British Actors Archives - Page 43 of 124

Glyn Houston

Glyn Houston obituary in “The Guardian” in 2019

Glyn Houston, who has died aged 93, was never quite as famous as his older brother, Donald, but he enjoyed a film career as a supporting actor, often playing sailors, soldiers or police officers, before television became a natural home to his acting skills.

He took the roles of the miners’ union leader Davy Morgan in the BBC’s 1960 serialisation of How Green Was My Valley and the news editor, Mike Grieves, throughout the newspaper drama Deadline Midnight (1961) before being seen intermittently as Detective Superintendent Arthur Jones in Softly Softly between 1966 and 1969.

Then came one of his best performances, as Bunter – Lord Peter Wimsey’s valet – in three serials adapted from Dorothy L Sayers stories starring Ian Carmichael as the aristocratic sleuth, Clouds of Witness (1972), The Nine Tailors (1974) and Five Red Herrings (1975).

“Mr Houston had everything right,” wrote a New York Times critic. “The lower-class look combined with upper-class hauteur, absorbed over the years from his master; an accent in limbo, not quite upstairs but not downright down; assurance of his own competence in his own station combined with deference to Wimsey’s more exalted place and special talents; and impeccable service in all contingencies, whether mixing the perfect cocktail, reciting railway timetables … or acting as a sounding board during trips in one of the master’s sports cars.”

Later Houston appeared in the sitcom Keep It in the Family (1980-83) as Duncan Thomas, the literary agent for a cartoonist, Dudley Rush (played by Robert Gillespie). He was at the top of the cast for Robert Pugh’s TV play Better Days (1988), in which he was Edgar, a widowed former miner leaving his community in the South Wales valleys to live with his son, a barrister. The modest star’s moving performance won him a best actor award at the 1989 Monte-Carlo television festival.

Houston was born in the valleys himself, in Tonypandy, Glamorgan, the second of three children of Elsie (nee Jones) and Alex Houston. His father was a Scottish professional footballer who finished his career at Mid Rhondda United after playing for Dundee United and Portsmouth.

When Mid Rhondda went bust in 1928 as South Wales was hit by recession and unemployment, Glyn’s parents moved to London to find work. They could not afford to take all the children, so Glyn was left behind to be raised by his maternal grandmother, Gwenllian. When his mother died three years later, all three children were reunited under Gwenllian’s care.

Glyn left Llwynypia elementary school in Tonypandy at the age of 14 to work on his grandmother’s milk round while Donald – two years his senior – started an acting career. Glyn briefly worked for the Bristol Aeroplane Company before serving in the second world war, from 1944, as an air gunner in the Fleet Air Arm and with the Royal Corps of Signals in Singapore, where he entertained the troops with shows as a stand-up comedian. He then toured India with a Combined Services Entertainment group that included Jimmy Perry, the future writer of Dad’s Army and It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.

On demob in 1947, Glyn harboured ambitions to continue performing comedy, but failed an audition at the Windmill theatre in London. Instead, Donald eventually helped him to get a job as an assistant stage manager with Guildford repertory company in 1949. The following year he made his film debut as a barrow boy in The Blue Lamp (1950), memorable for constantly being told by police to “move on”.

Supporting roles followed in several dozen movies during the 50s, as a sailor in Gift Horse (1952, alongside Trevor Howard), and in The Cruel Sea (1953, with Jack Hawkins), as Joan Collins’s boyfriend in Turn the Key Softly (1953), an army corporal in Private’s Progress (1956, with Carmichael), and a detective in Tiger Bay (1959, with John and Hayley Mills).

A talented footballer and rugby player at school, he was catapulted into a leading role as the star player in The Great Game (1952), a football drama, and enjoyed returning to comedy to act as a foil to Norman Wisdom in Follow a Star (1959), There Was a Crooked Man (1960), The Bulldog Breed (1960) and A Stitch in Time (1963). On radio Houston played two characters – Arthur Evans (1962) and Joe Higgins (1963-66) – in the soap opera The Dales.

Thereafter, apart from joining Donald in the 1980 wartime drama The Sea Wolves, his career was consumed by television roles. They included Bob Berris, Leslie Crowther’s darts partner, in the last two series (1972-73) of the sitcom My Good Woman, and Margaret Thatcher’s press secretary, Bernard Ingham, in Thatcher: The Final Days (1991).

