He was the son of Edmund Filmer, a younger son of Sir Edmund Filmer, 6th Baronet, and his wife Emelia Skene, daughter of
George Skene. He matriculated in 1827 at
Oriel College, Oxford. Filmer was elected to the
House of Commons at a
by-election in March 1838 as a
Member of Parliament (MP) for
West Kent, having unsuccessfully contested the same constituency at the
1837 general election. He held the seat until his death in 1857, aged 47. ==Arms==