Philip Glenister
Philip Haywood Glenister is an English actor, known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in British television series Life On Mars and its sequel Ashes To Ashes. He also played DCI William Bell in State of Play (2003) and Reverend Anderson in Outcast (2016–2018).
Glenister was born on 10 February 1963 in Harrow, Middlesex, and grew up in Hatch End. He is the son of director John Glenister and Joan Fry Lewis, and the younger brother of fellow actor Robert Glenister.
He attended Hatch End High School.
In his early career, he worked as a runner for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. Following this, he worked until the age of 23 as a film publicist, but developed an interest in acting after watching his brother perform in a student play about the Sex Pistols. With the encouragement of his then-sister-in-law, Amanda Redman, he pursued acting and attended the Central School of Speech and Drama.
In the early 1990s, Glenister appeared in various TV series including Minder, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Heartbeat, The Chief, Dressing for Breakfast and Silent Witness. In 1997, he appeared in Sharpe's Justice as Richard Sharpe's half-brother Matt Truman. He played William Dobbin in the 1998 mini-series Vanity Fair.
From 1998 to 1999, Glenister co-starred as a mini-cab driver who aspires to be a rock star in the series Roger Roger. He also played factory boss Mack Mackintosh in the first three series of Clocking Off from 2000 to 2002. In 2001, he appeared in two of the Hornblower TV films as Horatio's antagonist Gunner Hobbs.
Glenister played the photographer who took nude photos for a Women's Institute fundraising calendar in the 2003 feature film Calendar Girls. Also in 2003, he appeared in the mini-series State of Play. Glenister played the German commandant, Baron Heinrich von Rheingarten, in the 2004 mini-series Island at War about the Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II.
In April 2006, Glenister read the Bedtime Story for the BBC's children's channel, CBeebies. He returned to the slot in February/March 2007.
Glenister played social reformer and estate manager Mr Carter in the 2007 BBC costume drama Cranford, as part of a cast including Judi Dench and Francesca Annis.
Glenister is probably best known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in Life on Mars (2006–07), co-starring with John Simm as Sam Tyler, and its sequel Ashes to Ashes (2008–10), with Keeley Hawes as Alex Drake. Glenister also worked with Simm on State of Play and Clocking Off and the 2008 crime film Tuesday. Upon announcement of the film, Glenister joked that he and Simm were contractually obliged to work with each other once a year.
Glenister starred as demon hunter Rupert Galvin in the 2009 ITV drama Demons. He used an American accent for the role, which received some criticism from reviewers. After the series was cancelled, he said he had problems with the role and felt that he may have been miscast.
In 2010, Glenister had a small role (credited as 'Poker Friend') in Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, and he played Charles Forestier in a 2011 feature film of Guy de Maupassant's Bel Ami. He starred in the 2011 conspiracy thriller Hidden on BBC One.
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Movies (30)
Sheene
2023 · Narrator (voice)
Just in Case
2021 · Mark
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Yet Again
2019 · Pierce Brosnan
Jumbo: The Plane That Changed the World
2014 · Self - Narrator
Spying on Hitler’s Army: The Secret Recordings
2013 · Narrator
Tales of Television Centre
2012 · Self
Bel Ami, Historia de un seductor
2012 · Charles Forestier
Treasure Island
2012 · Smollett
Pavlopetri: The City Beneath the Waves
2011 · Narrator, Executive Producer
Conocerás al hombre de tus sueños
2010 · Poker Friend
The Making of... Ashes to Ashes
2009 · Himself
Tu£sday
2008 · Earp
The End of 'Life on Mars'
2007 · Self
Cruzada
2005 · Squire
The Walk
2005 · Eddie
Byron
2003 · William Fletcher
Chicas de Calendario
2003 · Lawrence Sertain
Lloyd & Hill
2003 · Daniel Lloyd
Las hermanas Bolena
2003 · William Strafford
Hornblower: Retribution
2001 · Gunner Hobbs
Hornblower: Mutiny
2001 · Hobbs
The Hunt
2001 · Rob Campbell
The Perfect Blue
1998 · Tom
Sharpe: The Legend
1997 · Truman
Sharpe's Justice
1997 · Matt Truman
True Love
1996 · Phil
Loved Up
1995 · Ray
I.D.
1995 · Charlie
A Fatal Inversion
1992 · Young Detective
London Kills Me
1991 · Suited Man
TV shows (68)
The Lady
2026 · DCI Jim Dickie
Street Cops: Catching the Yobs
2025 · Self - Narrator (voice)
Bergerac
2025 · Arthur Wakefield
After the Flood
2024 · Jack Radcliffe
Steeltown Murders
2023 · DCI Paul Bethell
Carthago
2022 · Lord James Davidson
Remembers…
2022 · Self
Fundación
2021 · Commdor Argo
Belgravia
2020 · James Trenchard
DNA Journey
2019 · Self
The Rubbish World of Dave Spud
2019 · Betty Spud
What The Killer Did Next
2019 · Self - Host
Living the Dream
2017 · Mal Pemberton
House of Games
2017 · Self - Contestant
Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule
2017 · Self
Mitos Urbanos
2017 · Kev Wells
The Level
2016 · Frank Le Saux
Outcast
2016 · Reverend Anderson
From There to Here
2014 · Daniel
Prey
2014 · David Murdoch
For the Love of Cars
2014 · Self - Presenter, Presenter
Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2014
Inside No. 9
2014 · Craig
Big School
2013 · Mr Gunn
La Corona Vacía
2012 · Talbot
La isla del tesoro
2012 · Captain Smollett
Hidden
2011 · Harry Venn
Mad Dogs
2011 · Quinn
The Secret Life of the National Grid
2010 · Narrator (Voice)
Eyewitness
2010
Lost Land of the Volcano
2009 · Self - Narrator
The Secret Life of the Airport
2009 · Narrator
Chris Moyles' Quiz Night
2009 · Self
Demons
2009 · Rupert Galvin
Ashes to Ashes
2008 · Gene Hunt
Cranford
2007 · Mr Carter
The Secret Life of the motorway
2007 · Narrator (Voice)
Legends
2006 · Self - Narrator (voice)
The One Show
2006 · Self
Life on Mars
2006 · Gene Hunt
Vincent
2005
Last Rights
2005 · John Speers
The Stepfather
2005 · Dougie Molloy
Island at War
2004 · Oberst Heinrich Baron Von Rheingarten
State of Play
2003 · DCI William Bell
Top Gear
2002 · Self
Clocking Off
2000 · James 'Mack' Mackintosh
The Vice
1999 · Jason Grant
Vanity Fair
1998 · William Dobbin
Hornblower
1998 · Gunner Hobbs
Roger Roger
1998 · Phil
Have Your Cake and Eat It
1997 · Joe Martin
Frontiers
1996 · DS Danny Curtis
My Wonderful Life
1996 · Phil
Silent Witness
1996
Soccer AM
1995 · Self
Law and Disorder
1994
The Detectives
1993 · Uniformed Officer
GMTV
1993 · Self
Blue Heaven
1992 · Paul Twice
Heartbeat
1992 · Julian Cantley
In Suspicious Circumstances
1991 · Herbert Bennett
Drop the Dead Donkey
1990 · Harrison
The Chief
1990 · Angus Shadwell
Agatha Christie's Poirot
1989 · Sir William Boyd Carrington
This Morning
1988 · Self
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
1987 · Brian Gregson
Minder
1979 · Greg Hunter