- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGary Allen Cockrell
- Born in St Louis, Missouri in 1932 Gary was a gymnast and athlete at school, who developed his interest in dance as a teenager after seeing the film 'The Red Shoes'. Moving to New York to learn dance he was in the 1957 Broadway production of 'West Side Story', coming to Britain with the show the following year. He left 'West Side Story' for a straight acting role in in 'Orpheus Descending' and throughout the 1960s was a familiar face on British TV as one of its 'go-to' Americans in the likes of 'The Saint' and 'The Persuaders' as well as appearing in American films. In 1964 he opened a dance studio in London which ran for thirteen years until 1977 when it became a health spa. Gary retired from acting and choreography around this time to move with his wife Marie to St Lucia, where he opened a hotel.- IMDb Mini Biography By: don @ minifie-1
- Gary and his wife, who went by Thecla, returned to St. James, Missouri in the mid-1990s to help care for Gary's aging mother. They remained there for well over a decade and ran a small dance studio together during that time. Gary also offered acting and tumbling classes at the studio.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Former Student
- SpouseMarie Thecla Cockrell(1989 - October 26, 2018) (his death, 4 children)
- ChildrenBrett CockrellJake CockrellJoey CockrellJade Cockrell
- Had trained as a dancer and choreographer before turning to acting. He first achieved notice in early British productions of "West Side Story".
- He was NOT in the Broadway production of "West Side Story." He was, however, in the London production.
- Best known for playing Dick, the (act three) husband of the titular Lolita (Sue Lyon) in the Stanley Kubrick classic.
- One of many American actors who moved to England and was cast in films and television to play the token "Yank".
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content