He had made his West End stage debut in The Happy Family at the Duchess theatre in London in 1951, but turned down various Shakespearean roles, something that may well have restricted his career on the boards. “I always worried about learning the lines,” he said. “My one regret is that I didn’t become a leading classical actor. I think it’s what you have to do, like Anthony Hopkins. He never liked working in theatre, but he did all those Shakespeare roles.”

He won a Bafta Cymru lifetime achievement award in 2008. A year later his autobiography, A Black & White Actor, was published.

In 1956 he married the actor and model Shirley Lawrence. She died in 2016. He is survived by their two daughters, Leigh and Karen.

• Glyn (Glyndwr Desmond) Houston, actor, born 23 October 1925; died 30 June 2019

Naomi Chance was born in Bath, Somerset in 1930. After a short period in repertory and on tour she obtained a small screen part and followed this with some starring roles in films opposite some American stars appearing in British films. She became well-known on British TV for her appearances as Amelia Huntley in “The Newcomers” (1965). Hrt first husband was the film director Guy Hamilton. Her second husband was a retired naval surgeon, with whom she lived in Devon for many years. Her final appearance was in 1976 in the TV series “Within These Walls”.. Her movies include “Wings of Danger” in 1852, “The Gambler and the Lady” and “Blood Orange”. She died in 2003.

IMDB entry:

Naomi Chance attended Central School of Drama. After a short period in repertory and on tour she obtained a small screen part and followed this with some starring roles in films opposite some American stars appearing in British films. She became well-known on British TV for her appearances as Amelia Huntley in The Newcomers (1965). Her second husband was a retired naval surgeon, with whom she lived in Devon for many years. Her final appearance was in 1976. She still had friends in the business in London. She frequently went to visit them and wanted to act again, but they told her to forget it.Anthony Hinds, who produced some of her early films, said of her, “She is very talented, but her trouble is she won’t sell herself.”

– IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Sophie Okonedo was born in London in 1968. She was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in “Hotel Rwanda”. On television she has starred in “Oliver Twist” and “Mayday”.

TCM overview:

Born in London to a Nigerian father and British mother, Sophie Okonedo never considered being an actress when she grew up, let alone an international star. A voracious reader all her life-a government official visiting the family’s home marveled at the large bookcase stocked with books-Okonedo got her start through a writing workshop she took with renowned novelist and playwright, Hanif Kureishi (My Beautiful Laundrette, My Son the Fanatic). Though she had no desire to be a writer, Okonedo took the course because it was something interesting to do at night. She soon realized, however, that she was no good as a writer. But she was very good at reading other people’s work aloud, which eventually led to her involvement with the Royal Court Theatre. From there she got a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where she got her true start as an actress.

After a series of theatrical roles, including Shahrazad in “The Arabian Nights” and Anippe in Christopher Marlowe’s “Tamburlaine the Great”, Okonedo broke through with an acclaimed performance as Cressida in “Troilus and Cressida,” staged by famed theatrical director Trevor Nunn for the National Theatre. Though the only Shakespeare role of her career, Okonedo earned high praise for her ability to project a tense ambiguity between love and passion. The success of her Cressida led the actress to British television: she appeared in episode 5 of “Clocking Off” (BBC-1, 2000), a six-part drama series about the secret lives of every day people; in “Never Never” (2000), she earned a Royal Television Society Award nomination for playing a single mom; and she appeared on “Spooks” (BBC-1, 2002- ), a popular series about Britain’s domestic security agency that was presented across the Atlantic as “MI5” (A&E, 2004- ).

From British television, Okonedo made a quick jump to film. Though she had several thankless parts in major features, including two lines as a princess in “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” (1995), and as a nameless Jamaican Girl in “The Jackal” (1997), she made a deep impression with her characterization of a prostitute living in a rundown West London hotel in Stephen Frears’ “Dirty Pretty Things” (2003).

She was then cast in her highest profile role to date as Tatiana Rusesabagina, the wife of a hotel manager (Don Cheadle), who houses 1200 Tutsi refugees fleeing the 1994 genocide in “Hotel Rwanda” (2004). Acclaim for both the film and its performances was bestowed by critics, as Okonedo received nominations from the Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress. To prepare for the challenging role, Okonedo read Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journey, by Fergal Keane, then went to Brussels to meet the real-life Tatiana. The topic of the genocide was avoided-Okonedo asked about her relationship with Paul and what she liked to eat. The cultural leap of transforming herself from a London woman to a Rwandan refugee turned out to be her biggest challenge on the film, though two weeks of torrential rain and a sudden loss of financing were also on the list.

