- For the politician from Oregon, see Alan Bates
Dr. Alan C. Bates is a doctor and a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He is a member of the Oregon State Senate, representing the 3rd District since 2005...
Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of stage, screen and television.
Early life
Bates was born in
AllestreeAllestree is a suburb and ward of the city of Derby, a unitary authority area, in Derbyshire, England. It is the northernmost ward and is situated on the A6 road, about north of Derby city centre....
,
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 17 February 1934, the eldest of three sons of Florence Mary (
néeA married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage, and in speaking of the many cultures where the practice is traditional for women, the maiden name is the family name that the married name replaces....
Wheatcroft), a homemaker and a pianist, and Harold Arthur Bates, an insurance broker and a cellist. The family briefly moved to
MickleoverMickleover is a village located two miles west of the city centre and is the most westerly village of the City of Derby in the United Kingdom.-History:...
, then returned to Allestree. Both of his parents were amateur musicians, and encouraged him to pursue music, but by age 11, young Bates already had determined his life's course as an actor, and so they sent him for dramatic coaching instead. He also saw productions at Derby's Little Theatre on
Beckett Street. He was educated at the Herbert Strutt Grammar School (amalgamated in 1973 with two secondary modern schools and renamed Belper High School, which has now become
Belper SchoolBelper School and Sixth Form Centre is a comprehensive school located in the town of Belper, Derbyshire, England. It caters for around 1700 students between 11 and 18 years old. It has Foundation School status and is a specialist technology college. In 2007 Ofsted reported that this was a good...
although the former buildings are now the Herbert Strutt
primary school) on
Thornhill Avenue in
BelperBelper is a town and civil parish in the local government district of Amber Valley in Derbyshire, England.It is eight miles north of Derby, on the A6, by the River Derwent, and has a population of 20,548 in 8,790 households . It has regular bus services to Derby and to the north, to Ripley and...
,
DerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains...
and later earned a scholarship to the
Royal Academy of Dramatic ArtThe Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , in Bloomsbury, London, is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in Britain.-Admissions:...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, where he studied with
Albert FinneyAlbert Finney, Jr. is an English actor. Hailed as a "second Olivier" as a young stage actor in the late 1950s, Finney rose to film star fame in the early 1960s...
and
Peter O'ToolePeter Seamus O'Toole is an actor of stage and screen who achieved stardom in 1962 playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. He went on to become a highly-honored film and stage actor. He has been nominated for eight Academy Awards...
, before leaving to join the
RAFThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
for
National ServiceFull-time conscription in the United Kingdom was first introduced in 1916, and lasted from 1916 to 1919 and from 1939 to 1960. From 1948 it was generally known as National Service - during World Wars One and Two it was usually known as War Service or Military Service .-World War...
at
RAF NewtonRAF Newton was a Royal Air Force station, 7 miles east of Nottingham, England. It was used briefly as a bomber base and then as a flying training school during World War II....
.
Career
In 1956, Bates debuted on stage in the
West EndWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's "Theatreland". Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking world...
as Cliffe in
Look Back in AngerLook Back in Anger is a John Osborne play and 1958 movie about a love triangle involving an intelligent but disaffected young man , his upper-middle-class, impassive wife , and her haughty best friend . Cliff, an amiable Welsh lodger, attempts to keep the peace...
, a role he had originated at the
Royal CourtRoyal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court*Royal Court Theatre, in London, England...
and which made him a star. He also played the role on television (for the
ITV Playhouse) and on Broadway. In the late 1950s, he appeared in several plays for television in Britain. In 1960, he appeared in
The EntertainerThe Entertainer is a 1960 film adaptation of the stage play of the same name by John Osborne, which told the story of a failing third-rate music hall stage performer who tried to keep his career going even as his personal life fell apart....
opposite
Laurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson...
, his first film role. Bates worked for the
Padded Wagon Moving Company in the early 1960s while acting at the
Circle in the Square Theater in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. Throughout the 1960s he starred in several major films including
Whistle Down the WindWhistle Down the Wind is a 1961 British film, directed by Bryan Forbes, screenplay by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, from the novel by Mary Hayley Bell.-Plot:...
(1961),
A Kind of LovingA Kind of Loving is a novel by the English novelist Stan Barstow. First published in 1960, it has long been used as a set text in British schools...
