Philip Glenister
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 10, 1963 (age 63)
- Birthplace
- Harrow, Middlesex, England, UK
Biography
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
The Lady
TV · as DCI Jim Dickie · 4 eps
Bergerac
TV · as Arthur Wakefield · 6 eps
Street Cops: Catching the Yobs
TV · as Self - Narrator (voice) · 6 eps
After the Flood
TV · as Jack Radcliffe · 12 eps
Sheene
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Steeltown Murders
TV · as DCI Paul Bethell · 4 eps
Carthago
TV · as Lord James Davidson · 11 eps
Remembers…
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Just in Case
Movie · as Mark
Foundation
TV · as Commdor Argo · 1 ep
Belgravia
TV · as James Trenchard · 6 eps
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Yet Again
Movie · as Pierce Brosnan
The Rubbish World of Dave Spud
TV · as Betty Spud · 104 eps
DNA Journey
TV · as Self · 1 ep
What The Killer Did Next
TV · as Self - Host · 16 eps
Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Living the Dream
TV · as Mal Pemberton · 12 eps
Urban Myths
TV · as Kev Wells · 1 ep
House of Games
TV · as Self - Contestant · 5 eps
Outcast
TV · as Reverend Anderson · 20 eps
The Level
TV · as Frank Le Saux · 6 eps
Jumbo: The Plane That Changed the World
Movie · as Self - Narrator
For the Love of Cars
TV · as Self - Presenter · 15 eps
From There to Here
TV · as Daniel · 3 eps
Prey
TV · as David Murdoch · 3 eps
Duck Quacks Don't Echo
TV · 1 ep
Inside No. 9
TV · as Craig · 1 ep
Spying on Hitler’s Army: The Secret Recordings
Movie · as Narrator
Big School
TV · as Mr Gunn · 12 eps
Bel Ami
Movie · as Charles Forestier
Tales of Television Centre
Movie · as Self
Treasure Island
Movie · as Smollett
Treasure Island
TV · as Captain Smollett · 2 eps
The Hollow Crown
TV · as Talbot · 1 ep
Pavlopetri: The City Beneath the Waves
Movie · as Narrator
Mad Dogs
TV · as Quinn · 14 eps
Hidden
TV · as Harry Venn · 4 eps
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Movie · as Poker Friend
Eyewitness
TV · 3 eps
The Secret Life of the National Grid
TV · as Narrator (Voice) · 3 eps
The Making of... Ashes to Ashes
Movie · as Himself
Lost Land of the Volcano
TV · as Self - Narrator · 3 eps
Demons
TV · as Rupert Galvin · 6 eps
Chris Moyles' Quiz Night
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Secret Life of the Airport
TV · as Narrator · 3 eps
Tu£sday
Movie · as Earp
Ashes to Ashes
TV · as Gene Hunt · 24 eps
The End of 'Life on Mars'
Movie · as Self
Cranford
TV · as Mr Carter · 7 eps
The Secret Life of the motorway
TV · as Narrator (Voice) · 3 eps
Life on Mars
TV · as Gene Hunt · 16 eps
The One Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Legends
TV · as Self - Narrator (voice) · 1 ep
The Walk
Movie · as Eddie
Kingdom of Heaven
Movie · as Squire
The Stepfather
TV · as Dougie Molloy · 2 eps
Vincent
TV · 3 eps
Last Rights
TV · as John Speers · 3 eps
Island at War
TV · as Oberst Heinrich Baron Von Rheingarten · 6 eps
Calendar Girls
Movie · as Lawrence Sertain
The Other Boleyn Girl
Movie · as William Strafford
Byron
Movie · as William Fletcher
Lloyd & Hill
Movie · as Daniel Lloyd
State of Play
TV · as DCI William Bell · 6 eps
Top Gear
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Hornblower: Mutiny
Movie · as Hobbs
Hornblower: Retribution
Movie · as Gunner Hobbs
The Hunt
Movie · as Rob Campbell
Clocking Off
TV · as James 'Mack' Mackintosh · 18 eps
The Vice
TV · as Jason Grant · 1 ep
The Perfect Blue
Movie · as Tom
Roger Roger
TV · as Phil · 18 eps
Hornblower
TV · as Gunner Hobbs · 2 eps
Vanity Fair
TV · as William Dobbin · 6 eps
Sharpe's Justice
Movie · as Matt Truman
Sharpe: The Legend
Movie · as Truman
Have Your Cake and Eat It
TV · as Joe Martin · 4 eps
True Love
Movie · as Phil
Silent Witness
TV · 2 eps
Frontiers
TV · as DS Danny Curtis · 6 eps
My Wonderful Life
TV · as Phil · 17 eps
I.D.
Movie · as Charlie
Loved Up
Movie · as Ray
Soccer AM
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Law and Disorder
TV · 1 ep
GMTV
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Detectives
TV · as Uniformed Officer · 1 ep
A Fatal Inversion
Movie · as Young Detective
Heartbeat
TV · as Julian Cantley · 1 ep
Blue Heaven
TV · as Paul Twice · 1 ep
London Kills Me
Movie · as Suited Man
In Suspicious Circumstances
TV · as Herbert Bennett · 1 ep
Drop the Dead Donkey
TV · as Harrison · 1 ep
The Chief
TV · as Angus Shadwell · 1 ep
Agatha Christie's Poirot
TV · as Sir William Boyd Carrington · 1 ep
This Morning
TV · as Self · 2 eps
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
TV · as Brian Gregson · 3 eps
Minder
TV · as Greg Hunter · 1 ep