Christopher Guard (born 5 December 1953) is an English actor, musician and artist. He is known for roles such as Jim Hawkins in '' Return to Treasure Island'' (1986), Bellboy in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' serial ''

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy ''The Greatest Show in the Galaxy'' is the fourth and final serial of the 25th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 14 December 1988 to 4 January 198 ...

'' (1988), Marcellus in ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Roma ...

'' (1976), Marius in ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' (1978), Ken Hodges in the medical drama ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' (1993), and voicing

Frodo Baggins Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, and one of the protagonists in ''The Lord of the Rings''. Frodo is a hobbit of the Shire who inherits the One Ring from his cousin Bilbo Baggins, described familiarly as "u ...

in ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

'' (1978). Guard has appeared in ''

Memoirs of a Survivor ''The Memoirs of a Survivor'' is a dystopian novel by Nobel Prize-winner Doris Lessing. It was first published in 1974 by Octagon Press. It was made into a film in 1981, starring Julie Christie and Nigel Hawthorne, and directed by David Glad ...

'' (1981) and '' A Woman of Substance'' (1985). His first role on television was the young David Copperfield in the BBC's 1966 TV serial adaptation, followed by Pip in ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'' (1967). A long list of credits include appearances in ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...

'', '' Secret Army'', ''

Shoestring Shoelaces, also called shoestrings (US English) or bootlaces (UK English), are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots, and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both ends ...

'', '' The Professionals'', ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'', '' Bugs'', ''

Poirot Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays ('' Black Coffee'' and ''Alibi''), and more ...

'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' and ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

''. He has played roles in two works by

Dennis Potter Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...

: '' Play For Today: Joe's Ark'' (1974) and ''

Blackeyes ''Blackeyes'' is a multi-layered novel by British writer Dennis Potter, published in 1987 by Faber and Faber. It concerns the relationship between sexuality, exploitation, power and money. These are explored through the career of a desirable mod ...

'' (1989). He demonstrated his singing ability in the film version of Stephen Sondheim's ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. ...

'' (1977) in the role of Henrik Egerman alongside

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

. He played Ferdinand in the BBC Shakespeare production of '' The Tempest'' (opposite his cousin Pippa as Miranda) in 1980. In recent years, Guard has worked on expanding his musical career and developing his artwork for private sale online.

Early life

Guard was born in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and educated at

Latymer Upper School (Slowly Therefore Surely) , established = , closed = , sister_school = Godolphin and Latymer School , type = Public schoolIndependent day school , head_label = H ...

Career

Guard's on-screen debut came aged 12 as the young David Copperfield in BBC television's 1966 serial adaptation of the Charles Dicken's novel. Producer Campbell Logan and Director Joan Craft had failed to find a suitable young actor from a drama academy and started to enquire about children of actors. Guard said: "I never went to any kind of stage school... I went up once, twice, and three times o Threshold House for auditions– third time it was just me and one other boy and they chose me. The next thing I knew, there were four big, fat BBC scripts on the doormat and I was learning the lines and rehearsing in an old church hall and working with amazing people like Joss Ackland." Only one episode to feature Guard (episode 3, "A Long Journey") is known to exist. Further television work followed, including an episode of ''

'' and in 1967 he landed the role of young Pip in another BBC Dickens serial, ''

'', directed by

Alan Bridges Alan Bridges (28 September 1927 – 7 December 2013) was an English film and television director. In 1967 Bridges directed a television adaptation of Charles Dickens' '' Great Expectations'' starring Gary Bond as Pip. He won the '' Grand P ...

, who also directed Guard in a ''Play For Today'' called "Joe's Ark" written by

. In 1974, Guard became a member of the National Theatre at the age of 20. Further roles in high-profile BBC TV productions followed, including Marcellus in ''I, Claudius'' (1976) and Marius in ''

'' (1978). In 1978, Guard and his brother, Dominic both voiced characters in an animated film version of ''

'' (1978). Chris voiced Frodo Baggins and Dominic voiced Pippin. The late seventies and early eighties were a busy time for Guard with appearances in ''Shoestring'', ''The Professionals'' and leading roles in period costume dramas such as ''

My Cousin Rachel ''My Cousin Rachel'' is a Gothic novel written by English author Daphne du Maurier, published in 1951. Bearing thematic similarities to her earlier and more famous novel '' Rebecca'', it is a mystery-romance, set primarily on a large estate in ...

'' (1983) by

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...

and '' A Woman of Substance'' (1985) written by Barbara Taylor Bradford, Guard worked alongside

Jenny Seagrove Jennifer Ann Seagrove (born 4 July 1957) is an English actress. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and first came to attention playing the lead in a television dramatisation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's '' A Woman of Substance'' ...

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress. During her international film career, Kerr won a G ...

and

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...

