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Philip Glenister

Philip Glenister

Actor · b. 1963 · Harrow, Middlesex, England, UK

Philip Haywood Glenister is an English actor, known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in British television series Life On Mars and its sequel Ashes To Ashes. He also played DCI William Bell in State of Play (2003) and Reverend Anderson in Outcast (2016–2018). Glenister was born on 10 February 1963 in Harrow, Middlesex, and grew up in Hatch End. He is the son of director John Glenister and Joan Fry Lewis, and the younger brother of fellow actor Robert Glenister. He attended Hatch End High School. In his early career, he worked as a runner for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. Following this, he worked until the age of 23 as a film publicist, but developed an interest in acting after watching his brother perform in a student play about the Sex Pistols. With the encouragement of his then-sister-in-law, Amanda Redman, he pursued acting and attended the Central School of Speech and Drama. In the early 1990s, Glenister appeared in various TV series including Minder, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Heartbeat, The Chief, Dressing for Breakfast and Silent Witness. In 1997, he appeared in Sharpe's Justice as Richard Sharpe's half-brother Matt Truman. He played William Dobbin in the 1998 mini-series Vanity Fair. From 1998 to 1999, Glenister co-starred as a mini-cab driver who aspires to be a rock star in the series Roger Roger. He also played factory boss Mack Mackintosh in the first three series of Clocking Off from 2000 to 2002. In 2001, he appeared in two of the Hornblower TV films as Horatio's antagonist Gunner Hobbs. Glenister played the photographer who took nude photos for a Women's Institute fundraising calendar in the 2003 feature film Calendar Girls. Also in 2003, he appeared in the mini-series State of Play. Glenister played the German commandant, Baron Heinrich von Rheingarten, in the 2004 mini-series Island at War about the Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. In April 2006, Glenister read the Bedtime Story for the BBC's children's channel, CBeebies. He returned to the slot in February/March 2007. Glenister played social reformer and estate manager Mr Carter in the 2007 BBC costume drama Cranford, as part of a cast including Judi Dench and Francesca Annis. Glenister is probably best known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in Life on Mars (2006–07), co-starring with John Simm as Sam Tyler, and its sequel Ashes to Ashes (2008–10), with Keeley Hawes as Alex Drake. Glenister also worked with Simm on State of Play and Clocking Off and the 2008 crime film Tuesday. Upon announcement of the film, Glenister joked that he and Simm were contractually obliged to work with each other once a year. Glenister starred as demon hunter Rupert Galvin in the 2009 ITV drama Demons. He used an American accent for the role, which received some criticism from reviewers. After the series was cancelled, he said he had problems with the role and felt that he may have been miscast. In 2010, Glenister had a small role (credited as 'Poker Friend') in Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, and he played Charles Forestier in a 2011 feature film of Guy de Maupassant's Bel Ami. He starred in the 2011 conspiracy thriller Hidden on BBC One.

Series24

  • TV8.2

    Agatha Christie's Poirot

    1989 · 584 votes

  • TV4.4

    The One Show

    2006 · 31 votes

  • TV7.6

    Top Gear

    2002 · 912 votes

  • TV5.8

    GMTV

    1993 · 14 votes

  • TV7.6

    Silent Witness

    1996 · 113 votes

  • TV7.1

    Minder

    1979 · 30 votes

  • TV7.7

    Foundation

    2021 · 1.8K votes

  • TV7.2

    Heartbeat

    1992 · 33 votes

  • TV8.1

    Inside No. 9

    2014 · 288 votes

  • TV6.3

    Soccer AM

    1995 · 9 votes

  • TV6.1
  • TV6.6
  • TV7.4

    The Hollow Crown

    2012 · 82 votes

  • TV5.6

    The Vice

    1999 · 8 votes

  • TV7.7

    Life on Mars

    2006 · 330 votes

  • TV7.7

    Ashes to Ashes

    2008 · 119 votes

  • TV7.0

    The Chief

    1990 · 2 votes

  • TV5.0

    Legends

    2006 · 1 votes

  • TV7.0

    Drop the Dead Donkey

    1990 · 30 votes

  • TV9.0
  • TV7.3

    Urban Myths

    2017 · 26 votes

  • TV7.8

    Hornblower

    1998 · 35 votes

  • TV6.9

    The Detectives

    1993 · 22 votes

  • TV7.1

    Outcast

    2016 · 496 votes

Movies23

  • Movie7.1

    Kingdom of Heaven

    2005 · 5.2K votes

  • Movie5.9
  • Movie6.5

    Calendar Girls

    2003 · 420 votes

  • Movie5.3

    Bel Ami

    2012 · 546 votes

  • Movie
  • Movie7.1

    The Other Boleyn Girl

    2003 · 55 votes

  • Movie6.6

    I.D.

    1995 · 107 votes

  • Movie7.3

    Hornblower: Retribution

    2001 · 43 votes

  • Movie7.4

    Hornblower: Mutiny

    2001 · 47 votes

  • Movie7.6
  • Movie8.0
  • Movie6.1

    Sharpe: The Legend

    1997 · 8 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Loved Up

    1995 · 17 votes

  • Movie5.5

    The Walk

    2005 · 2 votes

  • Movie
  • Movie9.5
  • Movie5.5

    Tu£sday

    2008 · 14 votes

  • Movie4.8

    Byron

    2003 · 14 votes

  • Movie5.0

    A Fatal Inversion

    1992 · 7 votes

  • Movie

    Sheene

    2023

  • Movie5.9

    London Kills Me

    1991 · 15 votes

  • Movie7.7

    Lloyd & Hill

    2003 · 3 votes

  • Movie7.1

    The Perfect Blue

    1998 · 18 votes