Sir Coles John Jeremy Child, 3rd Baronet (20 September 1944 – 7 March 2022) was a British actor.

Jeremy Child
Born
Coles John Jeremy Child

(1944-09-20)20 September 1944
Woking, Surrey, England
Died7 March 2022(2022-03-07) (aged 77)
OccupationActor
Years active1967–2017
Spouses
(m. 1971; div. 1976)
Jan Todd
(m. 1978; div. 1987)
Elizabeth Morgan
(m. 1987)
Children5

Early life

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Coles John Jeremy Child was born on 20 September 1944 in Woking, Surrey, son of Foreign Office diplomat Sir Coles John Child,[1] 2nd Baronet, DL, a Major in the Coldstream Guards and aide-de-camp to the Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada from 1931 to 1933, and Sheila, daughter of Hugh Mathewson, of Pine Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Coles family were lords of the manor of Bromley, and lived at Bromley Palace.[2] He was educated at Wellesley House School,[3] a preparatory school in the coastal town of Broadstairs in Kent and at Eton College and Aiglon College, then spent a year at Poitiers University,[4] followed by training as a child actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.[1]

Career

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Having for a short time been a "reluctant" City broker,[1] after appearing in repertory theatre, Child was cast in a significant role in the 1967 film Privilege.[5] Following this appearance, he played over 90 different roles in films and television, including a small role in the film Quadrophenia; as Piers Leigh in the miniseries Edward & Mrs. Simpson; as one of the main villains in Bird of Prey; as Tory politician Charles Gurney Seymour in the television adaptation of Jeffrey Archer's First Among Equals, and a cameo in A Fish Called Wanda.[6] From 1977 to 1978, he appeared in the second series of Backs to the Land.[7] He also played a typical officer-class role in Fairly Secret Army (1984-86).[8]

Child appeared in the 2004 film Wimbledon and television drama Judge John Deed.[6][9] He also appeared in Doctors for one episode, and most recently appeared as David Walsh in EastEnders.[10] Child played the British Foreign Secretary three times in his career.

Politics

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In 1993, Child appeared in a party political broadcast for the Labour Party which also starred Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Child was married three times, his first wife being the actress Deborah Grant, by whom he had a daughter. His second wife was Jan Todd, daughter of actor Bernard Todd, by whom he had a son and a daughter. He had a daughter and a son from his third marriage to publisher Elizabeth Morgan, daughter of Rev. Grenville Morgan, of Canterbury, Kent.[11] He lived in Ewelme, Oxfordshire. Child died after a long illness on 7 March 2022, at the age of 77.[1][12]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1967 Privilege Martin Crossley
1968 Decline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher Nigel
1969 Play Dirty 2nd Lieutenant
1969 Oh! What a Lovely War Wealthy Young Man Uncredited
1969 The Gladiators B-1
1970 The Breaking of Bumbo Billy
1970 Jane Eyre Harry Lynn TV movie
1971 Quest for Love Dougie Raynes Uncredited
1972 Doomwatch David Broome
1972 Young Winston Austen Chamberlain Uncredited
1972 All Star Comedy Carnival Timothy Tanner (Father, Dear Father), sketch
1972-'73 Father, Dear Father Tmothy Tanner (7 episodes)
1973 Ooh, La La Corignon 1 episode. (broadcast '68-'73)
1975 The Sweeney Elphick 1 episode
1975 Days of Hope Selwyn Davies 1 episode of mini-series
1976 The Glittering Prizes John Cadman 3 episodes
1976 The New Avengers Lieutenant 1 episode
1976 Emily (The Awakening of Emily) Gerald
1977 Hardcore Tenniel
1977 Wings Lieutenant Peter Conrad 3 episodes
1978 The Stud Lawyer
1979 Quadrophenia Agency Man
1980 Sir Henry at Rawlinson End Peregrine Maynard
1980 Tis Pity She's a Whore Priest BBC TV Movie
1981 Chanel Solitaire Uncredited
1983 High Road to China Silversmith
1984 Give My Regards to Broad Street Record Company Executive 1
1988 Taffin Martin
1988 A Fish Called Wanda Mr. Johnson
1993 Harnessing Peacocks Julian Reeves TV movie
1994 The Madness of King George Black Rod
1997 Regeneration Balfour Graham
1999 Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? Doctor Bannister
2001 Lagaan Maj. Cotton
2001 South Kensington Camilla's Father
2002 Safe Conduct Jeremy
2004 Wimbledon Fred Pilger
2005 Separate Lies Angus Burrell
2011 Foster John Burns
2011 The Iron Lady Cabinet Minister
2017 Darkest Hour Lord Stanhope

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Coveney, Michael (13 March 2022). "Jeremy Child obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  2. ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th ed., vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 776
  3. ^ Profile Archived 9 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, wellesley.kent.sch.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  4. ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th ed., vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 776
  5. ^ "Privilege (1967)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Jeremy Child". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017.
  7. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Jeremy Child". British Comedy Guide.
  8. ^ Kaleidoscope's TV Brain website
  9. ^ "Judge John Deed". 10 February 2006. p. 104 – via BBC Genome.
  10. ^ "BBC One - Doctors, Series 10, Love, Labour, Lust". BBC.
  11. ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th ed., vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, pp. 776-777
  12. ^ Evans, Chris, ed. (17 March 2022). "Jeremy Child obituary". The Daily Telegraph. No. 51, 891. p. 27. ISSN 0307-1235.
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Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Baronet
(of Bromley Place)
1971–2022
Succeeded by
Coles John Alexander Child