[1] He had previously attended the Elliott School, Putney from 1958 to 1962[2] before becoming a bodybuilder and one of Britain's most popular "physique models" in the late 1960s before turning to acting, studying at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, and appearing in the stage farce There's a Girl in My Soup.
Hamill's background as a physique model, which included cover appearances on several beefcake publications and the occasional 8 mm 'posing strap' film, earned him a considerable gay following, which is still visible on the internet today.
[3] It would also prove good training for his later nude appearances in David Grant's sex films and nudity ridden horror titles like Tower of Evil (1972), in which Hamill's role is synopsized by The Bare Facts Video Guide as "Buns, walking with Penny, then more buns, rolling into the water, dead".
[4] Hamill's other film appearances included Trog (1970), No Blade of Grass (1970), Travels with My Aunt (1972) and Hardcore (1977).
[5] Television appearances included: Crossroads, The Shadow of the Tower, Space: 1999, The Venturers, 1990, Doctor Who (in the serial The Ribos Operation),[6] Dennis Potter's play Double Dare, and The Professionals.