Christopher Gable

Christopher Gable
CBE
Born
Christopher Michael Gable

(1940-03-13)13 March 1940
London, UK
Died23 October 1998(1998-10-23) (aged 58)
near Halifax, Yorkshire, UK
SpouseCarole Needham (m. 1961)

Christopher Michael Gable, CBE (13 March 1940 – 23 October 1998) was an English ballet dancer, choreographer and actor.

Life and career

Dance career

Born in London, Gable studied at the Royal Ballet School, joining the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet in 1957. He was promoted to soloist in 1959 and principal in 1961.

Gable's roles included Romeo in the Kenneth MacMillan production of Romeo and Juliet,[1] Mercury in Offenbach's comic operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, a production that was filmed and released on DVD,[1] and Colas in La fille mal gardée.[2] Gable frequently partnered with Lynn Seymour.[3] Gable suffered from a chronic rheumatoid condition in his feet and left the Royal Ballet in 1967 to pursue a career in acting.[4]

Screen acting career

Gable appeared in a number of television and film productions directed by Ken Russell. These included Song of Summer (1968) and Dance of the Seven Veils (1970) for BBC television, and the films Women in Love (1969), The Music Lovers (1971), The Boy Friend (1971), The Lair of the White Worm (1988), and The Rainbow (1989).[1] His other roles included John, valet and friend of Prince Edward, in the Cinderella film musical The Slipper and the Rose (1976), the composer Peter Cornelius in Wagner (1983), Mercury in the BBC television production of Orpheus in the Underworld (1983),[5] ambiguous villain Sharaz Jek in the Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani (1984),[6] and Arthur Ainsley in the miniseries A Woman of Substance (1985).[7]

Return to dance

In 1982, Gable founded the Central School of Ballet with Ann Stannard.[1] Five years later he was appointed Artistic Director of Northern Ballet Theatre.[3] He transformed the small regional troupe into a company of national renown by presenting imaginative new works and staging revivals of old classics. Among the productions mounted during his eleven-year regime were Swan Lake, A Christmas Carol, The Brontes, The Amazing Adventure of Don Quixote, Dracula, Giselle, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.[8] Many of the projects he created later were performed by other dance companies, including the Atlanta Ballet and the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Personal life

Gable was married to dancer Carole Needham from 1961 until his death in 1998. They had two children, a son and a daughter.[4]

Death

Gable died of cancer near Halifax, Yorkshire, at the age of 58.[9]

Selected theatre performances

He also appeared on stage in West End musical The Good Companions in 1974.[10]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1968 Song of Summer Eric Fenby
1969 Women in Love Tibby Lupton
1970 The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes Danseur Nobel Uncredited
1971 The Music Lovers Count Anton Chiluvsky
The Boy Friend Tony
1976 The Slipper and the Rose John
1988 The Lair of the White Worm Joe Trent
1989 The Rainbow Will Brangwen (final film role)

Honours and awards

In 1996 Gable was awarded a CBE for his services to British dance.[1] The following year he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Bradford.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Christopher Gable". Northern Ballet. Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  2. ^ Gable biography on the DVD of Orpheus in the Underworld
  3. ^ a b c Meisner, Nadine (26 October 1998). "Obituary: Christopher Gable". The Independent.
  4. ^ a b Oliver, Myrna (3 November 1998). "Christopher Gable, 58; International Ballet Star and Film Actor". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Orpheus in the Underworld (1983)". BFI. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  6. ^ Mulkern, Patrick. "The Caves of Androzani ★★★★★". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  7. ^ "A Woman of Substance: Episode 1 (1984)". BFI. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  8. ^ Brennan, Mary (21 November 1998). "Christopher Gable". The Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  9. ^ Dunning, Jennifer (1 November 1998). "Christopher Gable, 58, Dancer Who Made Switch to Acting (Published 1998)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Christopher Gable". Theatricalia. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.