Alan Bates

2025-10-30T21:27:02Z

2A00:1370:819A:2A1D:9FF:5872:68C:70F9: /* See also */

{{short description|English actor (1934–2003)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Alan Bates
| honorific_prefix = Sir
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100|CBE}}
| image = Alan Bates.jpg
| caption = Bates in 1975
| birth_name = Alan Arthur Bates
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|2|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Allestree]], [[Derby]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|12|27|1934|2|17|df=y}}
| death_place = London, England
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1956–2003
| children = 2, including [[Benedick Bates|Benedick]]
| education = [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
}}
'''Sir Alan Arthur Bates''' (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the [[Cinema of the United Kingdom#The 1960s|1960s]], when he appeared in films ranging from ''[[Whistle Down the Wind (film)|Whistle Down the Wind]]'' to the [[Kitchen sink realism|kitchen sink drama]] ''[[A Kind of Loving (film)|A Kind of Loving]]''.

Bates is also known for his performance with [[Anthony Quinn]] in ''[[Zorba the Greek (film)|Zorba the Greek]]'', as well as his roles in ''[[King of Hearts (1966 film)|King of Hearts]]'', ''[[Georgy Girl]]'', ''[[Far from the Madding Crowd (1967 film)|Far From the Madding Crowd]]'' and ''[[The Fixer (1968 film)|The Fixer]]'', for which he received an [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Academy Award nomination for Best Actor]]. In 1969, he starred in the [[Ken Russell]] film ''[[Women in Love (film)|Women in Love]]'' with [[Oliver Reed]] and [[Glenda Jackson]].

Bates went on to star in ''[[The Go-Between (1971 film)|The Go-Between]]'', ''[[An Unmarried Woman]]'', ''[[Nijinsky (film)|Nijinsky]]'' and in ''[[The Rose (film)|The Rose]]'' with [[Bette Midler]], as well as many television dramas, including ''[[The Mayor of Casterbridge (TV series)|The Mayor of Casterbridge]]'', [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Collection (play)|The Collection]]'', ''[[A Voyage Round My Father]]'', ''[[An Englishman Abroad]]'' (as [[Guy Burgess]]) and ''[[Pack of Lies]]''. He also appeared on the stage, notably in the plays of [[Simon Gray]], such as ''[[Butley (film)|Butley]]'' and ''[[Otherwise Engaged]]''.

==Early life==
[[File:Alan Bates BP IMG 0282.jpg|thumb|right|The [[blue plaque]] on Alan Bates's childhood home—in association with the [[British Film Institute]].]]
Bates was born at the Queen Mary Nursing Home, [[Darley Abbey]], [[Derby]], England, on 17 February 1934, the eldest of three boys born to Florence Mary (née Wheatcroft), a housewife and a pianist, and Harold Arthur Bates, an insurance broker and a cellist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/5/Alan-Bates.html|title=Alan Bates Biography|work=filmreference.com|access-date=15 September 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111508/http://www.filmreference.com/film/5/Alan-Bates.html| archive-date= 29 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> They lived in [[Allestree]], Derby, at the time of Bates's birth, but briefly moved to [[Mickleover]] before returning to Allestree.

Both his parents were amateur musicians who encouraged Bates to pursue music. By the age of 11, having decided to become an actor, he studied drama instead.<ref name=ABAbio>{{cite web|author=Karen Rappaport|url=http://alanbates.com/abfeatures/bio.html|title=Alan Bates Biography|work=The Alan Bates Archive|access-date=11 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420091452/http://alanbates.com/abfeatures/bio.html|archive-date=20 April 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> He further developed his vocation by attending productions at Derby's Little Theatre.

Bates was educated at the Herbert Strutt Grammar School, Derby Road, [[Belper]], Derbyshire (now "Strutts", a volunteer led business and community centre) and later gained a scholarship to the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] in London, where he studied with [[Albert Finney]] and [[Peter O'Toole]], before leaving to join the [[RAF]] for [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|National Service]] at [[RAF Newton]].

