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John George Norman Bird (30 October 1924 – 22 April 2005) was an English character actor.
1962
John George Norman Bird (30 October 1924 – 22 April 2005) was an English character actor.
Bird was born in Coalville, Leicestershire, England. A RADA graduate, he made his West End debut in Peter Brook's production of The Winter's Tale at the Phoenix Theatre in 1951. He was also a member of the BBC's Radio Drama Company. His first film appearance was as the foreman in An Inspector Calls (1954).
He was a familiar face to British cinema audiences of the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in nearly 50 films such as The Angry Silence (1960), The League of Gentlemen (1960), Whistle Down the Wind (1961), Victim (1961) and Term of Trial (1962) with Laurence Olivier and The Hill with Sean Connery (1965).
He had over 200 television appearances, notably as Mr Braithwaite in Worzel Gummidge (1979–81) and Mr Arrad in the Fawlty Towers episode "Waldorf Salad" (1979). His long list of credits include Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, Rising Damp, Ever Decreasing Circles, Yes Minister, To Serve Them All My Days, All Creatures Great and Small, Z-Cars, Public Eye, The Saint, Department S, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Boon. In 1990 he appeared in Stay Lucky, with Dennis Waterman, which marked his 200th television appearance. One of his last film appearances was as a taxi driver in Richard Attenborough's Shadowlands (1993).
Gender
Male
Birthday
October 30, 1920
Died
April 22, 2005
Birthplace
Coalville, Leicestershire, England, UK
Also Known As
The Final Conflict
1981
First Men in the Moon
1964
The Mind Benders
1963
The Hill
1965
The Cracksman
1963
The Medusa Touch
1978
Miss Pym's Day Out
1992
Victim
1961
Monkey Tricks
1976
The Virgin and the Gypsy
1970
Pot Luck
1976
The Lord of the Rings
1978
The Punch and Judy Man
1963
Shadowlands
1993
The Slipper and the Rose
1976
Term of Trial
1962
Maniac
1963
An Inspector Calls
1954
The Raging Moon
1971
Doomwatch
1972
+ 47 more movies
Coronation Street
1960
The Saint
1962
The Saint
1962
The Avengers
1961
Crown Court
1972
Z-Cars
1962
Screen Two
1985
Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
No Hiding Place
1959
All Creatures Great and Small
1978
Fawlty Towers
1975
Theatre 625
1964
Public Eye
1965
Angels
1975
Yes Minister
1980
The Adventurer
1972
Return of the Saint
1978
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
1971
Drama 61-67
1961
Softly Softly: Task Force
1969
+ 29 more TV shows