Mark Lester
Mark Lester | |
---|---|
![]() Lester in 1977 | |
Born | Mark A. Letzer 11 July 1958 Oxford, England |
Occupation(s) | Actor, Osteopath and Acupuncturist |
Years active | 1964–1977, 2011 - present |
Spouse(s) | Jane (1993–2005, divorced) Lisa (2006–2012) |
Children | Felix, Harriet, Olivia and Lucy. |
Mark Lester (born Mark A. Letzer;[1] 11 July 1958) is an English former child actor who starred in a number of British and European films in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1968 he played a starring role in the film Oliver!, a musical version of the Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist. Lester also made several appearances in a number of British television series. In 1977, after appearing in the all-star international action adventure film The Prince and the Pauper, he retired from acting. In the 1980s, he trained as an osteopath specialising in sport injuries.[2]
Early life
Lester was born in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, in southern England, to actress Rita Keene Lester and actor and producer Michael Lester (originally Michael Boris Letzer). His father was Jewish and his mother Anglican.[3] Lester was educated at three independent schools: at Corona Theatre School in Ravenscourt Park in West London, followed by Tower House School, a boys' preparatory school near Richmond Park (also in West London), and at Halliford School in Shepperton in Surrey.
Acting career
Lester initially had supporting roles in several British television series, including The Human Jungle and Danger Man.
In 1964, at the age of six, Lester was cast in Robert Dhéry's film Allez France! (English title The Counterfeit Constable) with Diana Dors (who appeared in the 1948 film version of Oliver Twist). He played a small part as the second schoolboy in Fahrenheit 451.
In 1967, at the age of eight, Lester was cast in the title role in the film version of Lionel Bart's musical Oliver!.[4] The multiple Academy Award-winning adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel co-starred Jack Wild, Ron Moody, Harry Secombe, Shani Wallis and Oliver Reed and was directed by Carol Reed. Since Lester could not sing, his singing was dubbed by Kathe Green, daughter of the film's music arranger Johnny Green.[5] Lester became good friends with Wild during production of the film and their friendship continued after production, with Lester describing Wild as a "long lost brother".
These two child actors later reunited for Melody (1971), which depicted schoolchildren in love. Tracy Hyde played the role of Melody in the film, which used music from the Bee Gees and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
In 1969, Lester received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a dysfunctional and withdrawn only child in Run Wild, Run Free, starring opposite John Mills, and then as a disturbed child in the first regular episode of Then Came Bronson. Lester's acting roles peaked as he starred in Eyewitness (1970), with Susan George, Night Hair Child with Britt Ekland, Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, with Shelley Winters, Melody and a film version of Black Beauty (all 1971). After this period, his acting roles in the UK would begin to wane. He extended his range with roles in a series of films in Italy including Redneck (1972) with Telly Savalas and the Western Scalawag (1973) with Kirk Douglas. The final film of his Italian-based career was in the costume drama La Prima volta sull'erba (English title The First Time on the Grass, 1974), which was nominated for the Golden Bear prize at the 25th Berlin International Film Festival.
Lester wrapped up his film career playing the dual role as Edward VI of England and Tom Canty in the all-star film The Prince and the Pauper (US title: Crossed Swords) starring Raquel Welch, Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, George C. Scott, and Oliver Reed, who had played Bill Sikes in Oliver!.
Later life
At the age of 18 Lester had access to some of his earnings from his films. He bought a Ferrari and a house in Belgravia and went to parties, nightclubs and restaurants, often paying for friends. He dabbled with drugs.[6] After the poor reception of The Prince and the Pauper, Lester gave up acting at the age of 19 and took his A Levels. In his twenties he became a karate black belt, through this grew interested in sports injuries, and from there osteopathy.[6] At the age of 28 became an osteopath, studying at the British School of Osteopathy and in 1993, Lester opened the Carlton Clinic, an acupuncture clinic in Cheltenham.[7][8]
He is a patron of the theatre charity The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.[9]
Personal life
Lester has four children with his first wife, whom he married in January 1993 and divorced in 2005. In 2006 he married Lisa, a psychiatric nurse.[10][11]
Friendship with Michael Jackson & subsequent sperm donation
Lester was a close friend of Michael Jackson and is godfather to Jackson's three children. In August 2009, after Jackson's death, Lester gave an interview to the British tabloid newspaper News of the World in which he claimed that he could be the biological father of Paris, the late singer's daughter. Lester claimed to have been a sperm donor for Jackson in 1996, and announced that he was willing to take a paternity test to determine whether he was the father.[12] Brian Oxman, former lawyer for the Jackson family, rejected the claim in a television interview, stating, “The thing I always heard from Michael was that Michael was the father of these children, and I believe Michael."[13]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | The Counterfeit Constable | Gérald | a.k.a. Allez France |
1965 | Spaceflight IC-1: An Adventure in Space | Don Saunders | |
1966 | Fahrenheit 451 | schoolboy | (uncredited) |
1967 | Our Mother's House | Jiminee | |
1968 | Oliver! | Oliver Twist | |
1969 | Run Wild, Run Free | Philip Ransome | |
1970 | The Boy Who Stole the Elephant | Davey | TV movie |
1970 | Eyewitness | Ziggy | |
1971 | Melody (released as S.W.A.L.K.) | Daniel Latimer | |
1971 | Black Beauty | Joe Evans | |
1971 | Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? | Christopher Coombs | |
1972 | Night Hair Child | Marcus | |
1973 | Redneck | Lennox Duncan | |
1973 | Little Adventurer | Mike Richard | |
1973 | Scalawag | Jamie | |
1975 | The First Time on the Grass | Franz Schmidt | a.k.a. La prima volta sull'erba |
1977 | The Prince and the Pauper | Prince Edward/Tom Canty | a.k.a. Crossed Swords |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | The Human Jungle | Small boy | TV series (1 episode The Twenty-Four Hour Man) |
1966 | Danger Man | A boy | TV series (1 episode Someone is Liable to Get Hurt) |
1966 | Court Martial | Paolo Stevens | TV series (1 episode Retreat from Life) |
1969 | Then Came Bronson | John Beaman | TV series (1 episode The Runner) |
1969 | The Ghost & Mrs. Muir | Mark Helmore | TV series (2 episodes Puppy Love and Spirit of the Law) |
1970 | Disneyland | Davey | (film in two parts) |
References
- ^ "Mark Lester". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Carlton Clinic". www.carltonclinic.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ McNeill, Ruby Simonson (1982). "Cain Connections". Spokane, Washington. ISSN 0899-1375.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ "Oliver! (1968)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ "Oliver Twist's voice dubbed by girl: report". ABC News. 19 December 2004. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Long after the stardom, another twist: Mark Lester was the child star". independent.co.uk. 30 August 1993. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "Carlton Clinic". Carlton Clinic. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- ^ "Star Report: Beatles fans swarm Abbey Road on album anniversary". 8 August 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ "Patrons of The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America". www.themusichallguild.com. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Lester will leave test decision to Paris". Daily Express. 16 August 2009.
- ^ "Mark Lester". www.ciaranbrown.com. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ "Jackson friend claims paternity". BBC News. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
- ^ "Michael Jackson lawyer rejects Mark Lester claims he is Paris' father". The Daily Telegraph. London. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
Bibliography
- Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 323–324.
- Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, pp. 130–131.
External links
- Mark Lester at IMDb