. The actor's next project was with

Brian Blessed Brian Blessed (; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor, presenter, writer and mountaineer. Blessed is known for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars'', Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of ''I, Claudius'', King Richard IV i ...

, playing the lead character of Jim Hawkins in ''Return to Treasure Island'' (1986). The 10-part miniseries was filmed in Wales, Spain and Jamaica and directed by

Piers Haggard Piers Inigo Haggard, OBE (born 18 March 1939), is a British theatre, film and television director, although he has worked mostly in the latter. Haggard was born in London but grew up on a small farm in Clackmannanshire. He is the great-great-n ...

and Alex Kirby. It is a sequel to the Robert Louis Stevenson classic and again features Long John Silver. Guard entered the world of science fiction for the role of Bellboy in the ''

'' serial ''

'' (1988). His character builds and repairs robotic clowns at the Psychic Circus. Guard considered Bellboy a victim: “All these things were happening to him. Although he has had power, the power is all kind of taken away from him. Ultimately, he turns his own creations, in a Frankenstein way, upon himself”. The episodes were filmed in Dorset and famously at the

BBC Elstree Centre The BBC Elstree Centre, sometimes referred to as the BBC Elstree Studios, is a television production facility, currently owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The complex is located between Eldon Avenue and Clarendon Road in Boreh ...

using the car park to house the large circus top. Summing up the experience on location, Guard said "There was a vibe about the whole shoot. It was very hot out there…but it just felt good." From September 1993, Guard played the role of Clinical Nurse Specialist Ken Hodges in long-running BBC drama, ''

''. The nurse left Holby after admitting he loved established character,

Charlie Fairhead Charlie Fairhead, played by Derek Thompson, is a fictional character from the BBC British medical drama ''Casualty''. He is the longest-serving character, having played the role of Charlie for over 36 years, and the only remaining original ch ...

. Guard said about the character: “He’s someone whose life is outside my experience, but we’re not making any great statement by including a man who happens to be gay”.

Music

As a musician and songwriter Guard has written award-winning songs and his bands Leapfrogtown and What the Fox have played festivals supporting Toploader and venues such as The Troubadour and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. His song 'Attention Deficit Girl' won the Guild of International Songwriters Rock Award in 2004. In 2001, Christopher composed a song to celebrate the promotion of

Fulham F.C. Fulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, London, which compete in the . They have played home games at Craven Cottage since 1896, other than a two-year period spent at Loftus Road whilst Craven Cottage unde ...

the Premier Division. The song, entitled ‘Here to Stay’ by his band Lucky Revolution, features lead vocals by his daughter Daisy and backing vocals by his daughter Rosie and partner, Cath Shipton. Songwriting has been a life-long passion and his original songs have featured on radio, television and film. This included collaborating on Candy Guard's animated series, Pond Life for Channel 4 (1996 and 2000) and recently contributions to the soundtrack for the film ‘Mercy’ (2020), directed and written by Wendy Morgan. Many of these songs can be viewed and purchased online. 'Blind Side' is Chris's latest release, in 2021.

Indians in Moscow

In 1991, Stuart Walton and Pete Riches reformed the band, Indians in Moscow and recruited Guard as lead singer. Together they released an initial single, 'Wrong Love' (1991) and then recorded an album, 'Ten Days to Live' (1994) on Nemesis Records. Walton and Guard continued to work together as part of The Bloogs up until 2012 and then as Leapfrogtown.

Art

Alongside his work in film and music Chris is an established artist. His work is inspired by nature and ‘our strange and paradoxical relationship with it’. His clients include British and American actors and musicians.

Family

Guard has two daughters from his marriage with

Lesley Dunlop Lesley Jane Dunlop (born 10 March 1956) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Norna in the ''Doctor Who'' serial "Frontios", Anna Kirkwall in ''Where the Heart Is (British TV series), Where the Heart Is'' and Zoë Angell in ''May ...

and one daughter with actress

Cathy Shipton Catherine Ellen Shipton (born 27 March 1957) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Lisa "Duffy" Duffin in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty''. After leaving the series in 2020, she has since appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera ...

.Barber, Richard (13 July 2005)
I'd rather be single than go out with a loser; TV'S LESLEY DUNLOP ON FINDING LOVE AFTER 40
''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'', Retrieved 28 November 2012 Christopher ran the London Marathon in 1995 in aid of the ‘Save the Cottage Campaign’ and in total he has run five marathons and many half-marathons supporting Leukemia Research and the British Heart Foundation and other charities. He has been a committed vegetarian since childhood. (08/11/2020) Interview
with

Chelmsford Community Radio 104.4FM Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

. Retrieved on 28/02/2021

Selected Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

Personal website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guard, Christopher Living people 1953 births English male film actors English male soap opera actors English male voice actors People educated at Latymer Upper School