Michael Bates (actor)


Michael Hammond Bates was a British actor, born in colonial India. He was best known for his roles as Chief Guard Barnes in A Clockwork Orange, Cyril Blamire on Last of the Summer Wine, and Rangi Ram on It Ain't Half Hot Mum.

Early life

Bates was born in Jhansi, United Provinces, India. His parents were of Cheshire families; his father, Henry Stuart "Harry" Bates, son of Albert Bates, of Congleton, Cheshire, was educated at Denstone School and Cambridge University before entering the Indian Civil Service in 1920. He served as Deputy Secretary of the Revenue Department and a Member of the Board of Revenue for the United Provinces of India until 1947 and was later of the Colonial Office. Bates's mother, Sarah Clarke Walker was daughter of William Hammond Walker, also of Congleton.
Having been sent home to England aged seven by his parents, Bates was educated at Uppingham School and his father's alma mater, St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He was commissioned in the Indian Army in March 1942. During World War II he served in the Burma Campaign as a major with the 3rd Battalion, The 9th Gurkha Rifles, and was mentioned in dispatches in 1944.

Career

In 1953, while an ensemble member with the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, Bates appeared in Richard III and All's Well That Ends Well.
In 1956, Bates appeared in Hotel Paradiso, which starred Alec Guinness, at the Winter Garden Theatre in London. On radio, he played a variety of characters in the BBC's long-running comedy series The Navy Lark, including Able Seaman Ginger, Lieutenant Bates, Rear Admiral Ironbridge, the Padre, and Captain Ignatius Aloysius Atchison.
Bates appeared in many British television series, including Last of the Summer Wine from 1973 to 1975 and It Ain't Half Hot Mum from 1973 to 1977.
Bates's film roles include Bedazzled as the flirtatious police inspector, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush as Mr. McGregor, Battle of Britain as Warrant Officer Warwick, Oh! What a Lovely War as a Lance-Corporal, Patton as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, A Clockwork Orange and Frenzy. On stage, he played Shakespearean roles at Stratford and at the Old Vic and made a big impression as Inspector Truscott in the West End production of Loot by Joe Orton in 1966.

Personal life

In 1954, Bates married Margaret M. J. Chisholm. They had three children. He was a supporter of the Conservative Party. Peter Sallis described Bates as being "slightly to the right of Thatcher” politically and said that Bates's right-wing opinions contrasted so sharply with the left-wing views of fellow Last of the Summer Wine star Bill Owen that the series was almost not made because of their arguments.
Bates died of cancer on 11 January 1978 at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, London, aged 57. Bates had reportedly started to suffer from a rapid health decline around eighteen months before his death. He died shortly after the fifth series of It Ain't Half Hot Mum had been broadcast; his character was written out of the show with no explanation.

Brownface allegations

His role as Rangi Ram led to the allegation that he had performed in brownface. Series co-creator Jimmy Perry told Stuart Jeffries in 2003 that they had been unable to find a suitable Asian actor. "But Michael was ideal for the role", Perry said. Interviewed by the journalist Neil Clark for The Daily Telegraph in 2013, Perry said that all Bates wore "was a light tan. He wasn't blacked up! Michael spoke fluent Urdu, and was a captain in the Gurkhas".
The show is not repeated in the UK by the BBC, who use the "blacked up" description of Bates's performance on their website's article about the series. The series has been repeatedly shown on the "That's TV " channel since the summer of 2023, with an on-screen 'disclaimer' at the beginning of each episode reminding viewers that it contains language and attitudes reflecting the era in which it was made.

Selected filmography

Film roles

  • Carrington V.C. – Major Broke-Smith
  • Dunkirk – Froome
  • I'm All Right Jack – Bootle
  • Passage to India – Professor Godbole wrong
  • Bedazzled – Inspector Clarke
  • Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush – Mr. McGregor
  • Hammerhead – Andreas / Sir Richard
  • Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River – Dr. Spink
  • Salt and Pepper – Inspector Crabbe
  • Oh! What a Lovely War – Drunk Lance Corporal
  • Battle of Britain – Warrant Officer Warwick
  • Arthur? Arthur! – Mr. Harrington
  • Patton – Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery
  • Every Home Should Have One – Magistrate
  • The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer – Mr. Spimm
  • A Clockwork Orange – Chief Guard Barnes
  • Frenzy – Sergeant Spearman
  • No Sex Please, We're British – Mr. Needham
  • Fall of Eagles – General Erich Ludendorff
  • The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones – Madman
  • Gulliver's Travels –

    Television roles