Michael Bates

Michael Bates
Cyril Blamire played by Michael Bates, playing the piano in the cafe while Ivy and Sid (Jane Freeman and John Comer) look on, in Last of the Summer Wine.
Born	Michael Bates 4 December 1920(1920-12-04) Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Died	11 January 1978 (aged 57) Cambridge, England

Michael Bates (December 4, 1920 – January 11, 1978) was a British actor born in Jhansi, United Provinces India.

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 blacked-up to look like an Indian, though his defence was 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.

Bates' film roles include Battle of Britain as Warrant Officer Warwick, Patton as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery (to whom he bore a striking resemblance), Frenzy by Alfred Hitchcock, and the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange. 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.

Selected Television Roles

External links

• Michael Bates at the Internet Movie Database

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