Died: Jun 15, 1991 in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England
Occupation: Actor, Writer, Director
Active: '30s-'50s
Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
Career Highlights: In Which We Serve, Thunder Rock, One of Our Aircraft Is Missing
First Major Screen Credit: One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1941)
Biography
A graduate of the Pembrooke College of Oxford University, Bernard Miles taught school before entering films as a bit player in 1933. A regular in the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Miles played many a bucolic rustic before graduating to larger roles; his first starring assignment was in Noel Coward's In Which We Serve (1942). He contributed to the scripts of several films, and was director of the 1944 comedy Tawny Pipit, which he also co-wrote and co-produced. Miles' many memorable screen characterizations included Joe Gargery in Great Expectations (1946) and Newton Noggs in Nicholas Nickelby (1947). In 1959, Miles and his wife, Josephine Wilson, founded England's Mermaid Theatre. Knighted in 1969, Bernard Miles was given a life peerage in 1979, ending his days answering to both Lord Bernard Miles and Baron Bernard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
His typical persona as an actor was as a countryman, with a strong accent typical of the Hertfordshire/Buckinghamshire
Counties. He was also, after Robert Newton the actor most associated with the part of
Long John Silver, which he played in a British TV version of Treasure Island, and in an annual performance at the Mermaid. He had a pleasant rolling
bass-baritone voice that worked well in theatre and film, as well as being much in demand for voice-overs.
He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London
in 1959. He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1953, was
knighted in 1969, and was granted a life peerage as
Baron Miles, of Blackfriars in the City of London in 1979. In 1981, he
co-authored the book Curtain Calls with J.C. Trewin. He died in Yorkshire
His daughters are the actress Sally Miles and the artist Bridget
Miles. His son John Miles was a Grand Prix Driver in the late 1960s and
early 1970s with the Lotus team.
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