Norman Bird

Norman Bird
Born	John George Norman Bird (1924-10-30)30 October 1924 Coalville, Leicestershire, England
Died	22 April 2005(2005-04-22) (aged 80) Wolverhampton, England
Years active	1951–1996
Spouse	Nona Blamire ​ (m. 1953)​
Children	2

John George Norman Bird (30 October 1924 – 22 April 2005) was an English character actor.

Early life

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).

Film career

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).

Television appearances

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).

Personal life

At 16 he left school and spent six months working in an office before studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. During the Second World War, he served with Royal Air Force, being demobbed in 1947.

He had met his wife Nona Blamire (Joan Hood in radio's The Archers) in rep in Northampton. They married in 1953 and lived in Teddington for many years. In 1992 they moved to Bridgnorth, Shropshire, to be nearer to their two daughters and five grandchildren.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	An Inspector Calls	Foreman Jones-Collins	Uncredited
1957	A Woman of Property	Clerk of the court	TV film
1960	The Angry Silence	Roberts
	The League of Gentlemen	Captain Frank Weaver
	Man in the Moon	Herbert
1961	The Secret Partner	Ralph Beldon
	Very Important Person	Travers, Senior British Officer
	Whistle Down the Wind	Eddie
	Victim	Harold Doe
	Cash on Demand	Arthur Sanderson
1962	Night of the Eagle	Doctor
	Term of Trial	Mr. Taylor
	In Search of the Castaways	Senior Yacht Guard
1963	The Mind Benders	Aubrey
	The Punch and Judy Man	Reginald Fletcher
	August for the People	Mr. Bolt	TV film
	Maniac	Salon
	The Cracksman	Policeman
	80,000 Suspects	Harold Davis
	Bitter Harvest	Mr. Pitt
1964	Hot Enough for June	Employment Exchange Clerk	Uncredited
	The Bargee	Albert Williams
	The Beauty Jungle	Mr. Freeman
	First Men in the Moon	Stuart
	The Black Torment	Harris
1965	The Hill	Commandant
1966	Sky West and Crooked	Cheeseman
	The Wrong Box	Clergyman
1968	A Dandy in Aspic	Copperfield
	The Limbo Line	John Chivers
1969	Oh! What a Lovely War	Training Sergeant	Uncredited
	All at Sea	Mr. Danvers
	Run a Crooked Mile	Sergeant Hooper	TV film
1970	The Virgin and the Gypsy	Uncle Fred
	The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer	Alderman Poot
	Put Out More Flags	Geoffrey Bentley	TV film
1971	The Raging Moon	Dr. Matthews
	Please Sir!	Reynolds
	Hands of the Ripper	Police Inspector
1972	Doomwatch	Brewer
	Young Winston	Party Chairman
	Ooh... You Are Awful	Warder Burke
1975	King Arthur, the Young Warlord	Ambrose	Direct-to-video
1976	The Slipper and the Rose	Dress Shop Proprietor
1978	The Medusa Touch	Major. Henry Morlar
	Margie and Me	Cheeseman	Short
	The Lord of the Rings	Bilbo	Voice role
1981	Omen III: The Final Conflict	Dr. Philmore
	If You Go Down in the Woods Today	Doctor	TV film
1982	A Voyage Round My Father	Ham	TV film
	The Ghost Downstairs	Mr. Morris	TV film
1984	This Office Life	Seeds	TV film
1985	On Your Way, Riley	Frank	TV film
1993	Shadowlands	Taxi Driver Witness

