Christopher Gable
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christopher Gable (born March 13, 1940 in London - died October 25, 1998 in Yorkshire) was an English dancer and actor.
Gable studied at the Royal Ballet School, becoming a soloist in 1959 with the Royal Ballet. He continued as a principal with Covent Garden Ballet, but was troubled by arthritis and left in 1967 to pursue a career in acting.
Christopher Gable's ballet roles included that of Mercury in Jacques Offenbach's comic operetta, "Orpheus in the Underworld", in a production which has been released on DVD.
His film roles included that of John, valet and friend of Prince Edward, in the Cinderella film, "The Slipper and the Rose".
His best-known role was as the leading man in the 1971 musical film, The Boy Friend. However, he is remembered by many for his first television role, as Eric Fenby in Ken Russell's Song of Summer, about the composer Frederick Delius.
He played the main villain, Sharaz Jek, in the 1984 Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani.
His last screen role was in 1989 and he returned to the world of dance as director of the Northern Ballet Theatre. He died from cancer and left a widow, the dancer Carole Needham.
