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Coupling star Sarah Alexander’s former lover Gerald Harper dies aged 96 as tributes pour in for Hadleigh actor

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Coupling star Sarah Alexander’s former lover Gerald Harper had died aged 96. 

In the ’60s and ’70s, this actor was recognized by television viewers for his role as the sophisticated lead in Hadleigh, and prior to that, he played a Victorian gentleman named Adam Adamant who suddenly ended up in 1960s London.

CDM Talent Agency confirmed the sad news in a statement on social media on Friday.

With a heavy heart, I must share the devastating news that our beloved Gerald Harper, once a cherished client of ours, has sadly left us. He embarked on an adventure to Spain, where he was meant to spend his well-deserved retirement years, but fate had other plans for him.

Sarah, 54, was only 25 when she was first spotted dating Gerald Harper, then 68, in 1996.

A bystander shared with The Sunday People that Alexander and Harper appeared extremely close, frequently showing affection towards one another and seemingly unconcerned about being watched by others.

Interestingly, she was taking the lead and frequently initiating to kiss him passionately, almost like a public spectacle.

In 2000, when Sarah, who later gained fame on Coupling alongside Jack Davenport, decided to share a home with Harper in his spacious Notting Hill residence, there was a fair amount of surprise among their friends, particularly since she is eight years younger than Harper’s daughter, another Sarah.

However, they chose not to let the difference in generations hinder them, instead opting to move forward. Peers remarked that Harper appeared deeply saddened when Sarah left him for the renowned actor Peter Serafinowicz in 2002.

Prior to his romance with Sarah, Gerald had been wedded to Carla Rabaiotti, once an air hostess for Pan American Airlines.

The pair, who later divorced in 1983, share a son.

In the past, Harper was wedded to actress Jane Downs from 1957. Their marriage ended in 1975 following a divorce. They have a common child together.

In the midst of my peak popularity, I graced the screens of ITV’s Hadleigh, a television series that aired from 1969 to 1976. Quite an eligible bachelor I was, in the eyes of many viewers!

He fit the role flawlessly as the refined, upper-class character of James Hadleigh, a wealthy, good-looking playboy residing in a grand estate within the West Riding region, who also managed the local news publication.

He told the Express in 2006: ‘There wasn’t that much to watch back then, so we had huge audiences.

The executives at Yorkshire Television had doubts about Hadleigh’s potential success and decided to air it during the late hours of the night instead.

Once they understood their mistake, they offered an apology. Tearing up the contract, I proposed, “Should we begin anew?

Apart from receiving additional funds, I was also granted use of a grand country manor for a whole year, including personnel. I had quite the lavish lifestyle during this period, living as if I were a nobleman. It was nothing short of extravagant and glamorous.

For nearly two decades, I held the spotlight as a TV personality, setting my own rules. And during that timeframe, there were scarcely any days when I didn’t work.

After his stint in television, he went back to his primary passion, which was theatre. Notably, his classical roles encompassed performances on Broadway with the Old Vic troupe, portraying Iago at the Bristol Old Vic, and playing Benedick at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

As age didn’t deter Harper, even at the brink of his 75th year, he soared over the Masai Mara in a small plane and galloped through Kenya’s expansive Masai Mara wildlife reserve on horseback.

On the return leg, the plan crashed through a hedge and ended up on its side.

He remembered saying to the pilot: “Disregard the next stop, kind sir. Hurry up and take me to Nairobi and civilization instead! I’ve had enough!

Originally intending to pursue a career as a doctor, this individual was once a student at Haileybury Public School. However, during his National Service stint, he developed an affinity for acting and eventually secured a spot at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

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2025-07-04 19:48

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