Norman Bird
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1920-10-30
Day of Death
2005-04-22 (84 years old)
Place of Birth
Coalville, Leicestershire, England, UK
Norman Bird
Biography
John George Norman Bird (30 October 1924 – 22 April 2005) was an English character actor.
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).
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).
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).
Known For
Acting
(1996)
Crossing the Floor
as Grandfather
(1993)
Shadowlands
as Taxi Driver Witness
(1992)
Born Kicking
as Mr Radley
(1992)
Miss Pym's Day Out
as Man on Bus
(1986)
Buddy
as Mr Normington
(1984)
A Voyage Round My Father
as Ham
(1984)
This Office Life
as Seeds
(1984)
Black Carrion
as Henry Bircher
(1982)
The Ghost Downstairs
as Mr. Morris
(1981)
The Final Conflict
as Dr. Philmore
(1981)
If You Go Down in the Woods Today
as Doctor
(1980)
A Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special
as Mr Braithwaite
(1978)
The Lord of the Rings
as Bilbo (voice)
(1978)
The Medusa Touch
as Major Henry Morlar
(1976)
The Slipper and the Rose
as Dress Shop Proprieter
(1976)
(1976)
(1976)
(1976)
(1976)
(1976)
Pot Luck
as Farmer
(1976)
(1975)
King Arthur, the Young Warlord
as Ambrose
(1973)
Elementary, My Dear Watson
as Inspector Street
(1972)
Young Winston
as Party Chairman
(1972)
Doomwatch
as Brewer
(1972)
Ooh...You Are Awful
as Warder Burke
(1971)
The Raging Moon
as Dr Matthews
(1971)
Hands of the Ripper
as Police Inspector
(1971)
Please Sir!
as Reynolds
(1970)
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
as Alderman Poot
(1970)
The Virgin and the Gypsy
as Uncle Fred
(1970)
Up Among the Cuckoos
as Walter
(1969)
Oh! What a Lovely War
as Training Sgt (uncredited)
(1969)
Run a Crooked Mile
as Sgt. Hooper
(1969)
(1969)
(1968)
A Dandy in Aspic
as Copperfield
(1966)
The Wrong Box
as Clergyman
(1965)
The Hill
as Commandant
(1965)
Sky West and Crooked
as Mr. Cheeseman - undertaker
(1964)
First Men in the Moon
as Stuart
(1964)
Hot Enough for June
as Employment Exchange Clerk
(1964)
The Bargee
as Waterways Supervisor Albert Williams
(1964)
The Black Torment
as Harris
(1964)
The Beauty Jungle
as Mr. Edward Freeman
(1963)
The Mind Benders
as Aubrey
(1963)
The Punch and Judy Man
as Reginald Fletcher
(1963)
Maniac
as Salon
(1963)
80,000 Suspects
as Harold Davis
(1963)
The Cracksman
as Policeman
(1963)
Bitter Harvest
as Mr. Pitt
(1962)
In Search of the Castaways
as Senior Yacht Guard
(1962)
Night of the Eagle
as Doctor
(1962)
Term of Trial
as Mr. Taylor
(1961)
Victim
as Harold Doe
(1961)
Whistle Down the Wind
as Eddie
(1961)
Cash on Demand
as Arthur Sanderson
(1961)
Very Important Person
as Travers
(1961)
The Secret Partner
as Ralph Beldon
(1960)
The League of Gentlemen
as Weaver
(1960)
The Angry Silence
as Roberts
(1960)
Man in the Moon
as Herbert
(1954)
An Inspector Calls
as Jones-Collins - Foreman