Gerald Campion

{{Infobox person

| name = Gerald Campion

| birth_name = Gerald Theron Campion

| image = Actor_Gerald_Campion.jpg

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1921|04|23|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bloomsbury, London, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|2002|07|09|1921|04|23|df=y}}

| death_place = Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France

| alma_mater = RADA

| occupation = Actor

| spouse = {{marriage|Jean Sherman|1947|1972|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Susan Mark|1973}}

| 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).{{sfn|ComicsUK|2002}}

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.{{sfn|Robinson|1985}} Campion was born in Bloomsbury, London, an only child.{{sfn|Daily Telegraph|2002}}

He won a place at RADA at age 15, and appeared in numerous films and television programmes – mostly comedies.{{sfn|BFI|2018}} In 1937, he appeared in Tavs Neiiendam's radio play Inspiration to a Poet on the BBC Home Service.The Times, "Broadcasting: A Danish Play", 11 March 1937.

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).{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jul/11/guardianobituaries.media|title=Obituary: Gerald Campion|first=Stephen|last=Dixon|date=10 July 2002|website=The Guardian}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hwvb2|title=Horace Henry Samuel Quelch, Series 1, Whatever Happened to...? – BBC Radio 7|publisher=BBC}}

In 1979, he recorded an appearance in Shada, a Doctor Who story which was not completed in its intended form.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ab2eBAAAQBAJ&q=gerald+campion+doctor+who+shada&pg=PT195|title=Doctor Who: The Complete Guide|first=Mark|last=Campbell|date=24 March 2011|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=9781849018869|via=Google Books}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/jul/11/broadcasting.g2|title=Michael Simkins recalls an evening with actor Gerald Campion|first=Michael|last=Simkins|date=11 July 2002|website=The Guardian}}{{sfn|Campion|2018}}

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.{{sfn|BFI|2018}}