Television

Year	Series	Role	Notes
1956	Whack-O!	S.A. Smallpiece	Series regular
1957	Kenilworth	Butterworth	1 episode
1958	The Black Arrow	Landlord	Episode: "The Arrow Strikes"
	The Diary of Samuel Pepys	Constable	Mini-series
1959	The Eustace Diamonds	Hotel Manager	1 episode
	Emergency Ward 10	Policeman	1 episode
1960	Probation Officer	Mr. Sprigett	1 episode
	ITV Playhouse	Auctioneer	Episode: "Independent Means"
	Boyd Q.C.	Mr. West	Episode: "The Time of Day"
1961		Police Sergeant	Episode: "The Season of the Year"
	Hamlet	Gravedigger	Episode: "The Dread Command: The Readiness Is All"
	Coronation Street	Frank Jackson	2 episodes
	Ghost Squad	The Gunsmith	Episode: "Assassin"
	The Pursuers	Clive	Episode: "The Accident"
1962	ITV Playhouse	Second Old Man	Episode: "The Jokers"
		Tom Rogers	Episode: "Nuncle"
	Z-Cars	Smith	Episode: "Jail Break"
	ITV Play of the Week	George Bland	Episode: "A Lily in Little India"
1963	BBC Sunday-Night Play	Arnold Ramussen	Episode: "Trial Run"
	Maupassant	Cacheri	Episode: "The Inheritance"
	The Saint	George Hackett	Episode: "The Well Meaning Mayor"
1964	The Protectors	Barnaby	Episode: "No Forwarding Address"
	Drama 61-67	Father	Episode: "The Close Prisoner"
		Mr. Pile	Episode: "The Brick Umbrella"
	Thursday Theatre	Harry Lancaster	Episode: "The Cure for Love"
	Armchair Theatre	Charles Lincoln	Episode: "The Trial of Dr. Fancy"
	Gideon's Way	Superintendent Fred Lee	Episode: "To Catch a Tiger"
	Frankie Howerd		1 episode
	Z-Cars	Lowther	Episode: "A Place of Safety"
1965		Frank Burroughs	Episode: "Checkmate"
	The Saint	Weems	Episode: "The Frightened Inn-Keeper"
	The Bed-Sit Girl		Episode: "The Air Hostess"
	The Sullavan Brothers	Arthur Green	Episode: "Put Them Away for Keeps"
	It's Not Me, It's Them!	Mr. Partridge	Mini-series
	Here's Harry		Episode: "The Tonic"
	Blackmail	Henry Cobb	Episode: "Cobb"
	The Avengers	Croft	Episode: "Silent Dust"
	No Hiding Place	Inspector Cartwright	Episode: "Pom-Pom"
1966		Arthur Johnson	Episode: "The Killing"
	Armchair Theatre	Spooner	Episode: "The Walls Came Tumbling Down"
	Theatre 625	William Oaks	Episode: "A Man Like That"
	Harry Worth	Fishwick	Episode: "Move Man Move"
	Mrs Thursday	Alfred Budge	Episode: "Honesty Is the Best Policy"
	Hugh and I		Episode: "Arabian Nights"
	ITV Play of the Week	Ronald Bradshaw	Episode: "The First Thing You Think Of"
		Dr. McTaggart	Episode: "The Tormentors"
1967		Henry Williams	Episode: "Nice to Have You Back"
		Uncle George	Episode: "A Brand New Scrubbing Brush"
	The Saint	Inspector Mitchell	Episode: "The Best Laid Schemes"
	The Baron	Inspector Macauley	Episode: "Roundabout"
	Z-Cars	Prebble	Episode: "Standard Procedure"
	Sanctuary	Bob Lord	Episode: "A Cup of Tea with the Fullers"
	Harry Worth	Mr. Varley	Episode: "What Ails You?"
1968		Mr. Keenan	Episode: "Money to Burn"
		Dr. Swinson	Episode: "Match of the Day"
	The Saint	Mr. Spode	Episode: "The Organisation Man"
	The Very Merry Widow	Mr. Jackson 1 and 2	Episode: "Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen"
	Half Hour Story	Harry	Episode: "The Pub Fighter"
1969	ITV Sunday Night Theatre	Father	Episode: "Takeover"
	Adventure Weekly	Mr. Potts	Episode: "Take-Over"
	Department S	Drayton	Episode: "The Ghost of Mary Burnham"
	W. Somerset Maugham	Arthur Low	Episode: "A Casual Affair"
	Dixon of Dock Green	Harold Milton	Episode: "The Brimstone Man"
	Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)	Elliot	Episode: "But What a Sweet Little Room"
1970	Armchair Theatre	Walter	Episode: "Up Among the Cuckoos"
	The Mating Machine	Monty	Episode: "Flo and Monty and Henry... and Henry"
	Comedy Playhouse	Dad	Episode: "Mind Your Own Business"
	Steptoe and Son	Bank Manager	Episode: "Men of Property"
		Mr. Dryson	Episode: "Without Prejudice"
1971	Hadleigh	Knockholt	Episode: "A Quiet Place in the Country"
	ITV Sunday Night Theatre	Walter	Episode: "The Wedding Gift"
	Budgie	Inspector Upton	Episode: "A Pair of Charlies"
	Paul Temple	Proud	Episode: "Paper Chase"
	Father, Dear Father	Trevor Couch	Episode: "The Naked Truth"
	The Guardians	Tom Henryson	Episode: "I Want You to Understand Me"
	Softly, Softly: Taskforce	Samuel Tomkins	Episode: "Aberration"
	Suspicion	Harry Beardsley	Episode: "I Can See Your Lips Move"
1972	Jason King	Detective Inspector Fields	Episode: "It's Too Bad About Auntie"
	The Organization	Ken Grist	2 episodes
	His and Hers	Post Office Man	Episode: "Interference"
	Love Thy Neighbour	Mr. Granger	Episode: "Clarky Leaves"
