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Born in Brixton, England on April 20, 1935, the robust and handsome Gary Raymond hailed from a family of performers. His full name was Gary Barrymore Raymond, and he was the youngest of three sons, with a twin brother named Robin. Their parents were music hall entertainers. At age 11, Gary earned a scholarship to Gateway School in Leicester, graduating five years later. During this time, he worked various jobs as a furrier and clerk while studying drama through the London County Council.
Gary was admitted to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he trained before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in the mid-1950s. His extensive Shakespearean roles included Horatio, Claudius, Macbeth, Oberon, Benedick, Orlando, and Antonio.
His striking looks made him well-suited for film, and he secured several notable roles early in his career. These included Prince Charles Stuart in The Moonraker (1958); Cliff Lewis in Look Back in Anger (1959), originally portrayed on stage by Alan Bates; George in Tennessee Williams' Suddenly, Last Summer (1959); the title role in the Irish classic The Playboy of the Western World (1962), considered one of his finest performances; Prince Acastus in Jason and the Argonauts (1963); and St. Peter in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). These impressive film credits attracted Hollywood attention, leading to his co-starring role as British Sergeant Jack Moffitt opposite Christopher George in the TV war series The Rat Patrol (1966). Though the show lasted only two seasons, it remains popular in reruns.
Throughout his career, Gary remained a dedicated stage actor, making a significant impact on the London musical theatre scene. He originated the role of Georg in She Loves Me (1964) and appeared in productions such as Irma La Douce (1958), Treasure Island (1973), The Sound of Music (1985), Sunday in the Park with George (1990), A Little Night Music (1995), JFK: A Musical Drama (1997), Finian's Rainbow (1999), Grand Hotel (2004), and Follies (2017). His notable non-musical theatre work included Treasure Island, The Complaisant Lover, The Crucifer of Blood, Lysistrata, Electra, The World of Susie Wong, Peer Gynt, The Beaux Stratagem, Bent, and The Wind in the Willows.
From the late 1960s onward, Gary continued to appear regularly on British television. He held recurring roles in Who-Dun-It (1969), The Doctors (1969), and Harriet's Back in Town (1972), and guest-starred in popular series such as The Persuaders, And Mother Makes Three, New Scotland Yard, The New Avengers, The Omega Factor, Spy, Coronation Street, Casualty, Ellington, and Victoria & Albert. His featured TV roles included Kraler in the movie The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (1988) and Daniel O'Hara in the mini-series Scarlett (1994), the sequel to Gone With the Wind, which also starred his wife, Delena Kidd.
Gary and Delena, who specialized in Shakespeare and Shaw, frequently performed together on stage. Married since 1961, they have three children, including Emily Raymond, who has also pursued a career in acting.
