Biography

Gareth Jones

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Gareth Jones was a young Welsh actor, largely remembered for suffering a fatal heart attack off-camera during a live television broadcast in 1958. Born on 6 June, 1925 in Lampeter, Wales, to Margaret Jane (Megicks) and John Lewis Jones, a village schoolmaster, he was educated at Tregaron County School. After completing national service and a brief period studying at Aberystwyth University, he went on to fulfill his ambition to train at drama school in London. His professional debut with the Dundee Rep in 1952 was closely followed by a season with the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company in Stratford and a variety of stage roles in the West End, including three successive plays directed by Peter Brook. As his reputation grew, he became a regular performer in television dramas such as Thunder on Sycamore Street (1957), BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950) and Armchair Theatre (1956), and at the time of his death was widely recognized as a rising talent with great potential for playing character leads on film and television.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anon

Died during the live broadcast of Underground (1958). His character was supposed to suffer a heart attack during the show, but Jones actually had one.
A close friend of Donald Houston and Robert Shaw.
At the time of his death in November 1958 he was engaged to a Llanelli-born schoolteacher, living and working in London. They had plans to get married the following February. In August 1956 they attended the wedding in Stratford-upon-Avon of George Hart and Juliet Byam Shaw, the daughter of Glen Byam Shaw, co-director of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, and the actress Angela Baddeley. Jones was best man and other guests included the bride's aunt, Hermione Baddeley, Emlyn Williams and Anthony Quayle.
Studied at Aberystwyth University in Wales at the same time as Dorothea Phillips and Rachel Roberts. They were all members of the Drama Society and acted together in a prize winning performance of Ibsen's "Ghosts".
Trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and was highly commended for playing Tartuffe in his end of year performance in June 1952. The judges at the St James's Theatre were Wendy Hiller, Norman Marshall and Michael Redgrave. Among those watching were Laurence Olivier, Lewis Casson, Moira Shearer and Hermione Gingold.

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