Martin Clunes - Stafford Hildred

This in-depth and affectionate biography paints a complete picture of this respected actor, presenter, producer, director, dog lover, animal rights campaigner, patron of the Born Free Foundation, and devoted family man. Martin Clunes has been a familiar face on British television for almost two decades. During that period he has starred in some of the best-loved shows of modern times, including Doc Martin, William and Mary, and of course the phenomenally successful Men Behaving Badly. He was introduced to acting at a young age. His father, a successful actor and theater manager who gave Peter Ustinov his first break, tragically died of cancer in 1970, leaving his wife Daphne, their daughter Amanda, and 8-year-old Martin. Years later, it was Daphne's cousin, Jeremy Brett-the actor famous for playing Sherlock Holmes-who encouraged Martin to take up acting professionally. Martin worked regularly through the 1980s, but when he was spotted by comedian Harry Enfield and subsequently made regular appearances in his popular sketch shows, he was catapulted into the big time. After landing the role of Gary in Men Behaving Badly, he has gone from strength to strength. Never one to be pigeonholed, Martin has played a broad range of roles, including a serial killer in A is for Acid and Burbage in the Oscar winning film Shakespeare in Love. More recently, he has also presented two of the mos popular documentaries on television: Islands of Britain and Martin Clunes: A Man and His Dogs.