Gary Olsen

Gary Olsen (born Gary Kenneth Grant; 3 November 1957 – 12 September 2000) was an English actor. He played Ben Porter on the BBC television sitcom 2point4 Children from 1991 to 1999. Biography Olsen was born in London and lived with an aunt and uncle after both his parents, Patricia and Kenny, died when he was young. He attended the Archbishop Tenison's Church of England School in Kennington. After school he joined various junior stage groups and toured with fringe theatrical companies, such as Incubus and Lumiere and Son, until late 1976. At this point he immersed himself in the punk rock scene as lead vocalist with the band Swank (alongside future members of the Lurkers, Chelsea, and Cuddly Toys) until returning to theatre in 1978. Later he helped develop the musical production Up on the Roof, in which he starred in 1987 at London's Donmar and Apollo theatres. He made his screen debut in 1979 as Rory Storm in Birth of The Beatles, and appeared in numerous British films and television programmes, including Quadrophenia after being suggested to the director by his long time friend Gary Holton. He played PC Dave Litten in the first series of The Bill, but achieved mainstream success only with the role of Ben in the sitcom 2point4 Children (1991–1999). He played a starring film role as Arthur Hoyle alongside Samantha Janus and Neil Morrissey in the rugby league comedy, Up 'n' Under. He appeared in many TV adverts, including a 1996 National Westminster Bank advertising campaign. In addition to his screen appearances he made numerous stage appearances including The Rocky Horror Show and What the Butler Saw. He also played 'Pope Liberty III' in the Australian production of the musical Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom.