Mark Lester
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| Mark Lester | |
| Born | 11 July 1958 Oxford, Oxfordshire |
|---|---|
Mark Lester (born Mark A. Letzer;[1] 11 July 1958) is an English former child actor known for playing young male characters in British and European films of the 1960s and 70s.
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[edit] Film career
Lester was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, the son of actress Rita Lester (née Keene) and actor and producer Michael Lester (originally Michael Boris Letzer).[2] He attended the independent Halliford School in Shepperton, Middlesex, and the independent Corona Academy stage school in Hammersmith, London, and had supporting roles in several British television series, including The Human Jungle and Danger Man.[citation needed]
At the age of nine, Lester was cast in Lionel Bart's musical Oliver! (1968). He played the title character in the multiple Academy Award-winning musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel, which co-starred Jack Wild, Ron Moody and Shani Wallis and was directed by Sir Carol Reed. Mark was good friends with Wild throughout the making of the film and their friendship continued post-production with Mark describing Wild as a "long lost brother". When Wild was nominated for an Academy Award for the film, they were flown together to the USA for the ceremony.[citation needed]
These two child actors later reunited for Melody (1971), which depicted British schoolchildren in love. Tracy Hyde played the role of Melody in the film, which used early music from the Bee Gees and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.[citation needed]
In 1969, Lester received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a dysfunctional and withdrawn only child in Run Wild, Run Free, starring opposite Sir John Mills[citation needed], and then as a disturbed child in the first regular episode of "Then Came Bronson". Mark's acting roles in England would begin to wane, however, after starring in Eyewitness (1970), with Susan George and Night Hair Child (1971) with Britt Ekland, "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" (1971), with Shelley Winters; Melody and Black Beauty (1971 film Black Beauty (1971) as he found good roles harder to come by. He extended his range with roles in a series of films in Italy[citation needed] including Redneck (1972) with Telly Savalas and the excellent Western Scalawag (1973), with Kirk Douglas. The final film of his Italian career was in the costume drama La Prima volta sull'erba (Love Under the Elms) (1974), which was nominated for the Best Film prize at the Berlin Film Festival.[citation needed] Lester wrapped up his film career in England with the lead role in Crossed Swords (UK title: The Prince and Pauper) (1977) in which he was reunited on screen with Oliver Reed, who had played Bill Sykes in Oliver'.'[citation needed] He also played a small part as the second schoolboy in Fahrenheit 451.[citation needed]
[edit] Adult life
After his film career, Lester took his A Levels at the age of 28 and became an osteopathic physician, studying at the British School of Osteopathy.[citation needed] In 1993, Lester opened the Carlton Clinic, an acupuncture clinic in Cheltenham.[citation needed] He married in January 1993, but divorced in 2005. He later married a psychiatric nurse named Lisa.
He is an honorary patron on The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.[citation needed] He now lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.[citation needed]
Mark Lester has four children from his first marriage: Lucy, 17, Harriet, 15, Olivia, 14, and Felix, 10.
He is the godfather to Michael Jackson's children.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ BFI | Film & TV Database | LESTER, Mark
- ^ McNeill, Ruby Simonson (1982). Cain Connections. ISBN.
- ^ Michael's close pal Mark Lester said the star signed up to his strenuous O2 gigs so his three kids could see him perform for the first time.