After “Hotel Rwanda,” Okonedo returned to the Hollywood system and was cast in the long-awaited film version of the popular MTV series, “Aeon Flux” (2005)-the movie proved to be a disappointing failure on all fronts. But Okonedo rebounded with a moving performance in “Tsunami, the Aftermath” (HBO, 2006), an ensemble drama that depicted various stories involving the devastating 2004 tidal wave that destroyed large portions of Thailand and other parts of South Asia. Okonedo played a mother searching frantically with her husband (Chiwetel Ejiofor) for their 6-year-old daughter after the tsunami literally ripped her from their arms. She earned a nomination for a 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Esmond Knight was born in East Sheen, Surrey in 1906. An accomplished stage actor, he was injured during World War Two but continued to act. His movies include “Holiday Camp” in 1947 and “Sink the Bismarck” in 1960. He died in 1987. His daughter is the actress Rosalind Knight.

IMDB entry:

A stage actor from 1925, Esmond made his first film appearance in 77 Park Lane (1931) for Michael Powell for whom he eventually made 11 films. Esmond served in the Royal Navy during WWII and lost one eye and was almost totally blinded in the other during an engagement against The Bismarck. This didn’t stop him later portraying a Royal Naval officer in Sink the Bismarck! (1960).

– IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>


A sulky, handsome young man with a mane of black hair and magnetic eyes, almost too romantically handsome to be true. Then one day I saw him giggling with one of the sound engineers and I realised that it was all a pose and he had a sense of humour.”

Cousin of Jean Knight.

Nephew of C.W.R. Knight.

Father of Rosalind Knight.

Esmond Knight played the captain of the Prince of Wales in the film Sink the Bismarck!(1960). Ironically, it was while serving aboard the real Prince of Wales during her fight with the Bismarck that he suffered his injuries.

It is often reported that he died in Cairo, Egypt. In fact (as his daughter confirms), he came back from working in Egypt and died the next day in his flat in Chelsea.

Remained close friends with his first wife Frances Clare after their divorce. Frances in fact attended his funeral alongside wife Nora Swinburne.

Suffered from a stuttering problem, which he continually had to overcome with speech exercises, and usually suffered from a huge case of stage fright just before going on.

Father-in-law of Michael Elliott.

Grandfather of Su Elliot and Marianne Elliott.

Elvi Hale was born in 1931 in Essex, England as Patricia Elvira Hake. She is an actress, known for True as a Turtle (1957), The Heroes of Telemark (1965) and The Navy Lark(1959).

Marcus Gilbert was born in 1958 in London. he starred in “Riders” with Michael Praed and “A Ghost in Monte Carlo” in 1990. He died in 2026.

IMDB entry:

After training at the Mountview Theatre School (graduated 1981 – alumni), Gilbert became a founding member of the original Odyssey Theatre Company touring London schools with productions of contemporary classics. This was followed by seasons at the Dundee Repertory Theatre and the Library Theatre, Manchester. He has made over 50 commercials including one for Lee Jeans called Mean Jeans, directed by Willi Patterson, which won the best cinema commercial award in 1986. Gilbert also runs his own film production company, Touch The Sky Productions, and while making a documentary about his climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2004 he visited the Arusha Children’s Trust in Tanzania and filmed an appeal for the trust. Living near Croydon, Surrey with his wife and two children. Spends time now, making films on mountain expeditions. [January 2008]

The guardian obituary in 2026

The actor Marcus Gilbert, who has died of throat cancer aged 67, attained sex-symbol status in two television adaptations of Barbara Cartland novels, and then the raunchy drama Riders, based on Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles series of books.

As the bed-hopping Rupert Campbell-Black in Riders (1993), and featuring in around 20 candid sex scenes in the mini-series, Gilbert was portraying a cad very different from the dashing heroes of Cartland’s hearts-and-flowers stories. The character was a ruthless rival in both the equestrian and romantic stakes to Jake Lovell (played by Michael Praed), Rupert’s fellow showjumper and the boarding school contemporary he bullied.

Rupert Campbell-Black came right out of the county set encountered by Cooper following her move to the Cotswolds. She said he was a mixture of Andrew Parker Bowles, the fashion designer Rupert Lycett Green, Michael Howard (the 21st Earl of Suffolk), and David Somerset (the 11th Duke of Beaufort) – but stressed that “his shittiness was entirely my invention”.