	Till Death Us Do Part	Landlord	Episode: "Holiday in Bournemouth"
	Thirty-Minute Theatre	Arthur Pendlebury	Episode: "Tonight We Meet Arthur Pendlebury"
	Turnbull's Finest Half-Hour	Harold Hudson	1 episode
	Arthur of the Britons	Ambrose	Episode: "Arthur Is Dead"
	My Wife Next Door	Mr. Sweeting	Episode: "Joint Assignment"
1973	Comedy Playhouse	Inspector Street	Episode: "Elementary, My Dear Watson: The Strange Case of the Dead Solicitors"
	The Adventurer	Brooks	Episode: "Going, Going..."
	The Fenn Street Gang	Mr. Craven	Episode: "How to Handle a Woman"
	The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes	Inspector Trent	Episode: "The Looting of the Specie Room"
	Owen, M.D.	Harold Reynolds	Episode: "Water Under the Bridge"
	An Evening with Francis Howerd		2 episodes
	ITV Sunday Night Theatre	Stanley Nicholson	Episode: "Reckoning Day"
	Thirty Minutes Worth		1 episode
	Up the Workers	Sid Stubbins
	The Adventures of Black Beauty	Rundle	Episode: "The Outcast"
	Armchair 30	Agency Man	Episode: "Ross Evan's Story"
1974	My Good Woman	George Stebbs	Episode: "Two of a Kind"
	Bless This House	Vet	Episode: "Money Is the Root Of..."
	Marked Personal	Lionel Mottram	2 episodes
	The Dick Emery Show		2 episode
1975	Crown Court	Garfield Lawrence	Episode: "Saboteur: Part 1"
	Public Eye	Arthur Biddle	Episode: "Lifer"
	Rising Damp	Vicar	Episode: "Things That Go Bump in the Night"
1976	Happy Ever After	Mr. Fletcher	Episode: "June's Day in Bed"
	Angels	Henry Rudolfs	Episode: "A Woman of Property"
	The Basil Brush Show		1 episode
	The Chiffy Kids	Farmer	Episode: "Pot Luck"
	CBS Children's Film Festival		Episode: "Chimpmates"
1976-1977	Yanks Go Home	Leonard Chambers	Series regular
1977	Two's Company	Mr. Bunn	Episode: "The Rubbish"
	The Mike Reid Show		3 episodes
	Seven Faces of Woman	Ken	Episode: "She: Carol"
	Raffles	Sergeant Holly	Episode: "A Bad Night"
	Miss Jones and Son	Dad	3 episodes
	Graham's Gang	Old Gentleman	Episode: "Cameraderie"
1978	All Creatures Great and Small	Farmer Benson	Episode: "Attendant Problems"
	Jackanory Playhouse	King	Episode: "The Princess Who Couldn't Laugh"
	Coronation Street	Joe Hibbert	2 episodes
	Do You Remember?	Eddie	Episode: "The Bonus"
	Life Begins at Forty	Dr. Gardiner	Episode: "Alarms and Excursions"
	Return of the Saint	Morgan	Episode: "Assault Force"
	Everyday Maths	Mr. Brook	Episode: "Time and Table"
1979	Fawlty Towers	Mr. Arrad	Episode: "Waldorf Salad"
	Thomas & Sarah	Gilbert	2 episodes
	The Glums	Office Manager	1 episode
	Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson	Anthony Denham	Episode: "A Motive for Murder"
1979-1981	Worzel Gummidge	Mr. Braithwaite	Series regular
1980	Take the High Road	Roger Primrose
	The Jim Davidson Show		1 episode
	All Creatures Great and Small	Rob Benson	Episode: "Alarms & Excursions"
	Hammer House of Horror	Basil	Episode: "The Thirteenth Reunion"
	To Serve Them All My Days	Alderman Blunt	Recurring role
1981	Yes Minister	Brian Baker	Episode: "The Compassionate Society"
	Misfits	Harold Forbes	Episode: "Happy Ever After"
	Juliet Bravo	Knowles	Episode: "A Private Place"
	Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years	Sir Maurice Hanley	Episode: "The Long Tide of Surrender"
	The Adventure Game	Captain Acteon	1 episode
1982	Legacy of Murder	Policeman	Episode: "Holy Smoke"
	Break Point	Major Houghton-Jones	Mini-series
1983	The Fourth Arm	Colonel Cole	1 episode
	The Gaffer	Town Clerk	Episode: "Council of War"
1984	Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense	Henry Bircher	Episode: "Black Carrion"
1985	Up the Elephant and Round the Castle	Man from British Rail	Episode: "The Taste of Money"
	One by One	Marcus Garnet	2 episodes
	High & Dry	Frank Short	Episode: "Pilot"
1986	The Practice	Cyril Fielding	1 episode
	Help!	Mr. Peabody	Episode: "A Grave Mistake"
	Lytton's Diary	Charles Adams	2 episodes
	Buddy	Mr. Normington	3 episodes
1987	Ever Decreasing Circles	Man	Episode: "The Footpath"
1989	Woof!	Mayor	Episode: "Heroes"
1990	After Henry		Episode: "Party Politics"
	Stay Lucky	George	Episode: "Bigamy Blues"
1991	Second Thoughts	Ted	Episode: "Found and Lost"
1992	Bookmark	Man on Bus	Episode: "Miss Pym's Day Out"
	Screen One	Radley	Episode: "Born Kicking"
	Boon	Bob Wooley	Episode: "Love or Money"
	Kinsey	Roy	2 episodes
1996	Screen Two	Grandfather	Episode: "Crossing the Floor"
	Look and Read	Mr. Jenkins	Series regular

External links

• Norman Bird at IMDb
• Obituary in The Guardian
• Obituary in The Independent