==Career==
===Early stage appearances===
Bates's stage debut was in 1955, in ''You and Your Wife'', in [[Coventry]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://alanbates.com/abfeatures/timeline.html|title=Alan Bates Archive Feature: Timeline I, 1954–69|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519032508/http://www.alanbates.com/abfeatures/timeline.html|archive-date=19 May 2011}}</ref>

In 1956, Bates made his West End debut as Cliff in ''[[Look Back in Anger]]'', a role he had originated at the [[Royal Court Theatre|Royal Court]] and which made him a star. He also played the role on television (for the ''[[ITV Play of the Week]]'') and on Broadway. He also was a member of the 1967 acting company at the [[Stratford Festival]] in Canada, playing the title role in [[Richard III (play)|Richard III]].<ref>{{cite web | url =https://archives.stratfordfestival.ca/AIS/Details/people/5295 | title = Alan Bates acting credits | website = Stratford Festival Archives | access-date = 3 June 2019}}</ref><ref name=whitaker>{{Citation|last=Whitaker|first=Herbert|title=The credo of Alan Bates: aim for variety|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=8 April 1967|page=26}}</ref>

===Television===
In the late 1950s, Bates appeared in several plays for television in Britain in shows such as ''ITV Play of the Week'', ''[[Armchair Theatre]]'' and ''ITV Television Playhouse''.

In 1960, Bates appeared as Giorgio in the final episode of ''[[The Four Just Men (TV series)]]'' entitled Treviso Dam.

Bates worked for the ''Padded Wagon Moving Company'' in the early 1960s while acting at the ''[[Circle in the Square Theatre]]'' in New York City.

===Film stardom (1960–1979)===
Bates made his feature film debut in ''[[The Entertainer (1960 film)|The Entertainer]]'' (1960) opposite [[Laurence Olivier]], [[Joan Plowright]], [[Albert Finney]], and the rest of the ensemble cast. Bates played the lead in his second feature, ''[[Whistle Down the Wind (film)|Whistle Down the Wind]]'' (1961), opposite [[Hayley Mills]] and directed by [[Bryan Forbes]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-studios-the-rank-organisation-1961/|date=11 July 2025|access-date=11 July 2025|title=Forgotten British Film Studios: The Rank Organisation, 1961}}</ref> He followed it with the lead in ''[[A Kind of Loving (film)|A Kind of Loving]]'' (1962), directed by [[John Schlesinger]] in his film debut. Both films were very popular in the UK, with the latter earning him a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA nomination for Best Actor]] and establishing Bates as a film star.<ref name="three">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-moguls-nat-cohen-part-three-1962-68/|date=21 January 2025|access-date=21 January 2025|title=Forgotten British Moguls: Nat Cohen – Part Three (1962-68)}}</ref> Some film critics cited the 1963 crime drama ''[[The Running Man (1963 film)|The Running Man]]'' as being one of Bates's finest performances.{{cn|date=May 2025}} The film starred [[Laurence Harvey]] as a man who fakes his death and [[Lee Remick]] as his increasingly conflicted wife, with Bates in the supporting role of Stephen Maddox, an insurance company investigator.
[[File:Alan Bates vintage headshot from "The Entertainer" (1960).jpg|thumb|left|Bates [[head shot]] for his film debut, ''[[The Entertainer (1960 film)|The Entertainer]]'' (1960).]]
Bates next co-starred in an adaptation of [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Caretaker (1963 film)|The Caretaker]]'' (1963) along with [[Donald Pleasence]] and [[Robert Shaw (actor)|Robert Shaw]]. It was directed by [[Clive Donner]], who then made ''[[Nothing But the Best (film)|Nothing But the Best]]'' (1964) with Bates. He was the co-lead alongside [[Anthony Quinn]] in the Academy Award-winning hit [[Michael Cacoyannis]] film ''[[Zorba the Greek (film)|Zorba the Greek]]'' (1964); the lead in a short film, ''Once Upon a Tractor'' (1965); and starred in [[Philippe de Broca]]'s ''[[King of Hearts (1966 film)|King of Hearts]]'' (1966).

Bates also starred as the male lead opposite [[Lynn Redgrave]] as the titular ''[[Georgy Girl]]'' (1966), which also featured [[James Mason]] and [[Charlotte Rampling]] in supporting roles. He was reunited with Schlesinger in ''[[Far from the Madding Crowd (1967 film)|Far From the Madding Crowd]]'' (1967), starring [[Julie Christie]], [[Terence Stamp]], and [[Peter Finch]]. For these two films, Bates earned himself three Golden Globe nominations: [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Comedy/Musical Actor]] and [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|Best Male Newcomer]]; and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Drama Actor]] the following ceremony, respectively.

