Michael Bates

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

52

Gender

Male

Birthday

1920-12-04

Day of death

1978-01-11 (57 years old)

Place of Birth

Jhansi, British India (now Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India)

Michael Bates

Biography

​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.

Known For

  • The Saint

    The Saint

  • BBC Play of the Month

    BBC Play of the Month

  • Last of the Summer Wine

    Last of the Summer Wine

  • No Hiding Place

    No Hiding Place

  • The Wednesday Play

    The Wednesday Play

  • Public Eye

    Public Eye

  • A Clockwork Orange

    A Clockwork Orange

  • The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

    The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

  • Man in a Suitcase

    Man in a Suitcase

  • Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

    Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

  • Patton

    Patton

  • Cilla

    Cilla

  • Frenzy

    Frenzy

  • Budgie

    Budgie

  • Ivanhoe

    Ivanhoe

  • It Ain't Half Hot Mum

    It Ain't Half Hot Mum

  • Fall of Eagles

    Fall of Eagles

  • Jason King

    Jason King

  • Gulliver's Travels

    Gulliver's Travels

  • Battle of Britain

    Battle of Britain

  • The Brahmin Widow

    The Brahmin Widow

  • Sling Your Hook

    Sling Your Hook

  • Ooh La La!

    Ooh La La!

  • Bedazzled

    Bedazzled

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream

    A Midsummer Night's Dream

  • The Spanish Gardener

    The Spanish Gardener

  • The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

    The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

  • Carrington V.C.

    Carrington V.C.

  • Dunkirk

    Dunkirk

  • Quay South

    Quay South

  • The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones

    The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones

  • Salt & Pepper

    Salt & Pepper

  • Oh! What a Lovely War

    Oh! What a Lovely War

  • Hammerhead

    Hammerhead

  • I'm All Right Jack

    I'm All Right Jack

  • Arthur? Arthur!

    Arthur? Arthur!

  • The Misfit

    The Misfit

  • Every Home Should Have One

    Every Home Should Have One

  • A Passage to India

    A Passage to India

  • The Stratford Adventure

    The Stratford Adventure

  • The Stone Tape

    The Stone Tape

  • Male of the Species

    Male of the Species

  • Six Dates with Barker

    Six Dates with Barker

  • Macready's Gala

    Macready's Gala

  • Armchair Theatre

    Armchair Theatre

  • Cluff

    Cluff

  • Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River

    Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River

  • No Sex Please - We're British

    No Sex Please - We're British

  • Male of the Species

    Male of the Species

  • Hokusai: An Animated Sketchbook

    Hokusai: An Animated Sketchbook

  • The Dick Emery Show

    The Dick Emery Show

  • The Fox Trot

    The Fox Trot