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan take newborn baby Palma to another luxury hotel as they stay in £21k a night suite She landed the deal after becoming a major player for Sky, with her comedy-drama The actress revealed The happy couple - who have been married for nine years - shared their happy pregnancy news on Instagram. Then in March, the new parents revealed 4 Michelle and Mark got married in 2015 Credit: PA
