Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot, MBE (born 8 May 1954) is a British singer,
actor, comedian, writer and director who rose to fame as a contestant
on New Faces. As a television presenter, he is best known as the host
of You and Me, So You Want To Be Top and Showstoppers. His West End
credits include Me and My Girl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dirty Rotten
Scoundrels and The Prince of Egypt.Wilmot was appointed Member of the
Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for
services to drama and charity.Wilmot was born in Lambeth, London, into
a mixed-race household; his mother was English, and his father, Harry,
was Jamaican and arrived in Britain on the Empire Windrush in 1948.
Harry was a member of vocal harmony group The Southlanders, but died
of a brain tumour in 1961, when his sons were still young. Despite
these show business roots, Wilmot's upbringing was outside of the
limelight. He worked on building sites and in factories, but soon
realised manual labour was not a career he wished to pursue.
actor, comedian, writer and director who rose to fame as a contestant
on New Faces. As a television presenter, he is best known as the host
of You and Me, So You Want To Be Top and Showstoppers. His West End
credits include Me and My Girl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dirty Rotten
Scoundrels and The Prince of Egypt.Wilmot was appointed Member of the
Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for
services to drama and charity.Wilmot was born in Lambeth, London, into
a mixed-race household; his mother was English, and his father, Harry,
was Jamaican and arrived in Britain on the Empire Windrush in 1948.
Harry was a member of vocal harmony group The Southlanders, but died
of a brain tumour in 1961, when his sons were still young. Despite
these show business roots, Wilmot's upbringing was outside of the
limelight. He worked on building sites and in factories, but soon
realised manual labour was not a career he wished to pursue.
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