The Star
It seems there have been no announcements in the British and American press about the death of Gary Cockrell last October (26th). I only found out myself yesterday from a post at the One for the Dads forum, which is dedicated to dance troupes on 1960s and 70s TV shows.
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Gary had a very successful career in Britain in the '60s as an actor and choreographer. Undoubtedly his best role on screen was in The Corridor People (1966), an off- beat series that was axed after just four episodes. More significantly, he co-founded the Dance Centre in Floral Street, with Valerie Hyman, and The Beat Girls, the first resident dancers on a British pop show (The Beat Room, followed by Gadzooks!), who were more popular in Holland and Belgium. By the end of 1966, some of the girls left to form their own group - Pan's People.
I first noticed him as Sue Lyon's hard-of-hearing husband in Lolita, briefly meeting James Mason, the teenager's stepfather who fails in his attempt to lure her back but leaves the young couple a generous amount of money to secure their future. An entertaining personality, Gary also made an impression in the Steve McQueen movie The War Lover and two episodes of The Saint. Other notable credits: Danger Man, The Persuaders!, two"missing" Armchair Theatre plays and two films I still haven't seen, The Bedford Incident and The Americanization of Emily. Full list of credits below.
What a productive decade the Sixties was for him. He worked with some of my favourite people - James Mason, Roger Moore, Sidney Poitier, Michael Crawford, Susan Hampshire, Sandie Shaw and most of the dancers who went on to become Pan's People. I've read that his relationships with those who broke away from The Beat Girls, so that could happen, wasn't too good at the end. This greatly saddens me as they obviously brought great joy and excitement to fans, and I'm sure made each other happy for a short while. Hopefully Gary will re-establish his friendships with Flick (Colby) and the others in Heaven.
Gary was born on December 4, 1932 and passed away on Friday, October 26, 2018.
Gary was a resident of Davenport, Florida at the time of passing.
A Visitation will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2018 from 2:00 p.m. until the service at 3:00 p.m., all at Oak Ridge Funeral Care, Haines City with Pastor Charles Harkala, officiating.
COCKRELL, Gary (Gary Allen Cockrell)
Born: 12/4/1932, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
Died: 10/26/2018, Davenport, Florida, U.S.A.
Gary Cockrell’s westerns – actor:
Wagon Train (TV) – 1963 (Stevenson Drake)