Marcus Gilbert, who played heartthrob Rupert Campbell Black in a 1993 TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel Riders, has died at the age of 67.
News of the actor’s death was shared by a fanpage on Facebook, in a post that read: “Today we have heard the very sad news that Marcus lost his battle against cancer on Sunday 11th January 2026.
“We, along with his many fans worldwide, will mourn his loss, and remember the joy he gave us on screen, and in person. RIP Marcus.”
Gilbert landed his first TV credits in the early 1980s, and went on to star in the 1988 film Rambo III before making appearances as King Arthur’s Knight Commander Ancelyn in Doctor Who a year later.
The Bristol-born star was considered for the role of James Bond in the late 1980s too, and while he lost out to Timothy Dalton, Gilbert still cemented his leading-man status with his Riders role.
Famous friends and fans have paid tribute online, with stand-up comedian Toby Hadoke writing on Instagram: “Dashing, charming, and a strong actor with a bit of a twinkle – very sorry to learn of the death, too young, of Marcus Gilbert, with whom I had a lovely time in Liverpool about a decade ago.”
Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies commented on the post: “Oh that’s sad news.”
“He was a giant of a man, broad-shouldered, deep-voiced, classically handsome… and yet he wore it all with a knowing wink and a wry smile,” a fan wrote on Facebook. “Most self-effacingly, he always seem to have an intense interest in your life as much as talking about his own.”
As well as starring in TV and film projects, and taking on stage roles, Gilbert starred in more than 50 commercials during his decades-spanning career.
He previously said of his work on adverts: “You just made any commercials for the money, they were never what you might call taxing – usually the bad ones were for abroad where they’d never be seen anyway!”
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Gilbert married a doctor, Homaa Khan-Gilbert, in 1992 and they had two children, son Maxi and daughter Aaliya. The couple remained together until Homaa died in 2020.
The actor’s death comes after he found love again with Lysette Anthony, 23 years after they starred opposite one another in the 1990 TV adaptation of Barbara Cartland’s 1951 novel A Ghost In Monte Carlo.