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Ralph Bates
English film and television actor (1940–1991) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor. His credits included The Caesars (1968), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), Lust for a Vampire (1971), Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), Moonbase 3 (1973), Poldark (1975-1977), Secret Army (1979), Turtle's Progress (1980), Second Chance (1981), Minder on the Orient Express (1985), Dear John (1986-1987), Screen Two (1989), and King of the Wind (1990).
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Early life
Bates was born in Bristol, England. His parents were both psychiatrists; his mother was French[1] and he was a great-great-grandson of French scientist Louis Pasteur.[2] He held dual-nationality and was bilingual,[1] and was educated at Trinity College Dublin.[2] He read French there, before winning a scholarship to attend Yale Drama School.[3]
Career
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In 1968, he made his screen debut portraying Caligula in the BBC television series The Caesars (1968).[3][4]
Later, Bates carved a niche in the world of horror films and played important roles or the lead in several Hammer Horror productions,[3] such as Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970),[5] The Horror of Frankenstein (1970),[5] Lust for a Vampire (1971),[5] and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971),[5] in which he played a doctor who mistakenly transforms himself into a beautiful siren.[6][3]
He played Thomas Culpeper in an episode of The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970),[5] he starred in the series Moonbase 3 (1973),[3] and Poldark (1975-1977),[5] in which he played villainous George Warleggan for 29 episodes.[7]
He also played communist Paul Vercors in the final season of the drama series Secret Army (1979).[8] In 1981 he'd played a lead role in Second Chance (1981).[5] Because of his French ancestry and dark looks, he often was chosen to play a Frenchman on television, such as in an episode of ITV comedy drama Turtle's Progress (1980).[9] Bates also appeared in the television movie Minder on the Orient Express (1985), again as a Frenchman.[10]
It looked, for some time, as if he might remain typecast in sinister roles, but he was offered a part in comedy series Dear John (1986-1987), by the writer John Sullivan, which saw Bates cast in a more sympathetic role as the newly divorced member of a singles group.[11] It ran for two series, and gave him chance to display a talent for comic roles.[12]
His last roles were as Ed in the episode: "Flying in the Branches" in Screen Two (1989),[5] and as LeDuc in the film King of the Wind (1990).[5]
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Personal life, illness and death
In 1964 Bates married actress Joanna Van Gyseghem. The marriage ended in divorce.[3] In 1973 he married actress Virginia Wetherell. The couple had a daughter Daisy (born 1974) and a son Will (born 1977).[3]
Bates was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died from the disease ten weeks later[13] in London, at the age of 51.[14][15]
Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
The Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is a registered charity.[16]
The charity mainly funds research at St George's University of London, where work is currently focused on the effectiveness of drugs or a combination of drugs on pancreatic cancer cells and also their effectiveness in inhibiting cell resistance to chemotherapy. The research has resulted in a high impact publication in the International Journal of Cancer, showing that a commonly used antibiotic, Doxycycline, is capable of inducing cell death in human pancreatic cancer cells.[17]
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Filmography
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Film
Television
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References
External links
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