To prepare for the part, Gilbert lost half a stone, dyed his hair blond and, with Praed, was taught to ride a horse at Knightsbridge barracks by the Household Cavalry instructor Richard Waygood. His performance brought him fame that included a lucrative four-year contract in 1993 for Nescafé commercials, when he and Louise Hunt appeared in Gold Blend ads, taking over from Anthony Head and Sharon Maughan

But Cooper later described the Riders production as “dreadful” and regarded Rupert as portrayed by Gilbert as a “total wimp”. It also failed to bring Gilbert long-lasting stardom and he increasingly spent time making corporate travel and adventure documentaries with his own production company.

He was born in Bristol to Sheila (nee Lucas), a mezzo soprano opera singer, and George, a business executive, and grew up in Shoreham, West Sussex. When Marcus was 12, his father and maternal grandparents died in a car crash on the way to see his mother performing. Marcus, the only one in the vehicle to survive the accident, was admitted to intensive care with a cracked skull and broken ribs. “I was lost and didn’t really know what to do,” he said in a 2016 interview with the actor-writer Toby Hadoke. After leaving Steyning grammar school with A-levels, he passed an HND course in business studies “for my father”. Not enjoying it, he decided to perform, like his mother, and trained as an actor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

On graduating in 1981, he toured schools with the Odyssey theatre company before gaining repertory experience in Dundee with productions such as Cabaret, For King and Country and What the Butler Saw (all 1982).

Television brought him small roles in Diana (1984), Andrew Davies’s adaptation of the RF Delderfield novel about a class-mismatch romance; the US drama Master of the Game (1984), based on Sidney Sheldon’s novel; and Robin of Sherwood (also in 1984), alongside Praed, as Lucifer.

He worked his way up the cast lists to play the German diplomat Anton von Felseck in the Sherlock Holmes story The Masks of Death (1984) and Eric von Stalhein, the arch enemy of WE Johns’s flying hero, in Biggles (1986).

At the same time, Gilbert said, he was “in the frame” to play James Bond on screen, but lost out to Timothy Dalton in 1986. Nevertheless he was being noticed, and landed a starring role in A Hazard of Hearts, a 1987 television film adaptation of a Cartland novel. He acted the ruthless Lord Justin Vulcan, who sets his sights on the aristocratic Serena (played by Helena Bonham Carter) after her father gambles away the family fortune, forfeiting her dowry. “The sexiest thing that happens in this is a kiss, although a Barbara Cartland kiss is incredibly suggestive,” he said

There was also a kiss with Lysette Anthony – playing an 18-year-old orphan launched into high society – when Gilbert starred as Lord Robert Stanford in A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990), adapted from another Cartland novel. The pair had a brief off-screen relationship before Gilbert’s marriage to Homaa Khan in 1992. In 2023, three years after his wife’s death from pancreatic cancer, he renewed his relationship with Anthony.

Gilbert’s career in films included acting baddies in Rambo III (1988), alongside Sylvester Stallone, and Army of Darkness (1992), the third in the Evil Dead series, and on TV he played Ancelyn, knight commander of the late King Arthur’s forces, in the 1989 Doctor Who adventure Battlefield.

After Riders brought him fame, Gilbert landed only guest roles on television, in the US in Murder, She Wrote (1994) and The Lazarus Man (1996), and in the UK in Jonathan Creek (1998) and Doctors (2001). He also played the young Viscount Goring in the Oscar Wilde play An Ideal Husband on a theatre tour in 2000, but parts soon dried up.

As a result he formed Touch the Sky Productions to make corporate documentaries and travelogues such as Kilimanjaro: Six Days (2005), after his ascent of Africa’s highest mountain; Two Men & a Map (2007), about Peru; and Kathmandu: Transitions & Traditions (2018).

Anthony survives him, along with a son, Maxi, and daughter, Aaliya, from his marriage.

Marcus Gilbert (born 1958 and died in 2026) is a British actor whose career represents the peak of the “Romantic Hero” archetype in 1980s and 1990s television and film. Often cast for his classical good looks and athletic prowess, Gilbert’s work is a study in how an actor can navigate the transition from “period piece” heartthrob to a versatile character actor in both mainstream Hollywood and international theater.

Career Overview: The Classical Leading Man

1. The Breakthrough: Romanticism and Royalty (1980s)

After training at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Gilbert quickly became a favorite of director Barbara Cartland and the “period drama” circuit.

The Barbara Cartland Films: He starred in high-profile adaptations like A Hazard of Hearts (1987) as Lord Nicholas Vane and A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990). In these roles, he defined the “brooding but soulful” aristocrat for a global audience.
The Big Screen Debut: He made a significant impact in Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986) as the iconic WWI pilot James “Biggles” Bigglesworth. The film combined contemporary sci-fi with period war drama, showcasing Gilbert’s ability to anchor a franchise-style lead.

