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 the original ''

Poldark ''Poldark'' is a series of historical novels by Winston Graham, published from 1945 to 1953 and continued from 1973 to 2002. The first novel, '' Ross Poldark'', was named for the protagonist of the series. The novel series was adapted twice ...

''.

Biography

Bates was born in Bristol, England. His parents were both psychiatrists; his mother was French and he was a great-great-grandson of French scientist

Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur (, ; 27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the latter of which was named afte ...

. He held dual-nationality and was bilingual, and was 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 Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada * Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village * Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton * Shaw, Swindon, a suburb of Swindon ...

's '' You Never Can Tell'' at The

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlai ...

, Dublin, in 1963. A career in repertory theatre followed, and the young actor gained experience in productions ranging from ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...

'' 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 Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic fiction, Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of thes ...

productions, such as ''

Taste the Blood of Dracula ''Taste the Blood of Dracula'' is a 1970 British supernatural horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Peter Sasdy from a script by Anthony Hinds, it is the fifth installment in Hammer's ''Dracula'' series, and the fourth to ...

'', ''

The Horror of Frankenstein ''The Horror of Frankenstein'' is a 1970 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions that is both a semi-parody and semi-remake of the 1957 film ''The Curse of Frankenstein'', of Hammer's ''Frankenstein'' series. It was produced and directed ...

'', '' Lust for a Vampire'', and ''

Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde ''Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'' is a 1971 British horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker based on the 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film was made by British studio Hammer Film Productions ...

'', in which he played a doctor who mistakenly transforms himself into a beautiful siren. He portrayed Caligula in the series '' The Caesars'' and with

Cyd Hayman Cyd Hayman (born 1 May 1944, in Chippenham, Wiltshire) is an English actress. She appeared in the films: '' Percy'' (1971), '' Rogue Male'' (1976), '' The Human Factor'' (1979), ''The Godsend'' (1980) and '' Mask of Murder'' (1985). Her televisi ...

in the ''Crime of Passion'' series. After playing

Thomas Culpeper Thomas Culpeper ( – 10 December 1541) was an English courtier and close friend of Henry VIII, and related to two of his queens, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. He is known to have had many private meetings with Catherine after her mar ...

in an episode of '' The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (1970), he starred in the series ''

Moonbase 3 ''Moonbase 3'' is a British science fiction television programme that ran for six episodes in 1973. It was a co-production between the BBC, 20th Century Fox and the American ABC network. Created by ''Doctor Who'' producer Barry Letts and s ...

'' (1973) and ''

'', 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 often was chosen to play a Frenchman on television, such as in an episode of ITV comedy drama '' Turtle's Progress''. 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 comedy series by the writer John Sullivan, which saw Bates cast in a more sympathetic role as the newly divorced member of a singles group. '' Dear John'' (1986–87) ran for two series, and gave him chance to display a talent for comic roles. Around the same time, he appeared in the sitcom ''

Farrington of the F.O. {{infobox television , runtime = 30 minutes , creator = Dick Sharples , starring = Angela Thorne Joan Sims John Quayle Tony Haygarth Freddie Earlle Judy Cornwell , director = Ronnie Baxter Don Clayton , composer = Alan ParkerAl ...

'' (1986) with Angela Thorne and Joan Sims.

Private life

Bates was divorced from the actress

Joanna Van Gyseghem Joanna Van Gyseghem (born 4 September 1941) is a British actress. She was educated at Malvern Girls' College and Trinity College, Dublin. Her father André van Gyseghem was an actor and director, and her mother Jean Forbes-Robertson an actre ...

, and survived by his second wife, actress

Virginia Wetherell Virginia Wetherell (born 9 May 1943 in Farnham, Surrey) is an English actress known for her roles in Hammer horror films such as '' Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'' (1971) and '' Demons of the Mind'' (1972). Her other film appearances include ''The ...

(married 1973–1991). The couple had a son and a daughter.

Death

Bates was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died from the disease in London, aged 51. The large metal cross marking his grave at Chiswick New Cemetery bears the epitaph "Don't Worry. Be_Happy!" The Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is a registered charity.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Photos of Ralph Bates' grave
at Findagrave {{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Ralph 1940 births 1991 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Deaths from cancer in England Deaths from pancreatic cancer English male film actors English male television actors Male actors from Bristol Yale School of Drama alumni 20th-century English male actors