--- name: "Gary Kemp" canonical: "https://film.one/person/gary-kemp" fi1m_id: "gary-kemp" imdb_id: "nm0447290" tmdb_id: 7042 wikidata_id: "Q554670" roles: ["Actor"] born: "16 October 1959" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 68 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-24T03:41:04.182994+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Gary Kemp ## Identity Gary Kemp - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/gary-kemp - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** gary-kemp - **IMDb ID:** nm0447290 - **TMDB ID:** 7042 - **Wikidata ID:** Q554670 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kemp, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q554670, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0447290/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7042 Actor. Born 16 October 1959 in Islington, London, England, UK. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 16 October 1959, Islington, London, England, UK - **Active:** 1990–1992 - **Also known as:** Spandau Ballet, 加里·坎普 - **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 2 titles - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kemp, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q554670, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0447290/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7042 ## Streaming the US now - **Paramount+:** [*The Bodyguard*](https://film.one/film/the-bodyguard.md) (63) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Gary Kemp > Gary Kemp is convincing at making primness and savagery coexist, as his Ronald in *The Krays* demonstrates. We rate the performance, with a caveat: the family scenes disturb us more consistently than the gangster threats. In *The Krays* (1990), Gary Kemp makes Ronald's primness credible without softening his savagery. We believe that both belong to this man, which is harder than simply making him threatening. His is the stronger of the two central performances, with Martin Kemp's Reggie providing enough presence to keep the pairing convincing. Peter Medak's film makes good use of the brothers together, without relying on the novelty of their casting. Billie Whitelaw's mothering makes the family scenes more disturbing, and gives the Kemps something substantial to respond to. We were unsettled by those scenes because the brothers make the family's closeness believable rather than merely a peculiar gangster habit. The trouble comes when the film expects their threats to frighten us: too often we are studying them instead of recoiling. The crime story repeats itself, and Gary cannot solve that problem through force of performance. We recommend the film for its domestic scenes, with that reservation. Kemp returned to acting with *The Krays* after his years as Spandau Ballet's guitarist and principal songwriter. His breakthrough adult role was followed by early Hollywood work, including Sy Spector in *The Bodyguard* (1992) and Oliver in *Killing Zoe* (1993). Supporting screen roles subsequently sat alongside sustained theatre work, including Serge in *Art* (2001) and Teddy in Jamie Lloyd's Pinter revival *The Homecoming* (2015). Those credits matter here because treating Kemp simply as a musician who tried acting misses how much of his acting has happened away from a film set. He has expressed a preference for theatre, citing rehearsal, structure and the audience as things it shares with performing in a band. We need not mistake occasional screen appearances for a lack of commitment to acting. Ronald gives us reason to be interested when he does turn up, without assuming that menace will come automatically. Start with *The Krays*, but do not spend the scenes with Whitelaw waiting for the next threat. ## Biography Gary Kemp is an English actor and musician. Born in Islington, London, on 16 October 1959, he trained at Anna Scher’s Children’s Theatre with his younger brother Martin Kemp. Kemp is best known as guitarist and songwriter for the band Spandau Ballet. His acting roles include Ronald Kray in the 1990 film *The Krays*, opposite Martin Kemp as Reggie Kray, and Sy Spector in *The Bodyguard* (1992). Other credits include Oliver in *Killing Zoe* (1993) and appearances in *The Larry Sanders Show* (1993) and *Lewis* (2007). He has also worked in theatre, including productions of *Art* (2001) and *The Homecoming* (2015). *Sources: garykemp.com, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *The Bodyguard* (1992), Fi1m 63, as Sy Spector — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bodyguard.md) - *The Krays* (1990), Fi1m 74, as Ronald Kray — [page](https://film.one/film/the-krays.md) ## Complete filmography (23) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Beyond The Alps* (2024), as Gary - *Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism* (2015), as Cregg - *Assassin* (2015), as John Alberts - *Art Is...* (2013), as Collector - *Perspectives* (2011), series, Actor - *The Rapture* (2010), as Professor Anderson - *Lewis* (2007), series, as Tom Garland - *African Megaflyover* (2005), as Narrator - *Murder Investigation Team* (2003), series, as Dennis McKay - *Dog Eat Dog* (2001), as Jesus - *Murder in Mind* (2001), series, as Jamie Holt - *Take Out the Beast* (1995), as Fox - *Magic Hunter* (1994), as Max - *Killing Zoe* (1993), as Oliver - *The Bodyguard* (1992), as Sy Spector — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bodyguard.md) - *The Larry Sanders Show* (1992), series, as Jake Woodward — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-larry-sanders-show.md) - *Paper Marriage* (1992), as Aiden Carey - *Ice Pawn* (1992), as Misha Orlov - *He-Play* (1990), series, as Mark - *The Krays* (1990), as Ronald Kray — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-krays.md) - *Casualty* (1986), series, as Matthew Merriman, Michael Warwick — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/casualty.md) - *Friday People* (1985), series, Actor - *Hide and Seek* (1972), as Chris ## Gallery - ![Gary Kemp performing with Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in Oakland, CA, USA, 2022-10-28](https://film.one/media/person/77668/gallery-8c3bebffa704.jpg) Gary Kemp performing with Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in Oakland, CA, USA, 2022-10-28 — Davidwbaker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/GaryKemp_2022-10-28.jpg/1280px-GaryKemp_2022-10-28.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![NickMasonDWalls200518-11 (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/77668/gallery-392ed62c5932.jpg) NickMasonDWalls200518-11 (2018) — Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/NickMasonDWalls200518-11_%2842242500651%29.jpg/1280px-NickMasonDWalls200518-11_%2842242500651%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![NickMasonDWalls200518-17 (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/77668/gallery-244664187342.jpg) NickMasonDWalls200518-17 (2018) — Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/NickMasonDWalls200518-17_%2840434717840%29.jpg/1280px-NickMasonDWalls200518-17_%2840434717840%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![NickMasonDWalls200518-22 (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/77668/gallery-6406f0880086.jpg) NickMasonDWalls200518-22 (2018) — Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/NickMasonDWalls200518-22_%2841341092315%29.jpg/1280px-NickMasonDWalls200518-22_%2841341092315%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![NickMasonDWalls200518-26 (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/77668/gallery-febfe02376c2.jpg) NickMasonDWalls200518-26 (2018) — Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/NickMasonDWalls200518-26_%2828369222078%29.jpg/1280px-NickMasonDWalls200518-26_%2828369222078%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![NickMasonDWalls200518-28 (2018)](https://film.one/media/person/77668/gallery-bb769220bae8.jpg) NickMasonDWalls200518-28 (2018) — Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/NickMasonDWalls200518-28_%2828369217158%29.jpg/1280px-NickMasonDWalls200518-28_%2828369217158%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/gary-kemp