Michael James Latimer (6 September 1941–25 June 2011) was a British television stage and film actor who later in his career turned to writing, directing and producing.Latimer was born in Calcutta, where his father had a business, and was educated at The Leys School in Cambridge from 1955 to 1959 where he was a long-distance runner and played rugby for the English Schoolboys Team. On leaving school Latimer trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art for two years and on leaving began acting in cabaret revues, frequently appearing with Ian Hamilton and Julian Holloway. He stood in for Peter Cook in Beyond the Fringe when the original cast took the show to New York.He appeared in various repertory and West End productions. His television appearances included Major Barbara (1966), The Avengers (1966-1967), Sexton Blake (1968), Man at the Top (1972), Van der Valk (1972-1973), Special Branch (1973), Marked Personal (1973), Village Hall (1974), Crown Court (1974-1976), The Sweeney (1975), Quiller (1975), The New Avengers (1977) Spectre (1977), Z-Cars (1978), The Professionals (1978), Maggie and Her (1979), Hammer House of Horror (1980) and Rumpole of the Bailey (1988). In addition, he was the stage director for the first Johnny Nash and Bob Marley tours of The United Kingdom in 1972. Film roles include A Man for All Seasons (1966), Prehistoric Women (1967) opposite Martine Beswick, Mosquito Squadron (1969), Man of Violence (1969), Sweeney! (1977) and Fatal Sky (1990).Latimer married the Australian artist Sheena Bancks, with whom he had a son (Rupert Latimer) and daughter (Miranda Latimer), and in 1980 he moved with his wife to Sydney where he took up directing and writing and set up his own production company, Bedrock Productions Company; this had three top twenty hits in the German music charts for Hansa/Ariola records. In 1982 he wrote and produced Ginger Meggs, a film based on the Australian comic strip written by his late father-in-law Jimmy Bancks. His writing for television included The Rovers (1970), the BBC play The Interview and also 4 episodes of the Australian soap opera Sons and Daughters (1983). He taught at RADA and at a drama school in Australia. As a director he worked on television commercials in Australia and directed some 37 theatre productions in the United Kingdom including Daniel Magee's play Paddywack (1994) with James Nesbitt at the Cockpit Theatre in Marylebone.A keen sportsman, Latimer was a member of the MCC and managed his own cricket team, the Bystanders. In 2001 he was interviewed for the documentary Once Upon A Time in Europe. After 42 years together his wife died, and in his latter years his partner was Amanda Weldon.He died from cancer in a hospice in Trinity, Australia in 2011 aged 69.
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