Alan Bates Biography

Born in Derbyshire at the Queen Mary Nursing Home, Alan Arthur Bates was encouraged by his parents to become a concert pianist and, from an early age, he knew his talents lay in the performing arts. Both of his parents were musicians and were keen for him to take this direction. When Bates expressed an interest in acting at the age of 11, his parents sent him for coaching.

Having won a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, he went straight into the Royal Air Force to complete two years of military service.

He burst onto the theatre scene in 1956 as one of Britain's 'Angry Young Men' - artists rebelling against English middle-class values. But he refused to be typecast, and there was never a typical Alan Bates character. On stage, he moved comfortably between modern playwrights like O'Neill and Pinter and the classics of Shakespeare and Chekhov.

His 50-plus films are a testament to his incredible range. From 'Zorba the Greek' (1964) and 'Georgy Girl' (1966) to 'Far From the Madding Crowd' (1967) and 'Gosford Park' (2001) - Bates was always guided by a love of acting rather than the box office.

He picked up his only Oscar nomination for John Frankenheimer's 'The Fixer' (1968). One of his most memorable roles was in 'Women in Love' in 1970, as the actor allowed the sexually frustrated part of his life to appear in his character Rupert.

Bates had several homosexual lovers, including actors Nickolas Grace and Peter Wyngarde, as well as Olympic skater John Curry, who died from AIDS in Bates' arms in 1994. He always avoided questions about his personal life in interviews and denied to his male lovers that he was gay.

In 1970, he married Victoria Ward and the couple had twin sons, Benedick and Tristan, in 1971. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in 1990 when Tristan died following an asthma attack. The family set up the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden, London, in his memory. It is still managed by his brother Benedick.

His wife, Victoria Ward, passed away two years later from a wasting disease.

He continued to work in television and film throughout the 1980s. Bates appeared in international movies including 'An Unmarried Woman' (1978), 'Nijinsky' (1980) and 'The Rose' (1979)) alongside Bette Midler. On the small screen, he featured in 'A Voyage Round My Father' (1984), 'An Englishman Abroad' (1983) and 'Pack of Lies' (1987), which saw him play a Russian spy.

In 1995, he received a CBE from the Queen and continued to appear on the both the stage and screen. He was knighted in 2003.

In 2001, Bates joined the cast of the critically-acclaimed drama 'Gosford Park' as Jennings the butler. He also appeared in the 2004 TV film 'Spartacus', but passed away before it was screened. The production was dedicated to his memory.

When he died in December of 2003, he was remembered for dozens of stage and screen roles spanning five decades. Bates gave his all to every character he played, right down to his last, in 'Fortune's Fool' on Broadway, when he was already ill with pancreatic cancer.

His companion at the end of his life was actress Joanna Pettet, who had been a lifelong friend of the actor. They had first met while co-starring in the 1964 Broadway play 'Poor Richard'.

He won the Tony Award for Best Actor that year. Yet he was the definitive non-star star, the quiet chameleon who never made the gossip pages.

In 2007, the only authorised biography of Bates was released. Donald Spoto's 'Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates' was written with the full cooperation of Benedick Bates and Alan's brother Martin. It contains over 100 interviews with people such as Michael Linnit and Rosalind Chatto.