Gary Hailes
Encyclopedia
Gary Hailes is an English
actor
.
During the 1980s he starred in several successful television series, including Woodentop
, Grange Hill
and the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, where he played Barry Clark from 1986 - 1989. Hailes' character was notable for being one half of the soap's first gay
couple, introduced as the partner of the yuppie graphic designer, Colin Russell (played by Michael Cashman
). In 1987 Hailes' character caused a great deal of controversy after EastEnders screened the first male-to-male kiss on a UK, prime time
soap. The kiss prompted a multitude of complaints from angry viewers and a hostile backlash from the right wing press. Despite the fact that Hailes is heterosexual, he suffered from severe homophobia
because of the homosexual role he played in EastEnders. He was attacked several times by members of the public who couldn't separate fact from fiction, which included being assaulted in a supermarket by a disapproving woman and strangled by a man at a petrol station. Even after he left the show he lost a job as a children's television presenter because of the so called "gay tag".
Since leaving EastEnders in 1989, he has gone on to appear in films such as The Killing Zone
(1999); Murder with Mirrors
and Waiting For A Killer. On television he has appeared in ITV
police drama The Bill
(2001;2002); Horizon; Nobody’s Hero; Sorry
and the BBC’s production of Pinocchio
.
Theatre appearances include Strip Poker; Doctor on the Boil; Gollocks and numerous pantomime
s. He has also performed several plays for BBC radio and voice-overs and had a regular slot "Hailes Horrors" on the Steve Allen
show on LBC
radio.
As well as acting, Hailes also drives a London taxi
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
During the 1980s he starred in several successful television series, including Woodentop
Woodentop (The Bill)
"Woodentop" is an episode of the Thames Television series of one-off plays Storyboard. The programme was originally broadcast on 16 August 1983. It is also the forerunner to the long-running British police television series The Bill...
, Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, where he played Barry Clark from 1986 - 1989. Hailes' character was notable for being one half of the soap's first gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
couple, introduced as the partner of the yuppie graphic designer, Colin Russell (played by Michael Cashman
Michael Cashman
Michael Maurice Cashman is a British former actor, now a Labour politician. He has been a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands constituency since 1999.- Acting :...
). In 1987 Hailes' character caused a great deal of controversy after EastEnders screened the first male-to-male kiss on a UK, prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
soap. The kiss prompted a multitude of complaints from angry viewers and a hostile backlash from the right wing press. Despite the fact that Hailes is heterosexual, he suffered from severe homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
because of the homosexual role he played in EastEnders. He was attacked several times by members of the public who couldn't separate fact from fiction, which included being assaulted in a supermarket by a disapproving woman and strangled by a man at a petrol station. Even after he left the show he lost a job as a children's television presenter because of the so called "gay tag".
Since leaving EastEnders in 1989, he has gone on to appear in films such as The Killing Zone
The Killing Zone
The Killing Zone is an unauthorised James Bond novel by Jim Hatfield. It was privately published in paperback in 1985 under the guise that it was officially sanctioned by Glidrose Publications , the company that held the rights to publish James Bond literary works...
(1999); Murder with Mirrors
Murder with Mirrors
Murder with Mirrors is a 1985 TV movie based on the Dame Agatha Christie mystery novel, They Do It with Mirrors, using the novel's US title. The film is set in a youth detention centre run by a charitable American educationalist in England....
and Waiting For A Killer. On television he has appeared in ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police drama The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
(2001;2002); Horizon; Nobody’s Hero; Sorry
Sorry! (TV series)
Sorry! was a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1981 to 1982 and from 1985 to 1988. Starring Ronnie Corbett, it was written by Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent, both of whom had previously written for The Two Ronnies, of whom Corbett was one half....
and the BBC’s production of Pinocchio
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial between 1881 and 1883, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio , an...
.
Theatre appearances include Strip Poker; Doctor on the Boil; Gollocks and numerous pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
s. He has also performed several plays for BBC radio and voice-overs and had a regular slot "Hailes Horrors" on the Steve Allen
Steve Allen (LBC radio presenter)
Steven William Allen Steven William Allen Steven William Allen (born 17 March 1930, Steven William Allen (born 17 March 1930, Steven William Allen (born 17 March 1930, [[Brinsworth], [[Kent]], [[England]]) is an english [[television presenter|television]] and [[radio presenter]], who is currently...
show on LBC
LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973...
radio.
As well as acting, Hailes also drives a London taxi
Taxicabs of the United Kingdom
Taxicabs are regulated throughout the United Kingdom, but the regulation of taxicabs in London is especially rigorous both with regard to mechanical integrity and driver knowledge. An official report observed that: "Little however is known about the regulation by anyone outside the trade...
.