In 1968, Bates starred alongside [[Dirk Bogarde]] and [[Ian Holm]] in the [[John Frankenheimer]] film ''[[The Fixer (1968 film)|The Fixer]]'' (1968), adapted from the [[Bernard Malamud]] novel based off the true story of [[Menahem Mendel Beilis]]. It earned Bates an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]], as well as another Golden Globe nomination. He followed that up with ''[[Women in Love (film)|Women in Love]]'' (1969), directed by [[Ken Russell]] and co-starring [[Oliver Reed]] and [[Glenda Jackson]], in which Bates and Reed wrestled completely naked. The scene was groundbreaking for [[taboo]]s of the time, as it was [[Nudity in film#European cinema since 1929|the first studio film to ever feature full frontal male nudity]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=How Larry Kramer Pulled Off the First Film With Frontal Male Nudity – Back in 1969 |last=Hofler |first=Robert |date=2020-05-27 |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/larry-kramer-pulled-off-first-203457922.html |access-date=2025-05-28 |work=[[Y! Entertainment]] |publisher=[[Yahoo!]] |via=[[Larry Kramer]] |quote=[[John Trevelyan (censor)|Lord John Trevelyan]]: 'We had to consider this carefully, but decided to pass it; in a scene this was a milestone in censorship since male frontal nudity was still a rarity. We had little criticism, possibly because of the film's undoubted brilliance.'}}</ref> Bates also earned another BAFTA nomination for Best Actor for his performance.

Following that success, he appeared as Col Vershinin in the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]'s film of ''[[Three Sisters (1970 Olivier film)|Three Sisters]]'', reuniting him with Olivier (who directed) and Plowight.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066454/|title=Three Sisters (1970)|date=2 March 1973|publisher=IMDb}}</ref> He was handpicked by director Schlesinger to play the male lead in the film ''[[Sunday Bloody Sunday (film)|Sunday Bloody Sunday]]'' (1971). However, he was preoccupied filming ''[[The Go-Between (1971 film)|The Go-Between]]'' (1971) for director [[Joseph Losey]] alongside Christie again, and had also become a father around that time, so thusly refused the role (which ultimately went to Finch opposite co-lead Jackson).

Bates starred in the film adaptation of ''[[A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (film)|A Day in the Death of Joe Egg]]'' (1972) with [[Janet Suzman]] and produced and appeared in a short, ''Second Best'' (1972). He starred in ''[[Story of a Love Story]]'' (1973). He also starred in two adaptations of his successful theatrical roles: his [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play|Tony-winning role]] in ''[[Butley (film)|Butley]]'' (1974), as well as ''[[In Celebration]]'' (1975). He was the villain in ''[[Royal Flash (film)|Royal Flash]]'' (1975). He appeared alongside [[Susannah York]] and [[John Hurt]] in ''[[The Shout]]'' (1978); and opposite [[Jill Clayburgh]] in ''[[An Unmarried Woman]]'' (1978). He also played [[Bette Midler]]'s ruthless business manager in the film ''[[The Rose (film)|The Rose]]'' (1979).

===Film and television (1980s)===
Bates starred in the TV movie ''Piccadilly Circus'' (1977) and ''[[The Mayor of Casterbridge (TV series)|The Mayor of Casterbridge]]'' (1978). In the latter he played Michael Henchard, the ultimately-disgraced lead, which he described as his favourite role. Bates played two diametrically opposed roles in ''[[An Englishman Abroad]]'' (1983), as [[Guy Burgess]], a gay member of the Cambridge spy ring exiled in Moscow, and in ''[[Pack of Lies]]'' (1987), as a British Secret Service agent tracking several Soviet spies.
[[File:Publicity still of Alan Bates (c.1960s).jpg|thumb|right|[[Press kit|Publicity]] [[film still|still]] of Bates, {{c.}}1970.]]
His film roles this decade were more sparse, but included [[Herbert Ross]]'s ''[[Nijinsky (film)|Nijinsky]]'' (1980), in which he portrayed yet another role as both a closeted gay lover and a domineering mentor. The following year, he was part of [[James Ivory]]'s ''[[Quartet (1981 film)|Quartet]]'' (1981), also starring [[Maggie Smith]], [[Isabelle Adjani]], and [[Anthony Higgins (actor)|Anthony Higgins]]. Bates succeeded that with ''[[The Return of the Soldier (film)|The Return of the Soldier]]'' (1982), which reunited him with [[Julie Christie]], [[Glenda Jackson]], and [[Ian Holm]]. ''[[The Wicked Lady (1983 film)|The Wicked Lady]]'' (1983) teamed him up with [[Faye Dunaway]] but received poor reviews.