2. Hollywood and the “Villainous” Turn (1990s)

In the 1990s, Gilbert moved toward more complex and sometimes antagonistic roles in major Hollywood productions.

Army of Darkness (1992): In Sam Raimi’s cult classic, Gilbert played Lord Arthur. He provided the perfect “straight man” foil to Bruce Campbell’s manic Ash, playing the medieval knight with a rigid, deadpan sincerity that heightened the film’s comedy.
Rambo III (1988): As Tomask, he participated in one of the decade’s biggest action spectacles, proving his capability in high-octane, physical roles alongside Sylvester Stallone.

3. The Documentary and Stage Era (2000s–Present)

Gilbert’s later career has seen him diversify into documentary filmmaking and a return to his roots in the theater. He founded his own production company, Touch the Sky Productions, through which he filmed his ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro. He remains a respected figure in the UK acting community, often taking on roles that subvert his earlier “pretty boy” image.

Detailed Critical Analysis

1. The Architecture of the “Stiff Upper Lip”

Critically, Marcus Gilbert was the 1980s answer to the classical British leading man.

The Stoic Romantic: Unlike the more emotive romantic leads of today, Gilbert’s style was built on restraint. In his period roles, he used a “stony exterior” to suggest deep internal conflict. Critics often noted that he could convey more with a deliberate silence or a steady gaze than with a page of dialogue.
Physicality: Because of his background as a horseman and athlete, his performances in Biggles and The Lazarus Child felt grounded. He didn’t just “wear” a uniform; he moved with the posture of a man trained in the era he was portraying.

2. The Comedy of the “Straight Man”

His performance in Army of Darkness is a masterclass in understated comedic timing.

The Foil: By playing Lord Arthur with absolute, Shakespearean gravity, he allowed the absurdity of Ash’s “chainsaw-arm” antics to land. Critics have since identified Gilbert as an essential ingredient in that film’s cult success; without his believable, gritty portrayal of a medieval warlord, the fantasy elements would have lacked a necessary anchor.

3. Navigating the “Heartthrob” Trap

The critical challenge of Gilbert’s career was the risk of being permanently “boxed in” by his aesthetics.

Subverting the Image: In his television guest spots (such as Doctor Who “Ghost Light” or The Master Builder), he often chose characters with a darker edge or a hidden instability. This allowed him to bridge the gap between being a “poster boy” for romantic novels and a serious dramatic actor.
Auteur Appeal: He was frequently sought out by directors who needed “instant authority”—an actor who could step onto a set and immediately command the room as a king, a pilot, or a high-ranking officer.

Iconic Role Comparison

Character	Work	Genre	Key Critical Element
Lord Nicholas Vane	A Hazard of Hearts	Romantic Drama	The definitive “Byronic Hero” performance.
Lord Arthur	Army of Darkness	Horror/Comedy	Proved his skill as a deadpan comedic foil.
James Bigglesworth	Biggles	Adventure	Successfully modernized a classic literary hero.
Anselm	Doctor Who	Sci-Fi	Showed his ability to play “elevated” genre fiction.

Lulu is fondly remembered by movie buffs for her performance in “To Sir With Love” with Sidney Poitier and Suzy Kendall in 1967. She won the Eurovision for the UK in 1969. She was born in Glasgow in 1948.

IMDB entry:

Born in Glasgow in 1948. As a teenager, she toured the northern clubs with her band, “the Luvvers”. After her initial success with a cover of “Shout” reaching #7 in 1964, Lulu went on to establish herself as one of the biggest-selling British female singers of the 1960s. She made her film début in To Sir, with Love (1967), starring Sidney Poitier, and performed the title song, which went to No. 1 in the U.S., but was only released as a B-side in the UK with the A-side, “Let’s Pretend”, making #11. She was one of four joint winners of the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest with “Boom Bang-a-Bang”. In 1969, she married The Bee Gees’ Maurice Gibb, and moved more into family entertainment, building on the success of her self-titled BBC television show. After her divorce, she collaborated with David Bowie on the song, “The Man Who Sold the World,” which reached #3 in the UK charts, and sang the title theme to the James Bond feature The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), both in 1974.

