Marcus Gilbert (actor)

Marcus Gilbert
Born(1958-07-29)29 July 1958
Bristol, England
Died11 January 2026(2026-01-11) (aged 67)
OccupationActor
Years active
  • 1982–2015
  • 2026[1]
Spouse
Homaa Khan-Gilbert
(m. 1992; died 2020)
Children2

Marcus Gilbert (29 July 1958 – 11 January 2026) was a British actor.

Beginning in 1984 he appeared in films, including The Masks of Death (1984), Biggles (1986), A Hazard of Hearts (1987), Rambo III (1988), A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990), Army of Darkness (1992), Legacy (1993) and Freebird (2008), on television (including Doctor Who in Battlefield in 1989), an episode of Murder, She Wrote[2] (in 1994) and in commercials. He has also worked in the theatre, including playing the young Viscount Goring in Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband with the Middle Ground Theatre Company on their national tour in 2000.

Early life and career

Gilbert was born in Bristol, England, on 29 July 1958. After graduating from the Mountview Theatre School in 1981,[3] Gilbert became a founder member of the original Odyssey Theatre Company, touring London schools with productions of contemporary classics. This was followed by seasons working in the Dundee Repertory Theatre and the Library Theatre, Manchester.[4]

Gilbert made over 50 commercials,[5] including one for Lee Cooper jeans called Mean Jeans, directed by Willi Patterson, which won a British Arrows Pearl & Dean Cinema Award in 1983.[6][7]

He also ran his own film production company, Touch the Sky Productions,[3] and in 2004 while making a documentary about his climbing Mount Kilimanjaro he visited the Arusha Children's Trust in Tanzania and filmed an appeal for the trust.

Personal life and death

Gilbert married a doctor named Homaa Khan-Gilbert, with whom he had two children. His wife of 28 years died in 2020.[8] Gilbert died on 11 January 2026, at the age of 67, of throat cancer.[5]

Filmography

Key
Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
1983 The Weather in the Streets Kurt TV movie
1984 The Masks of Death Anton von Felseck TV movie
1986 Biggles Eric von Stalhein
1987 A Hazard of Hearts Lord Justin Vulcan TV movie
1988 Rambo III Tomask
1989 Doctor Who Ancelyn Serial: Battlefield
1990 A Ghost in Monte Carlo Lord Robert Stanford TV movie
1992 Army of Darkness Lord Arthur
1993 Legacy David Walker
1993 Riders Rupert Campbell-Black
1994 Murder, She Wrote Colin Biddle
2008 Freebird Marl
2015 Meet Pursuit Delange: The Movie John Scott MP
2026 UNIT: Brave New World: Knightfall Ancelyn Voice role; posthumous release[9]

Footnotes

  1. ^ "BNW4. UNIT: Brave New World: Knightfall - UNIT - Big Finish". bigfinish.com. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  2. ^ "Amsterdam Kill". IMDb.
  3. ^ a b Hayward, Anthony (21 January 2026). "Marcus Gilbert obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  4. ^ p. 5 Archived 23 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine of marcusgilbert.org.uk
  5. ^ a b "Marcus Gilbert obituary: Riders star who nearly became James Bond". The Times. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  6. ^ "In the Streets: Lee Cooper Mean Jeans". IMDb. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Lee Cooper Jeans Commercial: Mean Jeans". History of Advertising Trust. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Dr Homaa Khan-Gilbert". The Gazette. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  9. ^ "BNW4. UNIT: Brave New World: Knightfall - UNIT - Big Finish". bigfinish.com. Retrieved 13 January 2026.