About

Known credits:
23
Birthday:
1940-02-12
Place of birth:
Bristol, England
Website:
N/A

Ralph Bates

Overview

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  

Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom Dear John and for being one of Hammer Horror's best-known actors from the latter period of the company.

Bates was born in Bristol, England, of French ancestry (He was the great, great nephew of French scientist Louis Pasteur) and educated at Trinity College Dublin. He read French there, before winning a scholarship to Yale Drama School. The course completed, Bates returned to Ireland to make his stage debut in Shaw's You Never Can Tell at The Gate Theatre, Dublin, in 1963. A career in repertory theatre soon followed and the young actor gained experience in productions ranging from Hedda Gabler, to raucous comedies.

Later, Bates carved a niche in the world of horror films and played important roles or the lead in several Hammer Horror productions, such as Taste the Blood of Dracula, The Horror of Frankenstein, Lust for a Vampire, and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, in which he played a deranged doctor who mistakenly transforms himself into a beautiful siren.

He portrayed Caligula in the series The Caesars and alongside Cyd Hayman in a passionate French tale of murder and mystery - Crime of Passion series. After playing Thomas Culpeper in an episode of The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), he went on to star in the BBC drama series, Moonbase 3 (1973) and the long-running Poldark, in which he played villainous George Warleggan. The series ran for 29 episodes, starting in 1975. He also played Communist Paul Vercors in the final season of the drama series Secret Army. Because of his French ancestry and dark looks, he was often chosen to play a Frenchman on television. Bates also appeared in the television movie Minder on the Orient Express, again as a Frenchman.

It looked, for some time, as if he might remain typecast in sinister roles, but he was offered a part in a farcical comedy by the writer John Sullivan, which saw Bates as the loveable but loveless central character among a singles group, with each of its members looking for that perfect but ever elusive partner. Dear John (1986–87), in which he realistically played the part of a divorcee returning to single life, lasted for two series, and around the same time he appeared in the ITV Yorkshire Television sitcom Farrington of the F.O. (1986) with Angela Thorne and Joan Sims.

Bates became ill and was diagnosed with cancer. He died in London at age 51 from pancreatic cancer. He was divorced from the actress Joanna Van Gyseghem, and survived by his second wife, the actress Virginia Wetherell (married 1973-1991). The couple had one daughter actress Daisy Bates (b. 1974), and a son William Bates (b. 1977), an actor & musician.

Description above from the Wikipedia article  Ralph Bates, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Acting

1995 Santa's Christmas Crash Actor 59
Average
1993 Frankenstein Reborn Actor Victor's Father (photo) (uncredited) N/A
N/A
1991 Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook Actor Victor Frankenstein (archive footage) 59
Average
1991 Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook Actor Lord Courtley (archive footage) 58
Average
1990 King of the Wind Actor LeDuc 58
Average
1989 Flying in the Branches Actor Ed N/A
N/A
1986 Letters to an Unknown Lover Actor Bernard 58
Average
1986 Dear John Actor John Lacey 70
Good
1981 Mrs. Reinhardt Actor Mr. Reinhardt 58
Average
1978 Kay Actor Derek N/A
N/A
1976 I Don't Want to Be Born Actor Gino Carlesi 58
Average
1975 Poldark Actor George Warleggan 68
Fair
1975 Murder Motel Actor Michael Spencer N/A
N/A
1974 Persecution Actor David Masters 58
Average
1973 Moonbase 3 Actor 69
Fair
1972 Fear in the Night Actor Robert Heller 58
Average
1971 Thank You Very Much Actor Peter N/A
N/A
1971 Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde Actor Dr. Jekyll 59
Average
1971 Lust for a Vampire Actor Giles Barton 58
Average
1970 The Horror of Frankenstein Actor Victor Frankenstein 58
Average
1970 Taste the Blood of Dracula Actor Lord Courtley 58
Average
1970 Would You Look at Them Smashing All Those Lovely Windows Actor Brian, Commandant Lallin, Paddy, O'Brennan N/A
N/A
1965 Broad And Narrow Actor N/A
N/A