(1962),
Zorba the GreekZorba the Greek is a 1964 film based on the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. The film was directed by Michael Cacoyannis and the title character was played by Anthony Quinn...
(1964), Phillipe de Broca's
King of HeartsKing of Hearts is a 1966 French film set in a small town in France near the end of World War I.As a German army retreats they booby-trap the whole town to explode...
(1966),
Georgy GirlGeorgy Girl is a British film based on a novel by Margaret Forster. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano and starred Lynn Redgrave as Georgy, Alan Bates, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling and Bill Owen....
(1966),
Far From the Madding CrowdFar from the Madding Crowd is a 1967 feature film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted from the book of the same name by Thomas Hardy. It was Schlesinger's fourth film and marked a stylistic shift away from his earlier works which explored contemporary urban mores. The cinematography was by...
(1967), and in the
Bernard MalamudBernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. Along with Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, he was one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century...
film
The FixerThe Fixer is a 1968 film based on the 1966 semi-biographical novel of the same name, written by Bernard Malamud.-Plot:Like the book, the film has for its main character Yakov Bok, a Jew living in the Russian Empire, who was unjustly imprisoned based on prejudice and the charge of having committing...
(1968), which gave him an
Academy AwardThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
nomination for
Best ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
. In 1969, he starred in
Women in LoveWomen in Love is a 1969 British film directed by Ken Russell which tells the story of the relationships between men and women during the early part of the 20th century. It stars Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson and Jennie Linden. The movie was adapted by Larry Kramer from the novel of the...
in which, along with
Oliver ReedRobert Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough-guy" roles...
, he became the first actor to perform in a frontal nude scene in a major studio motion picture.
Bates was handpicked by director
John SchlesingerJohn Richard Schlesinger, CBE was an English film and stage director.-Early life:Schlesinger was born in London into a middle class Jewish family, the son of Winifred Henrietta and Bernard Edward Schlesinger, a physician...
(with whom he had previously worked on
Far From The Madding Crowd) to star in the film
Sunday Bloody SundaySunday Bloody Sunday is a 1971 British film directed by John Schlesinger. It tells the story of a young bisexual designer and his simultaneous relationships with a recruitment consultant and a Jewish doctor...
(1971) in the role of Dr. Daniel Hirsh. Bates was held up filming
The Go-BetweenThe Go-Between is Harold Pinter's 1970 film adaptation of the novel by L. P. Hartley. A British production directed by Joseph Losey, it stars Dominic Guard , Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Margaret Leighton, Michael Redgrave, and Edward Fox.Pinter's screenplay—his final collaboration with Losey,...
(1970) for director
Joseph LoseyJoseph Losey was an American theater and film director. After studying in Germany with Bertolt Brecht, Losey returned to the United States, eventually making his way to Hollywood....
, and had also become a father around that time, and so he had to pass on the project. The part then went first to
Ian BannenIan Bannen was a Scottish character actor and occasional leading man.-Early life and career:Bannen was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, the son of Clare and John James Bannen, a lawyer. Bannen served in the army and attended St Aloysius' College, Glasgow and Ratcliffe College,...
, who balked at kissing and simulating sex with another man, and then to
Peter FinchPeter Finch was a British - born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as 'crazed' television anchorman Howard Beale in the film, Network, which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the BAFTA, and a Best Actor award from the Golden...
, who earned an Academy Award nomination for the role.
Bates continued to work in film and television throughout the 1970s and 80s, and starred in such international films as
An Unmarried WomanAn Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American drama film that tells the story of the wealthy New York wife Erica whose “perfect” life is shattered when her stockbroker husband Martin leaves her for a younger woman. The film documents Erica's attempts at being single again, where she suffers with...
(1978),
NijinskyNijinsky is a 1980 American biographical film directed by Herbert Ross. Hugh Wheeler, whose screenplay centers on the later life and career of Vaslav Nijinsky, used the legendary dancer's personal diaries and his wife's 1933 book Life of Nijinsky as his primary source materials.-Synopsis:The film...
(1980), and also played Bette Midler's ruthless business manager in the 1979 film
The RoseThe Rose is a 1979 film which tells the story of a self-destructive 1960s rock star who struggles to cope with the constant pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager. The film stars Bette Midler, Alan Bates, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton, Barry Primus, and...
