Name
Norman Bird
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1920-10-30
Deathday
2005-04-22 (85 years old)
Place of Birth
Coalville, Leicestershire, England, UK
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
6.589
Young Hobbit Frodo Baggins is thrown into an amazing adventure when he's tasked with destr...
5.8
Damien Thorn has helped rescue the world from a recession, appearing to be a benign corpor...
6.9
C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets...
6.5
Two teenagers, Mary (Hayley Mills) and Robert (Keith Hamshere) are lead by Professor Pagan...
6.2
A series of murders occur that mirror those committed by the Whitechapel Ripper. Through h...
6.9
Double-agent Alexander Eberlin is assigned by the British to hunt out a Russian spy, known...
6.3
The world is delighted when a spacecraft containing a crew comprised of the world's astron...
- 1978 The Lord of the Rings as Bilbo (voice)
- 1965 The Hill as Commandant
- 1972 Doomwatch as Brewer
- 1964 First Men in the Moon as Stuart
- 1961 Whistle Down the Wind as Eddie
- 1962 In Search of the Castaways as Senior Yacht Guard
- 1963 Maniac as Salon
- 1961 Cash on Demand as Arthur Sanderson
- 1962 Night of the Eagle as Doctor
- 1960 The League of Gentlemen as Weaver
- 1963 The Mind Benders as Aubrey
- 1993 Shadowlands as Taxi Driver Witness
- 1960 The Angry Silence as Roberts
- 1960 Man in the Moon as Herbert
- 1972 Ooh...You Are Awful as Warder Burke
- 1962 Term of Trial as Mr. Taylor
- 1961 The Secret Partner as Ralph Beldon
- 1964 The Black Torment as Harris
- 1981 If You Go Down in the Woods Today as Doctor
- 1964 The Bargee as Waterways Supervisor Albert Williams
- 1966 Sky West and Crooked as Mr. Cheeseman - undertaker
- 1968 A Dandy in Aspic as Copperfield
- 1964 The Beauty Jungle as Mr. Edward Freeman
- 1963 80,000 Suspects as Harold Davis
- 1963 The Cracksman as Policeman
- 1969 Run a Crooked Mile as Sgt. Hooper
- 1984 This Office Life as Seeds
- 1970 The Virgin and the Gypsy as Uncle Fred
- 1970 Up Among the Cuckoos as Walter
- 1961 Victim as Harold Doe
- 1969 All at Sea as Mr. Danvers
- 1966 The Wrong Box as Clergyman
- 1976 Wedding Bells
- 1976 Double Trouble
- 1976 The Big Kick
- 1976 Baby Sitters
- 1976 On the Tiles
- 1976 Monkey Tricks
- 1976 Pot Luck as Farmer
- 1969 Oh! What a Lovely War as Training Sgt (uncredited)
- 1973 Elementary, My Dear Watson as Inspector Street
- 1976 The Slipper and the Rose as Dress Shop Proprieter
- 1984 A Voyage Round My Father as Ham
- 1982 The Ghost Downstairs as Mr. Morris
- 1963 Bitter Harvest as Mr. Pitt
- 1971 Hands of the Ripper as Police Inspector
- 1996 Crossing the Floor as Grandfather
- 1964 Hot Enough for June as Employment Exchange Clerk
- 1954 An Inspector Calls as Jones-Collins - Foreman
- 1961 Very Important Person as Senior British Officer Travers
- 1980 A Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special as Mr Braithwaite
- 1992 Born Kicking as Mr Radley
- 1971 The Raging Moon as Dr Matthews
- 1963 The Punch and Judy Man as Reginald Fletcher
- 1970 The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer as Alderman Poot
- 1978 The Medusa Touch as Major Henry Morlar
- 1969 The Limbo Line
- 1981 The Final Conflict as Dr. Philmore
- 1975 King Arthur, the Young Warlord as Ambrose
- 1971 Please Sir! as Reynolds
- 1986 Buddy as Mr Normington
- 1984 Black Carrion as Henry Bircher
- 1992 Miss Pym's Day Out as Man on Bus
- 1972 Young Winston as Party Chairman
- 1969 Takeover as Father
- 2005 The Funny Blokes of British Comedy as Mr. Arrad (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1966 End in Tears as Charles 'Whoopy' Cushion
- 1964 The Trial of Dr. Fancy as Charles Lincoln
- 1971 Budgie ( 1 episode ) as Inspector Charles Upton
