Marcus Gilbert, who immortalised Jilly Cooper’s leading man Rupert Campbell-Black in Riders, has died at the age of 67.
The actor, who also featured in shows including Doctor Who and Murder, She Wrote, died on Sunday after living with throat cancer for three years.
The Bristol-born actor is survived by his two children, son Maxi and daughter Aaliya. He was married to Homaa Khan-Gilbert up until her death in 2020 from pancreatic cancer.
A Facebook fan site for Gilbert shared a statement reading: ‘Today we have heard the very sad news that Marcus lost his battle against cancer on January 11, 2026.
‘We, along with his many fans worldwide, will mourn his loss, and remember the joy he gave us on screen and in person. RIP Marcus.’
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Gilbert’s daughter Aaliya previously shared her father’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease in 2020, following the death of her mother.
Gilbert was most recently in a relationship with fellow actor Lysette Anthony, who starred in Hollyoaks and Two Up, Two Down.
The pair first worked together on A Ghost In Monte Carlo in 1990, before becoming an item nearly 23 years later.
Anthony has yet to comment in response to news of his death, but last shared a post with him in April of last year.
The actor’s peers have begun to share their tributes, including Doctor Who fan Toby Hadoke, who posted a carousel of images of Gilbert, who played Ancelyn in the Whoniverse.
In the caption on Instagram he wrote: ‘Dashing, charming, and a strong actor with a bit of a twinkle – very sorry to learn of the death, too young, of Marcus Gilbert with whom I had a lovely time in Liverpool about a decade ago.
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‘He was also great in Doctor Who’s Battlefield and had a terrific role in Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness.
‘He also told me how much he earned from being part of the second Gold Blend saga of commercials: eye-watering! Lovely chap: wore his attributes lightly.’
Doctor Who maestro Russell T Davies commented underneath the post, writing: ‘Oh that’s sad news’.
Gilbert also starred in the third Rambo film and was said to be in contention for the role of James Bond in the late 1980s, but lost out to Timothy Dalton.
In addition to a wide-reaching career in adverts, Gilbert also worked in the theatre, playing the young Viscount Goring in Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband in 2000. It was through the theatre that he first got his start in acting.
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