
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.
95 acting credits
Acting · 95

Agatha Christie's Poirot
1989

Top Gear
2002

Foundation
2021

Silent Witness
1996

The One Show
2006

Minder
1979

Heartbeat
1992

Inside No. 9
2014

Kingdom of Heaven
2005

The Ruth Rendell Mysteries
1987

GMTV
1993

Richard Osman's House of Games
2017

Remembers…
2022

Soccer AM
1995

The Chief
1990

The Hollow Crown
2012

Life on Mars
2006

Hornblower
1998

Prey
2014

Ashes to Ashes
2008

Urban Myths
2017

Legends
2006

Outcast
2016

The Detectives
1993

Cranford
2007

The Vice
1999

Drop the Dead Donkey
1990

Clocking Off
2000

Bergerac
2025

After the Flood
2024

Duck Quacks Don't Echo
2014

State of Play
2003

Chris Moyles' Quiz Night
2009

Mad Dogs
2011

Treasure Island
2012

Big School
2013

Vincent
2005

Roger Roger
1998

Belgravia
2020

Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule
2017

DNA Journey
2019

Vanity Fair
1998

New Street Law
2006

In Suspicious Circumstances
1991

Steeltown Murders
2023

The Lady
2026

Island at War
2004

The Level
2016

Demons
2009

From There to Here
2014

Hidden
2011

This Morning
1988

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
2010

The Rubbish World of Dave Spud
2019
Blue Heaven
1992

Bel Ami
2012

Calendar Girls
2003

Living the Dream
2017

Sharpe: The Legend
1997
Frontiers
1996

Hornblower: Mutiny
2001

The Stepfather
2005

My Wonderful Life
1996

For the Love of Cars
2014

Law and Disorder
1994

Last Rights
2005

I.D.
1995

Carthago
2022

What The Killer Did Next
2019

Lost Land of the Volcano
2009

Byron
2003

The Other Boleyn Girl
2003

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Yet Again
2019

Tales of Television Centre
2012

Sharpe's Justice
1997

London Kills Me
1991
The Perfect Blue
1998

A Fatal Inversion
1992

The Making of... Ashes to Ashes
2009

Hornblower: Retribution
2001

Spying on Hitler’s Army: The Secret Recordings
2013

The Secret Life of the motorway
2007

Loved Up
1995

Tu£sday
2008

The Secret Life of the Airport
2009
True Love
1996

Pavlopetri: The City Beneath the Waves
2011

The Secret Life of the National Grid
2010
The Walk
2005

Sheene
2023

Just in Case
2021
Eyewitness
2010

Lloyd & Hill
2003
The End of 'Life on Mars'
2007

Demons
2009