# Gareth Forwood
**Gareth Forwood** (full name Gareth Lytton Johns Forwood; October 14, 1945 – October 16, 2007) was a British stage, film, and television actor, known for supporting roles in films including *Gandhi* (1982) and *King Ralph* (1991), and as the only child of the actress [Glynis Johns](https://www.edgepedia.org/glynis-johns) and the actor [Anthony Forwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-forwood).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945, Marylebone, London, England, UK[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/bio/) |
| Died | October 16, 2007, London, aged 62 (heart failure aggravated by cancer)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/bio/) |
| Parents | Glynis Johns and Anthony Forwood; he was their only child[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/bio/) |
| Spouse and child | Veronica Lecoq, married 1973 until his death; one son, Thomas Forwood[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/) |
| Stage debut | December 22, 1964, as the Prince in *Beauty and the Beast* at the Castle Theatre, Farnham[9](https://theatricalia.com/person/10ga/gareth-forwood) |
| Best-known film roles | Secretary in *Gandhi* (1982); Duke in *King Ralph* (1991); Lt. Packering in *The Bofors Gun* (1968)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/) |
| Screen credits | 39 acting credits listed by IMDb, from 1968 to 2000[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/) |
## Family
Forwood was born in [Marylebone](https://www.edgepedia.org/marylebone), London, the only child of Glynis Johns and Anthony Forwood, who were married from 1942 to 1948.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/bio/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287494/) His mother became one of Britain's best-known screen actresses, and the American press noted at her death in January 2024 that Forwood, who had died in 2007, was her only child.[4](https://apnews.com/article/3380091d508785048c5dfc8e485f4de0) His father, an actor and writer known for *Knights of the Round Table* (1953), later became Sir Dirk Bogarde's life partner and manager, remaining with him until his own death in 1988.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287494/)
In 1973 Forwood married Veronica Lecoq; the marriage lasted until his death and produced one son, Thomas Forwood.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/)
## Stage career
He went on to appear at the [Apollo Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/apollo-theatre) in London as Charles Wykeham in Brandon Thomas's farce *Charley's Aunt* from August 30, 1971 to February 13, 1972, in a cast that included Sir Tom Courtenay and with Braham Murray directing.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/) Later stage engagements included Marcelle Maurette's *Anastasia* at the Theatre Royal, Bath, and the Cambridge Theatre in London in October 1976, and [Jackie Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-jackson) in Terence Rattigan's *The Deep Blue Sea* for the Cambridge Theatre Company at the Ashcroft Theatre, London, from July 5 to July 30, 1977.[9](https://theatricalia.com/person/10ga/gareth-forwood)
## Film and television
His first film role came in 1968 as Lt. Packering in Jack Gold's *The Bofors Gun*, a drama starring [Nicol Williamson](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicol-williamson), David Warner, and [Ian Holm](https://www.edgepedia.org/ian-holm).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/) • [5](https://www.filmtv.it/persona/23845/gareth-forwood/)
Through the 1970s and 1980s he accumulated character parts in film and television. He played Alden in *Birth of the Beatles* (1979) and the photographer aboard the Aquitania in *Priest of Love* (1981) with [Ian McKellen](https://www.edgepedia.org/ian-mckellen).[6](https://www.fandango.com/people/gareth-forwood-219840) In Richard Attenborough's epic *Gandhi* (1982), which won nine Oscars including best picture, he appeared as the Secretary in a cast led by [Ben Kingsley](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-kingsley).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/) • [7](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/0d8de71d-68e9-5682-a0b0-cc6d9be9bba8/gandhi) He was the Duke in the comedy *King Ralph* (1991) with [John Goodman](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-goodman), Ian in the Roshan Seth comedy *Electric Moon* (1992), and Denis Carradine in *Prime Suspect: Inner Circles* (1995).[6](https://www.fandango.com/people/gareth-forwood-219840) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gareth_forwood)
His television work included recurring and guest parts in British series: Dr. Crampton in *Armchair Thriller* (1980), the Doctor in three episodes of *In Sickness and in Health* (1987), Boris in the mini-series *Mother Love* (1989), Maurice Petrow and Derek Preston in two episodes of *The Bill* (1989–1998), and the Surgeon in *The Cinder Path* (1994).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/) His last listed screen credit is the television film *Bomber* (2000), in which he played Hilary Quentin.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/)
## Death
Forwood died on October 16, 2007 in London, two days after his 62nd birthday, of heart failure aggravated by cancer.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/bio/)
## References
1. [Gareth Forwood – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/bio/)
2. [Gareth Forwood, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287495/)
3. [Anthony Forwood, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0287494/)
4. [Glynis Johns, 'Mary Poppins' star who first sang Sondheim's 'Send in the Clowns,' dies at 100, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/3380091d508785048c5dfc8e485f4de0)
5. [Gareth Forwood, FilmTV.it](https://www.filmtv.it/persona/23845/gareth-forwood/)
6. [Gareth Forwood List of All Movies & Filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/gareth-forwood-219840)
7. [Gandhi (1982), British Film Institute](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/0d8de71d-68e9-5682-a0b0-cc6d9be9bba8/gandhi)
8. [Gareth Forwood Movies List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gareth_forwood)
9. [Gareth Forwood | Theatricalia](https://theatricalia.com/person/10ga/gareth-forwood)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames E to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license