Film star who loved life in community

Tributes have been pouring in to his family in memory of all that he did in Calne.

The actor died after a heart attack while filming in Romania last week.

Mr Hemmings, 62, was with his wife, Lucy, in Bucharest filming Samantha's Child.

He had just finished his final shots of the day and was going back to his trailer with his wife to get changed when he collapsed. Paramedics on the scene were unable to revive him.

Mr Hemmings was a sixties film icon who stood alongside Terence Stamp and Michael Caine.

His body was brought back to Calne at the weekend, and his relatives are planning a private family funeral at St Mary's Church next week.

His wife said: "The family are very shocked. We would like a little moment to ourselves now."

A memorial service will be held in London early next year.

Mrs Hemmings said she had received messages of condolence from across the world since her husband's death.

She said: "David made friends wherever he went in the world from top actors to the chap that was making the tea on the film set.

"People locally have been incredibly kind and I really appreciate it. It is lovely to know that we have so many friends."

Mrs Hemmings said she had no intention of leaving Calne and wanted to continue getting involved in the community.

The couple moved to the town in 1998 because they wanted to get out of London. They had been living together since 1993 after they met through a mutual friend.

She said: "We have family nearby and quite a lot of friends in the area. My mother found us our house. It was the only one we looked at, it was perfect. We loved the town, there was always something going on and it is a lovely location.

"David wanted to get away from the frenetic pace of American life. He appreciated the calm and friendly atmosphere in Calne. He was very, very happy here. He loved it."

Mrs Hemmings said her husband enjoyed being part of the community and was enthusiastic about everything.

"He threw his wholehearted support behind campaigns. We would have loved to have done more, but he did what he could, when he could," she said.

During his five years in Calne Mr Hemmings got involved in many local issues. He took a bus of 25 friends to Devizes cinema as part of a bid to stop it from closure, he gave donations to Calne Rugby Club, he supported the Calne big baton challenge, appeared at the Atwell-Martin Museum fundraising evening, supported the Gazette's A4 campaign, and protested against a second bookmaker opening in Calne.

He argued that although he had nothing against bookmakers, the town needed a variety of shops. He was also due to open the Calne Music and Arts Festival in October 2004.

Mrs Hemmings said living in a rural town helped to calm her husband after years of hectic schedules working in America.

His marriage to her was quite the reverse of his extravagant Los Angeles wedding to Gayle Hunnicutt in 1968.

"We wanted to make sure our wedding was quiet and just have it as a family thing. No-one knew about it."

The couple had a low-key ceremony at Chippenham Register Office on October 18, 2002.

Mr Hemmings always remained close to all his children and grandchildren, and would spend time playing pool with his sons at Calne Rugby Club.

Mrs Hemmings said: "We are all very close, which is wonderful. His granddaughters called him TUMPS Totally Useless Male Poet, which shows how fond they were of him and the closeness they had. Poetry was another one of his passions."

The family always spent Christmas at home in Calne and often had to have two or three Christmas'meals for all their relatives.

Mr Hemmings was vice-president of the Calne Rugby Club and was about to be asked to become an honorary member.

Chairman Peter Brummell said Mr Hemming's death was a very sad loss for Calne.

"David always gave generously in many different ways in support of activities in Calne. He regularly spent time at the club enjoying a drink with other members. He was just one of us."

Mr Brummell said Mr Hemmings even brought showbiz friends Michael Caine, Albert Finney and Tom Courtney to the club for a drink.

The club held a minute's silence as a mark of respect at their home game on Saturday.

Peter Tate, trustee of the Atwell Martin Motor Museum said he was delighted when Mr Hemmings agreed to come to the fundraising cheese and wine evening last year.

He said: "He mingled with the people. Quite a few friends of his were regularly Joes and Joesses, but he was definitely a film star of some stature. He was just that little big larger than life.

"He invited my wife and I to his house. He talked about how he enjoyed living in Calne where he could freely walk about. We are both privileged in having that little cameo of him."

Neighbour Carol O'Gorman said she was very sorryto learn of her friend's death.

"He was such an open person and so lovely and caring. Anything I asked him he would have done for the community, He was always promoting youth and sport. He was also a brilliant magician."

Mrs Hemmings said she fell in love with Mr Hemmings because of his magic personality and his fantastic sense of humour. She also said he was ever the gentleman.

"I got a letter from a lady who I don't know who said what a gentleman he was. He always doffed his hat to her. Just little touches like that are special."

Mr Hemmings returned to acting three years ago after a long stint behind the camera as a director, producer and writer.

His latest film Samantha's Child featured Hollywood actress Heather Graham.

The independent film directed by commercial director Simon Foy follows the story of Samantha, who is unable to get pregnant.

She goes to a fertility clinic where she is unknowingly impregnated with the devil's DNA.

Life and loves of film star

David Hemmings is most famous for his provocative role in the sixties movie Blow Up but during his extensive career he has also been a singer, director, writer and producer.

Born in Guildford, Surrey in 1941, he began his career in show business at the age of nine. He toured with the English Opera Group and in 1954 he made his film debut in The Rainbow Jacket.

After his voice broke he took up art and studied at the Epsom School of Art. He had his first exhibition at 15.

After turning down an offer to study to be a tenor, Mr Hemmings pursued his acting career during his late teens. At 19 he married Jenny Lewis and they had a daughter called Deborah. They divorced three years later.

His break into stardom happened when he was chosen to replace Terence Stamp in the lead role of Blow Up. The film was considered racy for its time and Mr Hemmings played alongside a topless Vanessa Redgrave.

Following the critical acclaim of Blow Up, Mr Hemmings had a string of hits including The Charge of the Light Brigade and Barbarella.

In 1968 he married American actress Gayle Hunnicutt in a lavish ceremony in Los Angeles, complete with a swimming pool filled with doves dyed pink. The couple had one son, Nolan, but divorced in 1974.

By then he had international fame particularly for his lifestyle and lovers.

In 1972 he directed his first film Running Scared and four years later he married Prudence J. de Casembroot and had three sons, George, Edward, and William, and a daughter, Charlotte.

During the 1980s he produced and directed American television programmes such as Magnum PI, Murder She Wrote and Airwolf. He directed the A-Team for four years.

He separated from his third wife in 1993 and returned to London where he lived with Lucy Williams and her daughter Louisa.

The couple moved to Calne in 1998 and were secretly married at Chippenham register office on October 18 2002.

He often described himself as a dedicated Wiltshireman and seemed to finally settle in the quiet rural town.

In 2000 he returned to the screen as Cassius in the blockbuster hit Gladiator. He also appeared in Last Orders alongside Michael Caine, Mean Machine starring Vinnie Jones and the Martin Scorsese epic The Gangs of New York.

His most recent appearance was in The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, which is currently showing in cinemas.