Christopher Michael Gable, CBE (13 March 194023 October 1998) was an English ballet dancer, choreographer and actor.
Life and career
Dance career
Born in London, Gable studied at the Royal Ballet School, joining the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet in 1957. He was promoted to soloist in 1959 and principal in 1961.
Gable's roles included Romeo in the Kenneth MacMillan production of Romeo and Juliet, Mercury in Offenbach's comic operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, a production that was filmed and released on DVD, Gable frequently partnered with Lynn Seymour. ambiguous villain Sharaz Jek in the Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani (1984), and Arthur Ainsley in the miniseries A Woman of Substance (1985).
Return to dance
In 1982 Gable founded the Central School of Ballet with Ann Stannard. Many of the projects he created later were performed by other dance companies, including the Atlanta Ballet and the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
Personal life
Gable was married to dancer Carole Needham from 1961 until his death in 1998. They had two children, a son and a daughter.
Death
Gable died of cancer near Halifax, Yorkshire, at the age of 58.
Selected theatre performances
- Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Peter Brook's landmark production for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1970.
- Laertes to Alan Howard's Prince Hamlet in Trevor Nunn's RSC production of Hamlet in 1970.
- Jack Absolute in The Rivals by Sheridan, one of the two opening productions at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, directed by Braham Murray in 1976, and Count Hohenzollern in The Prince of Homburg by Heinrich von Kleist, the other opening production, directed by Casper Wrede.
- John Rosmer in Rosmersholm by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Casper Wrede at the Royal Exchange, Manchester in 1981.
- Philinte in The Misanthrope by Moliere, directed by Casper Wrede at the Royal Exchange, Manchester in 1981.
He also appeared on stage in West End musical The Good Companions in 1974.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1968|| Song of Summer || Eric Fenby ||
|-
|1969|| Women in Love || Tibby Lupton ||
|-
|1970|| The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes || Danseur Nobel || Uncredited
|-
|rowspan=2 | 1971|| The Music Lovers || Count Anton Chiluvsky ||
|-
| The Boy Friend || Tony ||
|-
|1976|| The Slipper and the Rose || John ||
|-
|1988|| The Lair of the White Worm || Joe Trent ||
|-
|1989|| The Rainbow || Will Brangwen || (final film role)
|}
Honours and awards
In 1996 Gable was awarded a CBE for his services to British dance.