. On television, his parts ranged from classic roles such as 1978's
The Mayor of CasterbridgeThe Mayor of Casterbridge is a tragic novel by English author Thomas Hardy, subtitled "The Life and Death of a Man of Character". It is set in the fictional town of Casterbridge...
(his favourite role he said), "A Voyage Around My Father" (1982),
An Englishman AbroadAn Englishman Abroad is a 1983 BBC television drama, based on the true story of a chance meeting of an actress, Coral Browne, with Guy Burgess, one of the famous group of Cambridge spies who worked for the Soviet Union whilst with MI6....
(1983) (playing
Guy BurgessGuy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
), and
Pack of LiesPack of Lies is a 1983 play by English writer Hugh Whitemore.Based on a true story, the plot centres on Bob and Barbara Jackson and their daughter Julie , a television reporter and newspaper journalist in the UK...
(1987) (in which he played a Russian spy).
He continued working in film and television in the 1990s, including the role of Claudius in Mel Gibson's version of
HamletHamlet is a 1990 film based on the Shakespearean play of the same name. Mel Gibson has the title role as the young Prince Hamlet, Glenn Close plays his mother, Queen Gertrude, Alan Bates plays his uncle, the now King Claudius, Paul Scofield appears as the ghost of Hamlet's Father, Ian Holm plays...
(1990), though most of his roles in this era were more low-key.
In 2001, Bates joined an all-star cast in
Robert AltmanRobert Bernard Altman was an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective...
's critically acclaimed period drama
Gosford ParkGosford Park is a 2001 film directed by Robert Altman. The screenplay is by Julian Fellowes, based on an idea by Altman and producer Bob Balaban...
, in which he played the butler Jennings. He later played Antonius Agrippa in the 2004 TV film
SpartacusSpartacus is a 2004 television adaptation of the Howard Fast novel, made by USA Network Pictures and distributed by USA Cable Entertainment LLC and Universal Home Entertainment...
, but died before it debuted. The film was dedicated to his memory and that of writer
Howard FastHoward Melvin Fast was a Jewish American novelist and television writer, who wrote also under the pen names E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.-Early life:Fast was born in New York City...
, who wrote the original novel that inspired the film
SpartacusSpartacus is a historical drama movie directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the novel of the same name by Howard Fast about the historical life of Spartacus and the Third Servile War. The film stars Kirk Douglas as rebellious slave Spartacus and Laurence Olivier as his foe, the Roman general...
by
Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick was an American director, writer, producer, and photographer of films, who lived in England during most of the last 40 years of his career...
.
On stage, Bates had a particular association with the plays of
Simon GraySimon James Holliday Gray, CBE , was a British playwright and memoirist who also had a career as a university lecturer in English literature at Queen Mary, University of London, for 20 years...
, appearing in
Butley,
Otherwise EngagedOtherwise Engaged is a bleakly comic play by English playwright Simon Gray. It opened at the Queen's Theatre in London on 10 July 1975, with Alan Bates as the star and Harold Pinter as director, produced by Michael Codron. Ian Charleson co-starred as Dave, a Glasgow lout...
,
Stage Struck,
Melon,
Life Support and
Simply Disconnected, as well as the film of
Butley and Gray's TV series
Unnatural Pursuits.
Bates was made a
Commander of the Order of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE) in 1996, and was
knightedThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 2003. He was an Associate Member of
RADARada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages.Normally it is translated as "council"...
and was a patron of The Actors Centre, Covent Garden, London from 1994 until his death in 2003 (previous Patrons: Lord Olivier, Sir Alec Guinness).
Personal life
Bates was married to
Victoria WardVictoria Ward was an English actress. She was married to the actor Sir Alan Bates from 1970 until her premature death from a heart attack in 1992. They had twin sons - the actors Benedick Bates and the late Tristan Bates. Tristan died suddenly from an asthma attack in 1990....
from 1970 until her death from a wasting disease in 1992. They had twin sons born in November 1970, the actors
Benedick BatesBenedick Bates is a British actor.The son of actor Alan Bates and actress Victoria Ward, he trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art....
and Tristan Bates. Tristan died following an asthma attack in 1990..