After marriage to celebrity hairdresser John Frieda, with whom she had one son, Jordan Frieda, Lulu’s career moved more into occasional adverts and pantomimes. The 1990s saw her divorce again and, in 1993, she released the hit album, “Independence”. Along with her brother, she also penned the song, “I Don’t Wanna Fight”, which was performed by Tina Turner on the soundtrack to What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993), and aged 44, she finally topped the UK charts with the British boyband, Take That, with a cover of “Relight My Fire”. She went on to contribute to the soundtrack of the Tim Rice/Elton John musical, “Aida”, in 1999, front her own short-lived prime-time UK lottery show on BBC TV, Red Alert with the National Lottery (1999), and starred in the film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999).

In 2002, she released an album of duets entitled “Together”, featuring the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Cliff Richard, Sting and Ronan Keating, along with a best-selling autobiography. In 2003, she released her “Greatest Hits” album, which débuted at #35 in the UK charts.
– IMDb Mini Biography By: Glc19Gareth@netscape.ne

The above IMDB entry can also be accessed online here.

Jane Mallory Birkin was born on 14 December 1946, in Marylebone, London. Her mother, Judy Campbell, was an English actress, best known for her work on stage. Her father, David Birkin, was a Royal Navy lieutenant-commander and World War II spy. Her brother is the screenwriter and director Andrew Birkin. She was educated at Upper Chine School, Isle of Wight.”Je t’aime” made UK chart history in that on 4 October 1969 and the following week on 11 October, the song was at two different chart positions even though it is the same song, the same artists, and the same recorded version

TCM overview:Landed several lightweight movie roles in the 1960s, when her looks seemed to symbolize the swinging spirit of the times (she played one of the nude models in Antonioni’s 1966 “Blow-Up”) and subsequently resurfaced as a respected talent in France. Birkin was the subject of a documentary by Agnes Varda, “Jane B. par Agnes V.” (1988) and gave an affecting performance opposite Dirk Bogarde in Bertrand Tavernier’s “Daddy Nostalgia” (1990). Her younger daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg, by composer-director Serge Gainsbourg, is also an actress and her brother is writer-director Andrew Birkin (“Burning Secret” 1988). The ultra-expensive luxury item the Birkin bag was created by Hermès head Jean-Louis Dumas in 1984, inspired by a meeting with the actress and singer in which she complained about never finding a leather purse she really liked.

Jane Birkin died in Paris in 2023 aged 76.

The Times obituary in 2023:

Shortly after Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg had recorded the infamously erotic Je t’aime . . . moi non plus, the couple went to dinner at the Hôtel des Beaux Arts in Paris.

“There was a record player, and without saying a word, Serge put the song on,” Birkin recalled. “All of a sudden all the couples around us stopped talking, their knives and forks held in mid-air.”

As their fellow diners sat transfixed by the record’s sexually explicit lyrics interspersed with Birkin’s orgasmic gasps and moans, Gainsbourg turned to his lover. “I think we’ve got a hit record,” he said.

Birkin with Serge Gainsbourg and their daughter Charlotte in 1971

Indeed, the duo not only had a hit but a song that would become an avatar for the Swinging Sixties and its sexual permissiveness — a “symbol of freedom”, as Birkin called it.

Prudes and moral guardians everywhere were outraged. The Vatican denounced the record and the BBC banned it, as did countless other radio stations around the world.

The critic Sylvie Simmons described the song as “the musical equivalent of a Vaseline-smeared Emmanuelle movie”, and the aural sex that oozed from the grooves was too libidinous even for the traditional Gallic laissez-faire: the record was declared too risqué to be played on French radio before an 11pm watershed. In Italy the head of Gainsbourg and Birkin’s record label was jailed for offending public morality.

The bans only served to enhance the record’s success and Gainsbourg called Pope Paul VI “our greatest PR man”. Je t’aime . . . moi non plus hit No 1 in the UK charts in the autumn of 1969, the first banned record to do so. It remained in the charts for 31 weeks and was said to have contributed to a dramatic spike in the birth rate.

Birkin in Cannes in 2021 for the release of a film, Jane Par Charlotte, about her by her daughter Charlotte

A prurient media speculated that it was a genuine live sex session recorded in the boudoir rather than faked in the studio, although Gainsbourg denied it. “Thank goodness it wasn’t, otherwise I hope it would have been a long-playing record,” he said. Birkin giggled alongside him as he said it.

Birkin had arrived in Paris in 1968 as a 21-year-old aspiring actress with an androgynous figure and an innocent baby-doll look that had earned her a role in Antonioni’s “swinging London” movie Blow-Up. She also had a one-year-old daughter from a brief marriage to the film composer John Barry, who as soon as she had fallen pregnant left her for an even younger model and moved to Los Angeles.