Bates then starred alongside [[Julie Andrews]] as the husband of her [[violin]]ist who is stricken with [[multiple sclerosis]] in ''[[Duet for One]]'' (1986). In the [[Cinema of Northern Ireland|North Irish]] [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] thriller ''[[A Prayer for the Dying]]'' (1987) from director [[Mike Hodges]], he plays the main [[antagonist]] opposite [[Mickey Rourke]] and [[Bob Hoskins]]. And in ''[[We Think the World of You]]'' (1988), he portrays the older lover of young convict [[Gary Oldman]]—the latter of whom gets sent to jail and entrusts his beloved, mischievous [[German Shepherd]] ({{aka}} Alsatian) to the former's care.

===Later career===
Bates continued working in film and television in the 1990s, including the role of Claudius in [[Franco Zeffirelli]]'s version of ''[[Hamlet (1990 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1990). In 2001 he joined an all-star cast in [[Robert Altman]]'s critically acclaimed period drama ''[[Gosford Park]]'', in which he played the [[butler]] Jennings. He later played Antonius Agrippa in the 2004 TV film ''[[Spartacus (miniseries)|Spartacus]]'', but died before it premiered. The film was dedicated to his memory and that of writer [[Howard Fast]], who wrote the [[Spartacus (Fast novel)|original novel]] that inspired the film ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]'' by [[Stanley Kubrick]].

On stage, Bates had a particular association with the plays of [[Simon Gray]], appearing in ''[[Butley (play)|Butley]]'', ''[[Otherwise Engaged]]'', ''Stage Struck'', ''Melon'', ''Life Support'', and ''Simply Disconnected'', as well as the film of ''Butley'' and Gray's TV series ''Unnatural Pursuits''. In ''Otherwise Engaged'', his co-star was [[Ian Charleson]], who became a friend, and Bates later contributed a chapter to a 1990 book on his colleague after Charleson's early death.<ref>Ian McKellen, Alan Bates, Hugh Hudson, et al. ''For Ian Charleson: A Tribute''. London: Constable and Company, 1990. pp. 1–5.</ref>

Bates was made a [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1995 Birthday Honours]],<ref name="GB">The United Kingdom:{{London Gazette |issue=54066 |date=16 June 1995 |pages=8 |supp=1}}</ref> and was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2003 New Year Honours]], in both cases for services to drama.<ref name=GBR>{{London Gazette |issue=56797 |date=31 December 2002 |pages=1 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Matthew |date=29 December 2003 |title=Actor Sir Alan Bates, 69, dies after cancer battle |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/dec/29/film.arts |access-date=23 March 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> {{Citation needed span|text=He was an Associate Member of RADA,|date=March 2023}} and was a patron of The Actors Centre, [[Covent Garden]], London, from 1994 until his death in 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Learn More |url=https://actoratthecentre.com/learn-more/ |access-date=23 March 2023 |website=actor at the centre |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=3 September 2001 |title=In the Name of the Son: Alan Bates Bails Out UK's Actors Centre |url=https://playbill.com/article/in-the-name-of-the-son-alan-bates-bails-out-uks-actors-centre-com-98405 |website=Playbill}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Headshot of the actor Sir Alan Bates (1960s).jpg|thumb|left|Bates in the mid-1960s.]]
Bates had numerous gay relationships, including long-term affairs with actor [[Nickolas Grace]] and Olympic skater [[John Curry]], as detailed in [[Donald Spoto]]'s [[authorised biography]] ''Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.queerty.com/new-bio-outs-late-great-gay-alan-bates-20070521|title=New Bio Outs Late, Great, "Gay" Alan Bates / Queerty|last=Belonsky|first=Andrew|date=21 May 2007|website=[[Queerty]]|access-date=25 September 2019}}</ref>

