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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

107

Gender

Male

Birthday

1920-10-30

Day of Death

2005-04-22 (85 years old)

Place of Birth

Coalville, Leicestershire, England, UK

Also Known As

Норман Бёрд

John George Norman Bird

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

The Lord of the Rings

1978

The Lord of the Rings

as

Bilbo (voice)

The Hill

1965

The Hill

as

Commandant

Doomwatch

1972

Doomwatch

as

Brewer

In Search of the Castaways

1962

In Search of the Castaways

as

Senior Yacht Guard

Maniac

1963

Maniac

as

Salon

Cash on Demand

1961

Cash on Demand

as

Arthur Sanderson

Night of the Eagle

1962

Night of the Eagle

as

Doctor

The Mind Benders

1963

The Mind Benders

as

Aubrey

Shadowlands

1993

Shadowlands

as

Taxi Driver Witness

The Angry Silence

1960

The Angry Silence

as

Roberts

Man in the Moon

1960

Man in the Moon

as

Herbert

Ooh...You Are Awful

1972

Ooh...You Are Awful

as

Warder Burke

Term of Trial

1962

Term of Trial

as

Mr. Taylor

The Secret Partner

1961

The Secret Partner

as

Ralph Beldon

The Black Torment

1964

The Black Torment

as

Harris

The Bargee

1964

The Bargee

as

Waterways Supervisor Albert Williams

Sky West and Crooked

1965

Sky West and Crooked

as

Mr. Cheeseman - undertaker

A Dandy in Aspic

1968

A Dandy in Aspic

as

Copperfield

The Beauty Jungle

1964

The Beauty Jungle

as

Mr. Edward Freeman

80,000 Suspects

1963

80,000 Suspects

as

Harold Davis

The Cracksman

1963

The Cracksman

as

Policeman

Run a Crooked Mile

1969

Run a Crooked Mile

as

Sgt. Hooper

This Office Life

1984

This Office Life

as

Seeds

The Virgin and the Gypsy

1970

The Virgin and the Gypsy

as

Uncle Fred

Victim

1961

Victim

as

Harold Doe

All at Sea

1969

All at Sea

as

Mr. Danvers

The Wrong Box

1966

The Wrong Box

as

Clergyman

Pot Luck

1976

Pot Luck

as

Farmer

Oh! What a Lovely War

1969

Oh! What a Lovely War

as

Training Sgt (uncredited)

Elementary, My Dear Watson

1973

Elementary, My Dear Watson

as

Inspector Street

The Slipper and the Rose

1976

The Slipper and the Rose

as

Dress Shop Proprieter

The Ghost Downstairs

1982

The Ghost Downstairs

as

Mr. Morris

Bitter Harvest

1963

Bitter Harvest

as

Mr. Pitt

Hands of the Ripper

1971

Hands of the Ripper

as

Police Inspector

Crossing the Floor

1996

Crossing the Floor

as

Grandfather

Hot Enough for June

1964

Hot Enough for June

as

Employment Exchange Clerk

An Inspector Calls

1954

An Inspector Calls

as

Jones-Collins - Foreman

Born Kicking

1992

Born Kicking

as

Mr Radley

The Raging Moon

1971

The Raging Moon

as

Dr Matthews

The Punch and Judy Man

1963

The Punch and Judy Man

as

Reginald Fletcher

The Medusa Touch

1978

The Medusa Touch

as

Major Henry Morlar

The Final Conflict

1981

The Final Conflict

as

Dr. Philmore

Please Sir!

1971

Please Sir!

as

Reynolds

Buddy

1986

Buddy

as

Mr Normington

Black Carrion

1984

Black Carrion

as

Henry Bircher

Miss Pym's Day Out

1992

Miss Pym's Day Out

as

Man on Bus

Young Winston

1972

Young Winston

as

Party Chairman

Budgie

Budgie

as

Inspector Charles Upton

Department S

Department S

as

Drayton

Gideon's Way

Gideon's Way

as

Supt. Fred Lee

Fawlty Towers

Fawlty Towers

as

Mr. Arrad

The Saint

The Saint

as

Mr. Spode

The Saint

The Saint

as

Weems

Two's Company

Two's Company

as

Mr. Bunn

Worzel Gummidge

Worzel Gummidge

as

Mr. Braithwaite

Public Eye

Public Eye

as

Arthur Biddle

Up The Workers

Up The Workers

as

Sid Stubbins

The Glums

The Glums

as

Office Manager

Coronation Street

Coronation Street

as

Frank Jackson

Screen Two

Screen Two

as

Grandfather

Thirty-Minute Theatre

Thirty-Minute Theatre

as

Arthur Pendlebury

Production

Crew

Directing