Gary Barrymore Raymond was born on April 20, 1935 in Brixton, London to music hall performers. He had an older brother and a twin brother, Robin Rodney. Gary’s mother, Paddy Lee, was half Gypsy. She died of TB when the twins were only 9 months old and the twins rarely saw their father as he was out on the road performing. While the father took the oldest boy out on the road with him, the twins were put in the charge of a woman who looked after a number of other children. During World War 2 the twins were evacuated from London to Leichester due to bombing although eventually Leichester was also bombed. Nevertheless, the children stayed there until the end of the war and for some time thereafter. At age 11 Gary won a scholarship to the Gateway School where he stayed until he was 16. He then worked in various jobs while studying acting with a teacher who had taken a special interest in him. At 18 he joined the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts. He was then signed by the Royal Shakespeare Company and his first stage appearances were in 1955 in Shakespeare productions starring Sir John Gielgud. In 1957 he appeared in his first film, The Moonraker, portraying Prince Charles Stuart.

Since then Gary has been in innumerable stage plays in England, several costarring with his wife since 1961, Delena Kidd. Included among these are several musicals: Irma La Douce, She Loves Me and Treasure Island. Gary appears on the soundtracks of the British versions of these three plays. He has been in several British television shows as a guest star, some television movies and miniseries and theatrical films including Look Back In Anger, Suddenly Last Summer, The Millionairess, The Playboy of the Western World(in the title role), El Cid, Jason and the Argonauts, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Traitor’s Gate. His most recent filmed appearance is in the Steven Seagal film The Foreigner(2003).

Perhaps his best known role in the United States is as Sargeant Jack Moffitt in the television series, The Rat Patrol, which ran for two seasons from 1966 to 1968. He was the second lead after Christopher George in this show.

Gary and his wife have three children: Matthew, Sophie and Emily. Emily is also an actress.