Bates privately admitted to being bisexual or homosexual at different points in his life; Spoto characterised Bates's sexuality as ambiguous, stating, "He liked to appear publicly with women and cuddle with them privately. However, his serious romances and most passionate sexual life occurred with men. [...] In his private life, he wanted most of all to have one true and enduring relationship, to love and be loved by one faithful man."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Coveney |first=Michael |date=16 June 2007 |title=Review: Otherwise Engaged by Donald Spoto |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/jun/16/featuresreviews.guardianreview8 |access-date=25 September 2019 |work=The Guardian |pages=401 |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Even after homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England in 1967, Bates rigorously avoided interviews and questions about his personal life, and even denied to his male lovers that there was a homosexual component in his nature.<ref name=Act>{{cite web|author=Albany Trust Homosexual Law Reform Society|title=GB 0097 HCA/Albany Trust|url=http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search2?coll_id=3213&inst_id=1|work=AIM25|publisher=British Library of Political and Economic Science|year=1984|access-date=10 April 2008|archive-date=23 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023034225/http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search2?coll_id=3213&inst_id=1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Bates was married to actress Valerie 'Victoria' Ward from 1970 until her death from a heart attack associated with [[Wasting|wasting disease]] in 1992, though the two had separated early in their marriage around 1973.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/features/famous_derby/alan_bates.shtml|title=BBC – Derby – Around Derby – Famous Derby – Sir Alan Bates biography}}</ref> They had twin sons, born in November 1970: the actors [[Benedick Bates]] and Tristan Bates.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/non_fictionreviews/3666144/The-minute-they-got-close-he-ran.html | work=The Daily Telegraph| location=London | title= The Minute They Got Close, He Ran |last=Lewis |first=Roger |date=28 June 2007 | access-date=12 April 2019}}</ref> Tristan died following an ingestion of alcohol and either opium or heroin in Tokyo in 1990, devastating Bates.<ref name=":1" /> In the later years of his life, Bates had a brief relationship with the Welsh actress [[Angharad Rees]], though this faced the complexities of Bates' need for independence and predilection for male companionship.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9571643/Downton-Abbey-creator-Julian-Fellowes-leads-tributes-to-Angharad-Rees.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes leads tributes to Angharad Rees | date=28 September 2012}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

Throughout his life, Bates sought to be regarded as charming and charismatic, or at least as a man who, as an actor, could appear attractive to and attracted by women. He also chose some roles with an aspect of homosexuality or bisexuality, including the role of Rupert in the 1969 film ''[[Women in Love (film)|Women in Love]]'' and the role of Frank in the 1988 film ''[[We Think the World of You]]''.<ref name=":0" />

==Death==
Following a battle with [[Diabetic ketoacidosis|diabetes]] and a [[stroke]], Bates died of [[pancreatic cancer]] on 27 December 2003, after slipping into a coma.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/non_fictionreviews/3666144/The-minute-they-got-close-he-ran.html|title = The minute they got close, he ran| date=28 June 2007 }}</ref> He was buried at [[All Saints' Church, Bradbourne]] in Derbyshire.<ref>Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 2864). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.</ref> Bates bequeathed companion and actress [[Joanna Pettet]] £95,000 ({{Inflation|UK|95000|2003|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) upon his death. The two had been friends since 1964, and Pettet provided support and companionship during his final months after he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2003. Pettet was quoted as saying: "It was a very touching gesture because he had done everything while he was in hospital to make sure I would be looked after following his death."<ref>{{cite news |title=Alan Bates's £95,000 for secret lover who nursed him through his final days |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/alan-batess-95000-for-secret-lover-who-nursed-him-through-his-final-days-7281320.html |access-date=21 November 2019 |work=Evening Standard |publisher=ESI Media |date=3 February 2007}}</ref>

==''Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates''==
[[Donald Spoto]]'s 2007 book, ''Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates'',<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last=Spoto |first=Donald |title=Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates |publisher=Hutchinson |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-09-179735-5 |location=London |pages=320–321, 391}}</ref> is a posthumous authorised biography of Alan Bates. It was written with the cooperation of his son [[Benedick Bates|Benedick]] and brother Martin, and features more than one hundred interviews, including with Michael Linnit and Rosalind Chatto.