In the later years of his life, Bates' companion was his lifelong friend, actress
Joanna Pettet__forcetoc__Joanna Pettet is a British actress.-Biography:Her father, Harold Nigel Edgerton Salmon, was a British Royal Air Force pilot killed in World War II...
, his co-star in the 1964 Broadway play
Poor Richard. They divided their time between
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Bates had also had many relationships with men, which were detailed in his posthumous biography (see below).
Bates died of
pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer is a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. Each year in the United States, about 42,470 individuals are diagnosed with this condition and 35,240 die from the disease. The prognosis is generally poor; less than 5 percent of those diagnosed are still alive five years after diagnosis...
in 2003.
Otherwise Engaged
The posthumous publication of
Donald SpotoDonald Spoto , is an American celebrity biographer, Catholic theologian and former monk. He is best known for his best-selling biographies of film and theatre celebrities such as Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, Ingrid Bergman, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlene Dietrich,...
's book,
Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates, is the only authorized biography of Alan Bates and is intended to remain so. It was written with the full and complete cooperation of his son
Benedick BatesBenedick Bates is a British actor.The son of actor Alan Bates and actress Victoria Ward, he trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art....
and Bates' younger brother Martin, and includes more than one hundred interviews with people such as Michael Linnit and Rosalind Chatto. Bates had numerous homosexual relationships throughout his life, including those with actors
Nickolas GraceNickolas Grace is a British actor, best known for his roles on television, most notably Anthony Blanche in the acclaimed ITV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited and the Sheriff of Nottingham in the iconic 1980s series Robin of Sherwood.-Early Stage Work:Grace made his theatrical debut in weekly rep...
and
Peter WyngardePeter Paul Wyngarde is an Anglo-French actor best known for playing the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist turned sleuth, in two British television series in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Department S and Jason King .-Biography:He was born in Marseille, France, the son of an English...
, and Olympic skater
John CurryJohn Curry was a British figure skater. He was the 1976 Olympic and World Champion. He was famous for combining ballet and modern dance influences into his skating.-Biography:...
. Bates was present when Curry died from
AIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus ....
in 1994. Even when homosexuality was partially decriminalised in Britain in 1967, the need to preserve his public image left him terrified of exposure. Bates rigorously avoided interviews and questions about his personal life, and even denied to his lovers that there was a gay component in his nature. Throughout his life Bates sought to be regarded as a
ladies' manA ladies' man is a male seducer of women.Ladies' Man may also refer to:*Ladies' Man, a 1931 Lothar Mendes film*The Ladies Man, a 1961 Jerry Lewis film*Ladies Man , sitcom television series...
or at least as a man who, as an actor, could appear attractive to and attracted by women.
Tristan Bates Theatre
Sir Alan and his family set up the Tristan Bates Theatre at the Actors' Centre in
Covent GardenCovent Garden is a district in London, England, located in the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwestern corner of the London Borough of Camden...
, in memory of his son, Tristan, who died at the age of 19. Tristan's twin brother,
BenedickBenedick Bates is a British actor.The son of actor Alan Bates and actress Victoria Ward, he trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art....
, is a vice-director.
Filmography
- It's Never too Late (1956)
- The Entertainer
The Entertainer may refer to:*The Entertainer , a 1902 classic piano rag written by Scott Joplin*The Entertainer , a 1957 play starring Laurence Olivier*The Entertainer , a 1960 film adaptation of the play, also starring Olivier...
(1960)
- Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind may refer to:* Whistle Down the Wind , a film directed by Bryan Forbes* Whistle Down the Wind , a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the film...
(1961)
- A Kind of Loving
A Kind of Loving is a novel by the English novelist Stan Barstow. First published in 1960, it has long been used as a set text in British schools...
(1962)
- The Caretaker
The Caretaker is a play by Harold Pinter. It was first published by both Encore Publishing and Eyre Methuen in 1960. The sixth play that Pinter wrote for stage or television production, it was his first significant commercial success...
(1963)
- The Running Man
The Running Man is a 1963 British drama film directed by Carol Reed, starring Laurence Harvey as a man who fakes his own death in a glider accident, then runs into trouble when an insurance investigator starts taking a close interest....
(1963)
- Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek is a 1964 film based on the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. The film was directed by Michael Cacoyannis and the title character was played by Anthony Quinn...
