Mark Wynter | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Terence Sidney Lewis |
| Born | (1943-01-29)29 January 1943 (age 82) Woking, Surrey, England |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 1960–Present |
| Website | markwynter |
Mark Wynter (bornTerence Sidney Lewis; 29 January 1943) is an English singer and actor, who had four Top 20 singles in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans" and "Go Away Little Girl". He enjoyed a lengthy career from 1960 to 1968 as a pop singer andteen idol, and developed later into an actor in film, musicals and plays.
With his early musical career on a proper footing, Terry Lewis decided to change his name to lessen the confusion with the American comedian,Jerry Lewis.[1]
He was entered as one of the contenders for the UK's place in theEurovision Song Contest in 1961, with "Dream Girl", but finished fourth behindThe Allisons.
Hiscover version of the American hit byJimmy Clanton, "Venus in Blue Jeans" (1962), was his biggest success. Although he recorded a number of singles for theDecca andPyelabels in the UK, he made few albums. Somerecorded material came to light in 2004 when Wynter discovered old tapes.
On 8 April 1968 Wynter escaped from a burningBoeing 707 aircraft,BOAC Flight 712, upon which he had been a passenger,[2] and which had exploded shortly after landing back atHeathrow Airport following a fire in its number 2 engine, killing five people, including stewardessBarbara Jane Harrison, who was posthumously awarded theGeorge Cross.
Wynter played the leading role inConduct Unbecoming for more than a year at theQueen's Theatre in London, and for six months in Australia. He appeared withJulia McKenzie inOn the Twentieth Century, and inCharley's Aunt. He also starred inSide By Side By Sondheim inToronto,Chichester, and on the UK tour. In the 1982 Chichester Festival season he acted in several plays includingOn The Rocks andHenry V, and also sang inValmouth. His other work in musicals during the 1980s included the role of the King in a revival ofThe King and I, the title roles inHans Andersen andBarnum, the 1986 revival ofCharlie Girl withCyd Charisse andPaul Nicholas in London, and the part of Robert Browning inRobert and Elizabeth. During the 1990s Wynter spent two years inCats, and was also seen as the Phantom and M. Andre inThe Phantom of the Opera, and starred as Vittorio oppositeBonnie Langford in the 1998 West End revival ofSweet Charity. He has appeared frequently in the rest of the UK and portrayed Emile de Becque in a UK national tour ofSouth Pacific.[3] In 1994 he created the role of Van Helsing in the studio recording of the opera/musical "Nosferatu" byBernard J. Taylor.
In 1981 he succeededPeter Davison as the presenter of the children's television seriesOnce Upon a Time. During the early 1990s he presented daytime shows on BBC Radio 2, as well as documentaries such as "Happy Times", a programme about the American entertainer Danny Kaye, which was nominated for a New York radio award.
Wynter was still working actively and successfully in theatre throughout the English speaking world well into the 1990s. Although his Decca singles output is scattered in the CD catalogue, in 2000Castle Communications releasedGo Away Little Girl: The Pye Anthology, adouble album compiling his complete output for the label.[4] In 2007, Wynter toured the UK in a number of plays and musicals.
Wynter toured in plays for producerBill Kenwright, and pop tours for The Flying Music Company. A triple CD of Wynter's back catalogue was issued in 2017.
In 2017, Wynter went on a UK tour with The Solid Gold Rock'n'Roll Show, which also featuredEden Kane,Marty Wilde andMike Berry.[5] A 2021 tour was also scheduled.[needs update]
Wynter now lives inSussex. He is married to Emma, and has three children.[citation needed]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Just for Fun | Mark | |
| 1964 | Just for You | Self | |
| 1969 | The Haunted House of Horror | Gary Scott | |
| 1976 | Red | Troubadour | Short[7] |
| 1978 | Superman | Mate |
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