Michael Bates

Known for ActingBorn 1920-12-04Died 1978-01-11Jhansi, British India (now Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Michael Hammond Bates was an Indian-born English actor. He was educated at Uppingham School in Rutland and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. Bates served as a Major serving with the Brigade of Gurkhas in Burma before his discharge at the end of World War II. In 1953, while an ensemble member with the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, he appeared in Richard III and All's Well That End's Well. In 1956 he appeared in Hotel Paradiso which starred Alec Guinness, at the Winter Garden Theatre in London. He appeared in many UK television series including Last of the Summer Wine from 1973 to 1975 as Cyril Blamire and It Ain't Half Hot Mum from 1974 to 1977 as Rangi Ram, as well as many others. His role as Rangi Ram caused some controversy as it required Bates to be made-up with fake tan to look like an Indian, which he took to naturally as he was born in India and spoke the Hindi language fluently. On radio he played a variety of characters in the BBC's long-running comedy series The Navy Lark. These were: Able Seaman Ginger, Lt. Bates, Rear Admiral Ironbridge, the Padre and Captain Ignatius Aloysius Atchison. Bates' film roles include Battle of Britain (1969) as Warrant Officer Warwick, Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) as a Lance-corporal, Patton (1970) as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery (to whom he bore a striking resemblance), Frenzy (1972) by Alfred Hitchcock, and the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange (1971). On stage, he did Shakespeare at Stratford and the Old Vic and made a big impression as Inspector Truscott in the West End production of Loot by Joe Orton in 1966. He died of cancer in Cambridge, aged 57. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Bates (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.Read more

Movies & web series

Ooh La La!

The Fox Trot

The Misfit

A Clockwork Orange

Public Eye

Sling Your Hook

Cilla

A Passage to India

The Dick Emery Show

Jason King

The Four Just Men

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

Patton

It Ain't Half Hot Mum

Six Dates with Barker

The Saint

Man in a Suitcase

Budgie

Last of the Summer Wine

Theatre 625

Frenzy

Hokusai: An Animated Sketchbook

Fall of Eagles

ITV Saturday Night Theatre

ITV Playhouse

Macready's Gala

Battle of Britain

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Dunkirk

Oh! What a Lovely War

Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River

I'm All Right Jack

Ivanhoe

The Spanish Gardener

Bedazzled

The Stone Tape

The Stratford Adventure

The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

Carrington V.C.

Armchair Theatre

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

Gulliver's Travels

Hammerhead

Male of the Species

Salt & Pepper

No Sex Please - We're British

BBC Play of the Month

The Wednesday Play