(1964)
- Nothing But the Best
Nothing But the Best is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Clive Donner.-Selected cast:*Alan Bates as Jimmy Brewster*Denholm Elliott as Charlie Prince*Harry Andrews as Mr. Horton*Millicent Martin as Ann Horton*Pauline Delaney as Mrs. March...
- Once Upon a Tractor (1965)
- Georgy Girl
Georgy Girl is a British film based on a novel by Margaret Forster. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano and starred Lynn Redgrave as Georgy, Alan Bates, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling and Bill Owen....
(1966)
- Roi de coeur, Le
King of Hearts is a 1966 French film set in a small town in France near the end of World War I.As a German army retreats they booby-trap the whole town to explode...
(1966) (aka "King of Hearts")
- Far from the Madding Crowd
Far from the Madding Crowd is a 1967 feature film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted from the book of the same name by Thomas Hardy. It was Schlesinger's fourth film and marked a stylistic shift away from his earlier works which explored contemporary urban mores. The cinematography was by...
(1967)
- The Fixer
The Fixer is a 1968 film based on the 1966 semi-biographical novel of the same name, written by Bernard Malamud.-Plot:Like the book, the film has for its main character Yakov Bok, a Jew living in the Russian Empire, who was unjustly imprisoned based on prejudice and the charge of having committing...
(1968)
- Women in Love
Women in Love is a 1969 British film directed by Ken Russell which tells the story of the relationships between men and women during the early part of the 20th century. It stars Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson and Jennie Linden. The movie was adapted by Larry Kramer from the novel of the...
(1969)
- Three Sisters (1970)
- The Go-Between
The Go-Between is Harold Pinter's 1970 film adaptation of the novel by L. P. Hartley. A British production directed by Joseph Losey, it stars Dominic Guard , Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Margaret Leighton, Michael Redgrave, and Edward Fox.Pinter's screenplay—his final collaboration with Losey,...
(1970)
- Story of a Love Story
Story of a Love Story, also known as Impossible Object, is a 1973 drama film starring Alan Bates and Dominique Sanda. It was directed by John Frankenheimer and based on a novel by Nicholas Mosley...
(1973)
- Butley
Butley is a 1971 play by Simon Gray. The title character, a literary professor and T. S. Eliot scholar, is a suicidal alcoholic who loses his wife and male lover on the same day...
(1974)
- In Celebration
In Celebration is a 1975 film directed by Lindsay Anderson. It is based in the 1969 stage production of the same name by David Storey which was also directed by Anderson. The movie was meant to be shown theatrically with tickets sold in advance....
(1975)
- Royal Flash
Royal Flash is a 1975 film based on George MacDonald Fraser's second Flashman novel, Royal Flash. It starred Malcolm McDowell as Flashman. Oliver Reed appeared in the role of Otto von Bismarck, Alan Bates as Rudi von Sternberg, and Florinda Bolkan played Lola Montez...
(1975)
- An Unmarried Woman
An Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American drama film that tells the story of the wealthy New York wife Erica whose “perfect” life is shattered when her stockbroker husband Martin leaves her for a younger woman. The film documents Erica's attempts at being single again, where she suffers with...
(1978)
- The Shout
The Shout is a 1978 film by Jerzy Skolimowski based on a short story by Robert Graves.- Plot :It stars Alan Bates as a mysterious traveling musician who invades the lives of a young couple, played by Susannah York and John Hurt...
(1978)
- The Rose
The Rose is a 1979 film which tells the story of a self-destructive 1960s rock star who struggles to cope with the constant pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager. The film stars Bette Midler, Alan Bates, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton, Barry Primus, and...
(1979)
- Nijinsky
Nijinsky is a 1980 American biographical film directed by Herbert Ross. Hugh Wheeler, whose screenplay centers on the later life and career of Vaslav Nijinsky, used the legendary dancer's personal diaries and his wife's 1933 book Life of Nijinsky as his primary source materials.-Synopsis:The film...
(1980)
- Rece do góry
Ręce do góry is a Polish drama film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski. It is the fourth of a series of semi-autobiographical films in whch Skolimowski himself plays his alter ego, Andrzej Leszczyc.The film was originally made in 1967 in monochrome...
