Beloved British actor Bryan Gardner dies at 73
Deseret News 3Jan99
By Ivan M. Lincoln: Deseret News theater editor

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - Mormon actor Bryan Gardner died December 28th at his home, while recuperating from bypass surgery. Gardner was 73.

Gardner was well known in Salt Lake for roles such as that of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in many productions of "Annie" and for roles in more than 60 other shows over a 25 year period.

Gardner grew up in London the son of the official physician to the King and Queen (parents of Queen Elizabeth) and was a playmate of both Queen Elizabeth and her sister Margaret. About 1950 he met missionaries in Hyde Park, and soon after joined the LDS Church, loosing his fiance (the singer Petula Clark) in the process. He later wed Katherine Kenner in the London Temple and with her became the father of five daughters. They were married for nearly 40 years.

Gardner persued an acting career, while paying the bills serving in the Royal Air Force as a radio technician. He also worked as a television critic for the Daily Express and as a late-night BBC disc jockey with a program called "The Late Bryan Gardner."

Gardner later moved to Utah and became a staple of the stage in Utah for more than 25 years.