- 1969 Department S ( 1 episode ) as Drayton
- 1962 Z-Cars ( 1 episode )
- 1965 Gideon's Way ( 1 episode ) as Supt. Fred Lee
- 1975 Fawlty Towers ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Arrad
- 1961 The Avengers ( 1 episode )
- 1971 Jason King ( 1 episode )
- 1972 Crown Court ( 1 episode )
- 1962 The Saint ( 3 episodes ) as Mr. Spode
- 1980 Yes Minister ( 1 episode )
- 1977 Raffles ( 1 episode )
- 1972 Shirley's World ( 1 episode )
- 1975 Angels ( 1 episode )
- 1959 No Hiding Place ( 1 episode )
- 1971 The Guardians ( 1 episode ) as Tom Henryson
- 1967 Sanctuary ( 1 episode )
- 1972 My Wife Next Door ( 1 episode )
- 1984 Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense ( 1 episode ) as Henry Bircher
- 1977 Miss Jones And Son ( 12 episodes )
- 1980 Hammer House of Horror ( 1 episode ) as Basil
- 1972 The Adventurer ( 1 episode ) as Brooks
- 1962 The Saint ( 1 episode ) as Weems
- 1978 Return of the Saint ( 1 episode ) as Morgan
- 1969 Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ( 1 episode ) as Elliot
- 1978 All Creatures Great and Small ( 2 episodes ) as Farmer Benson
- 1975 Two's Company ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Bunn
- 1979 Worzel Gummidge ( 23 episodes ) as Mr. Braithwaite
- 1972 Arthur of the Britons ( 1 episode ) as Ambrose
- 1971 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes ( 1 episode ) as Inspector Trent
- 1965 Public Eye ( 1 episode ) as Arthur Biddle
- 1973 Up The Workers ( 14 episodes ) as Sid Stubbins
- 1978 The Glums ( 1 episode ) as Office Manager
- 1969 Softly Softly: Task Force ( 1 episode ) as Samuel Tomkins
- 1956 Armchair Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Walter
- 1960 Coronation Street ( 1 episode ) as Frank Jackson
- 1981 Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years ( 1 episode ) as Sir Maurice Hanley
- 1985 Screen Two ( 1 episode ) as Grandfather
- 1965 Thirty-Minute Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Arthur Pendlebury
- 1965 It's Not Me - It's Them! ( 6 episodes ) as Mr. Partridge
- 1983 The Fourth Arm ( 1 episode ) as Col. Cole
- 1966 Till Death Us Do Part ( 1 episode ) as Landlord
- 1980 To Serve Them All My Days ( 4 episodes ) as Alderman Blunt
- 1964 Theatre 625 ( 1 episode ) as William Oaks
- 1988 After Henry ( 1 episode ) as Mr Henderson
- 1961 Drama 61-67 ( 1 episode ) as Father
- 1985 Lytton's Diary ( 2 episodes ) as Charles Adams
- 1972 The Organization ( 2 episodes ) as Ken Grist
- 1979 Friday Night, Saturday Morning ( 1 episode )
- 1978 Life Begins at Forty ( 1 episode ) as Dr Gardiner
- 1956 Armchair Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Charles Lincoln
- 1956 Armchair Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Spooner
- 1969 ITV Saturday Night Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Father
- 1969 ITV Saturday Night Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Stanley Nicholson
- 1967 Half Hour Story ( 1 episode ) as Harry
- 1969 W. Somerset Maugham ( 1 episode ) as Arthur Low
- 1974 Seven Faces of Woman ( 1 episode ) as Ken
- 1971 Suspicion ( 1 episode ) as Harry Beardsley
- 1974 Happy Ever After ( 1 episode ) as Mr Fletcher
- 1962 Steptoe and Son ( 1 episode ) as Bank Manager
- 1962 Steptoe and Son ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Dryson
- 1964 The Protectors ( 1 episode ) as Barnaby
- 1964 Thursday Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Harry Lancaster
- 1965 Blackmail ( 1 episode ) as Henry Cobb
- 1959 No Hiding Place ( 1 episode ) as Arthur Johnson
- 1976 Yanks Go Home ( 7 episodes ) as Leonard Chambers
- 1979 Thomas & Sarah ( 2 episodes ) as Gilbert
- 1971 Bless This House ( 1 episode ) as Vet
- 1982 Break Point ( 3 episodes ) as Major Houghton-Jones
