Actor Mark Farmer, best known for his childhood role in Grange Hill, has died aged 53.
Mark, who played football team captain Gary Hargreaves in the popular children’s programme between 1979 and 1981, died of cancer on Tuesday.
The news was announced on a Grange Hill Twitter account.
Its with great sadness we report the sad passing of Mark Farmer (Gary). R.I.P Mark #GrangeHill #Minder pic.twitter.com/FGDkw1JYoa
— GrangeHill1978-2008 (@GrangeHillYears) April 26, 2016
In the 1980s, Mark also had a role in ITV comedy-drama series Minder which starred George Cole and Dennis Waterman. He also had the lead role in the BBC’s Johnny Jarvis.
Having joined Grange Hill at the age of 17, he went on to land roles in Channel 4′s sitcom Relative Strangers and the 1987 TV film Mister Corbett’s Ghost.
R.I.P. Mark Farmer a.k.a. #GrangeHill's Gary Hargreaves #JohnnyJarvis #Minder #80s #80sTV #forgotten80s pic.twitter.com/aqvJfRUDuw
— Sarah Lewis (@MyEighties) April 26, 2016
Mark, who had also played in ska group Bad Manners, was a keen musician and a member of the band Lighthouse.
Tributes were paid to the actor by his former Grange Hill cast members.
In a post on a Grange Hill website, Mark Burdis, who played Stewpot Stewart in the series, said: “Very sad to hear the dreadful news about an old friend, Mark Farmer. Yet another talent lost to this dreadful disease. We must find a cure.”
Sad news about #MarkFarmer. He was excellent opposite #MatthewKelly in C4's #RelativeStrangers – still one of that channel's biggest sitcoms
— Marks and Gran (@marksandgran) April 29, 2016
George Armstrong, who starred as the rebel Alan Humphries, also paid tribute on the website.
He said: “Just heard an old friend Mark Farmer has passed away. When I started Grange Hill Mark was one of the people who helped me through the first few series. My thoughts and love go out to his family, gone too young.”