==Tristan Bates Theatre==
Bates and his family created the Tristan Bates Theatre at the Actors' Centre in [[Covent Garden]], in memory of his son Tristan who died at the age of 19.<ref name="guardianobit">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/dec/29/guardianobituaries.filmnews |title=Sir Alan Bates |author=Michael Billington |work=The Guardian |date=29 December 2003 |access-date=4 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114224632/http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Guardian/0%2C4029%2C1113685%2C00.html |archive-date=14 November 2007 |url-status=live |location=London }}</ref> Tristan's twin brother, [[Benedick Bates|Benedick]], is a vice-director.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk/about.htm |title=About Tristan Bates Theatre |publisher=Tristan Bates Theatre |access-date=8 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108070805/http://www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk/about.htm |archive-date=8 January 2007 }}</ref>

==Selected credits==
'''<big>FILM:</big>'''{{Main list|Alan Bates, roles and awards#Film}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* ''[[The Entertainer (1960 film)|The Entertainer]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Whistle Down the Wind (film)|Whistle Down the Wind]]'' (1961)
* ''[[A Kind of Loving (film)|A Kind of Loving]]'' (1962)
* ''[[The Caretaker (1963 film)|The Caretaker]]'' (1963)
* ''[[The Running Man (1963 film)|The Running Man]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Nothing but the Best (film)|Nothing but the Best]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Zorba the Greek (film)|Zorba the Greek]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Georgy Girl]]'' (1966)
* ''[[King of Hearts (1966 film)|King of Hearts]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Far from the Madding Crowd (1967 film)|Far from the Madding Crowd]]'' (1967)
* ''[[The Fixer (1968 film)|The Fixer]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Women in Love (film)|Women in Love]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Three Sisters (1970 film)|Three Sisters]]'' (1970)
* ''[[The Go-Between (1971 film)|The Go-Between]]'' (1971)
* ''[[A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (film)|A Day in the Death of Joe Egg]]'' (1972)
* ''[[Butley (film)|Butley]]'' (1974)
* ''[[In Celebration]]'' (1975)
* ''[[The Shout]]'' (1978)
* ''[[An Unmarried Woman]]'' (1978)
* ''[[The Rose (film)|The Rose]]'' (1979)
* ''[[The Return of the Soldier (film)|The Return of the Soldier]]'' (1982)
* ''[[We Think the World of You]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Hamlet (1990 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Gosford Park]]'' (2001)
* ''[[The Mothman Prophecies (film)|The Mothman Prophecies]]'' (2002)
* ''[[The Sum of All Fears (film)|The Sum of All Fears]]'' (2002)
}}
'''<big>STAGE:</big>'''{{Main list|Alan Bates, roles and awards#Stage}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* ''[[Look Back in Anger]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Long Day's Journey into Night]]'' (1958)
* ''[[The Caretaker (play)|The Caretaker]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Butley (play)|Butley]]'' (1971; 1973)
* ''[[Otherwise Engaged]]'' (1975)
* ''[[A Patriot for Me]]'' (1983)
* ''[[One for the Road (Pinter play)|One for the Road]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Fortune's Fool (1848 play)|Fortune's Fool]]'' (1996; 2002)
}}
'''<big>TELEVISION:</big>'''{{Main list|Alan Bates, roles and awards#Television}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* ''[[The Mayor of Casterbridge (TV series)|The Mayor of Casterbridge]]'' (1978)
* ''[[A Voyage Round My Father]]'' (1982)
* ''[[An Englishman Abroad]]'' (1983)
* ''[[The Dog It Was That Died]]'' (1989)
* ''[[102 Boulevard Haussmann]]'' (1991)‡
* ''[[Oliver's Travels]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Nicholas' Gift|Nicholas's Gift]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Love in a Cold Climate (2001 TV series)|Love in a Cold Climate]]'' (2001)
}}

‡This [[mini-film]] was shown as part of a presentation on the [[anthology series]], ''[[Screen Two]]''.

==Accolades==
{{Main list|Alan Bates, roles and awards#Awards}}

==See also==
* [[List of British actors]]
* [[List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain]]
* [[List of actors with Academy Award nominations]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Screenonline name|id=452576}}

{{Navboxes
|title = [[Alan Bates, roles and awards|Awards for Alan Bates]]
|list =
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actor 1980-1999}}
{{DramaDesk PlayOutstandingActor 2001-2025}}
{{Distinguished Performance Award}}
{{Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor}}
{{RTS Programme Award for Best Performance}}
{{TonyAward PlayLeadActor}}
}}

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[[Category:1934 births]]
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[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century Royal Air Force personnel]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Actors awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:BAFTA winners (people)]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in England]]
[[Category:Drama Desk Award winners]]
[[Category:English bisexual male actors]]
[[Category:English knights]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male radio actors]]
[[Category:English male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Male actors from Derby]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Derbyshire]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Allestree]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Alan Bates