Gary 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.
13 Facts About Gary Wilmot
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Gary Wilmot worked on building sites and in factories, but soon realised manual labour was not a career he wished to pursue.
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Gary Wilmot started his career in entertainment after a friend informed an agent of his talent, and soon began to perform as part of the variety circuit.
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In 1994, Gary Wilmot hosted Showstoppers, a programme which featured him performing songs from musicals alongside special guests.
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Originally commissioned as a one-off series in which celebrities were given ten days to learn and perform a song, Gary Wilmot was asked to record a further series of six spectaculars due to popular demand.
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Gary Wilmot starred in and directed a tour of Showstoppers which proved so popular that its original sixty dates were increased to one hundred and sixty.
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In 1989, Gary Wilmot made a move into musical theatre debuting in the West End production of Me and My Girl, playing the role of Bill Snibson at the Adelphi Theatre.
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Gary Wilmot played the role to critical acclaim for two years, with Jack Tinker describing him as a "Musical Talent of the Highest Order".
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Gary Wilmot was nominated in the "Best Actor" category at the Olivier Awards, and theatre tour of a new comedy, Teething Troubles followed.
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Gary Wilmot was cast as Joe in Carmen Jones at the Old Vic before starring in the world premiere of the Barry Manilow musical Copacabana at London's Prince of Wales Theatre.
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Gary Wilmot played Billy Flynn in the national touring company of Chicago.
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In 1991, Gary Wilmot teamed up with record producer Nigel Wright to record a medley featuring songs from Walt Disney film The Jungle Book.
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In 2004, Gary Wilmot embarked on his own national concert tour My Kind of Music taking him to many major concert venues throughout the country.