(1981)
- Quartet
Quartet is a 1981 Merchant Ivory Film, starring Isabelle Adjani, Maggie Smith and Alan Bates set in 1924 Paris. It premiered at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival and was an entry for the Selection Officiel .-Credit:...
(1981)
- The Return of the Soldier
The Return of the Soldier is a 1982 British film starring Alan Bates as Baldry and co-starring Julie Christie, Ian Holm, Glenda Jackson, and Ann-Margret about a shell-shocked officer's return from the First World War....
(1982)
- Britannia Hospital
Britannia Hospital is a 1982 feature film by British director Lindsay Anderson. A black comedy, it targets the National Health Service, and by extension, contemporary Britain. It was entered into the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot summary:...
(1982)
- The Wicked Lady
The Wicked Lady is a 1983 British drama film directed by Michael Winner. It was screened out of competition at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. It is a remake of the 1945 film of the same name....
(1983)
- Duet for One
Duet for One is a film based on an award-winning British play by Tom Kempinski about a world-famous concert violinist named Stephanie Anderson who is suddenly struck with multiple sclerosis. It is set in London and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky...
(1986)
- A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying is a 1987 thriller film about a former IRA member trying to escape his past. The film was directed by Mike Hodges, and stars Mickey Rourke,Liam Neeson Bob Hoskins, and Alan Bates. The film is based on the Jack Higgins novel of the same name.-External links:* *...
(1987)
- We Think the World of You (1988)
- Force majeure (1989)
- Hamlet
Hamlet is a 1990 film based on the Shakespearean play of the same name. Mel Gibson has the title role as the young Prince Hamlet, Glenn Close plays his mother, Queen Gertrude, Alan Bates plays his uncle, the now King Claudius, Paul Scofield appears as the ghost of Hamlet's Father, Ian Holm plays...
(1990)
- "Dr. M
Dr. M. may refer to:*Dr. M , a 1990 film starring Andrew McCarthy*Dr M or Mahathir bin Mohamad, fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia...
" (1990)
- Silent Tongue
Silent Tongue is a Western written and directed by Sam Shepard. It was filmed in Spring 1992, but not released until 1994. It was filmed near Roswell, New Mexico and features Richard Harris, Shelia Tousey, Alan Bates, Dermot Mulroney and River Phoenix....
(1994)
- Oliver's Travels
Oliver's Travels is a five-part television miniseries written by Alan Plater and starring Alan Bates, Sinéad Cusack, Bill Paterson, and Miles Anderson. It first aired in the UK in 1995....
(1995)
- Nicholas' Gift (1998)
- Gosford Park
Gosford Park is a 2001 film directed by Robert Altman. The screenplay is by Julian Fellowes, based on an idea by Altman and producer Bob Balaban...
(2001)
- The Sum of All Fears
The Sum of All Fears is the best-selling thriller novel by Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series. It was the fourth book of the series to be turned into a film....
(2002)
- The Mothman Prophecies
The Mothman Prophecies is a 2002 film directed by Mark Pellington, adapted from the 1976 book of the same name by parapsychologist and Fortean John Keel. The film stars Richard Gere as John Klein, a reporter who researches the legend of the Mothman....
(2002)
Other projects, contributions
- When Love Speaks
When Love Speaks is a compilation album that features interpretations of William Shakespeare's sonnets and excerpts from his plays by famous actors and musicians, released under EMI Classics in April 2002.-Track listing:...
(2002, EMI ClassicsEMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
) - "Sonnet 66Sonnet 66 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It's a member of the Fair Youth sequence, in which the poet expresses his love towards a young man.-Synopsis:...
" ("Tired with all these, for restful death I cry")
Awards
- 2002 Best Actor Tony and Drama Desk, for Fortune's Fool
- 2000 Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award for Unexpected Man
- 1983 Variety Club Award for A Patriot for Me
- 1975 Variety Club Award for Otherwise Engaged
- 1971 Evening Standard Best Actor Award for Butley
- 1972 Best Actor Tony for Butley (a performance he recreated in the film version of the same name, Butley
Butley is a 1971 play by Simon Gray. The title character, a literary professor and T. S. Eliot scholar, is a suicidal alcoholic who loses his wife and male lover on the same day...
in 1974)
- 1959 Clarence Derwent Award for A Long Day's Journey Into Night
External links