Norman Bird

Birthday: 1920-10-30
Deathday: 2005-04-22
Birthplace: Coalville, Leicestershire, England, UK
Gender: Male
Owned By: Unowned

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).

Credits

Year Title Character
1996-10-05 Crossing the Floor Grandfather
1993-12-25 Shadowlands Taxi Driver Witness
1992-09-20 Born Kicking Mr Radley
1992-02-19 Miss Pym's Day Out Man on Bus
1986-01-01 Buddy Mr Normington
1984-12-30 This Office Life Seeds
1984-11-12 Black Carrion Henry Bircher
1984-04-19 A Voyage Round My Father Ham
1982-12-26 The Ghost Downstairs Mr. Morris
1981-04-29 If You Go Down in the Woods Today Doctor
1981-03-20 The Final Conflict Dr. Philmore
1980-12-27 A Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special Mr Braithwaite
1978-11-15 The Lord of the Rings Bilbo (voice)
1978-04-13 The Medusa Touch Major Henry Morlar
1976-03-25 The Slipper and the Rose Dress Shop Proprieter
1976-01-01 Wedding Bells
1976-01-01 Double Trouble
1976-01-01 The Big Kick
1976-01-01 Baby Sitters
1976-01-01 On the Tiles
1976-01-01 Monkey Tricks
1976-01-01 Pot Luck Farmer
1975-01-01 King Arthur, the Young Warlord Ambrose
1973-01-18 Elementary, My Dear Watson Inspector Street
1972-12-01 Ooh... You Are Awful Warder Burke
1972-03-01 Doomwatch Brewer
1971-10-17 Hands of the Ripper Police Inspector
1971-05-01 Please Sir! Reynolds
1971-01-21 The Raging Moon Dr Matthews
1970-11-12 The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer Alderman Poot
1970-06-07 Up Among the Cuckoos Walter
1970-06-01 The Virgin and the Gypsy Uncle Fred
1969-11-18 Run a Crooked Mile Sgt. Hooper
1969-03-10 Oh! What a Lovely War Training Sgt (uncredited)
1969-03-03 The Limbo Line
1969-01-01 All at Sea
1968-04-02 A Dandy in Aspic Copperfield
1966-06-19 The Wrong Box Clergyman
1965-08-31 Sky West and Crooked Mr. Cheeseman - undertaker
1965-06-17 The Hill Commandant
1964-10-19 The Black Torment Harris
1964-08-25 The Beauty Jungle Mr. Edward Freeman
1964-07-01 First Men in the Moon Stuart
1964-01-01 The Bargee Waterways Supervisor Albert Williams
1964-01-01 Hot Enough for June Employment Exchange Clerk
1963-08-15 80,000 Suspects Harold Davis
1963-05-20 Maniac Salon
1963-04-08 The Punch and Judy Man Reginald Fletcher
1963-03-08 Bitter Harvest Mr. Pitt
1963-02-01 The Mind Benders Aubrey
1963-01-01 The Cracksman Policeman
1962-12-01 In Search of the Castaways Senior Yacht Guard
1962-08-16 Term of Trial Mr. Taylor
1962-04-25 Night of the Eagle Doctor
1961-12-20 Cash on Demand Sanderson
1961-08-01 Victim Harold Doe
1961-07-25 Whistle Down the Wind Eddie
1961-05-01 The Secret Partner Ralph Beldon
1961-04-24 Very Important Person Travers
1960-10-31 Man in the Moon Herbert
1960-04-15 The League of Gentlemen Weaver
1960-03-10 The Angry Silence Roberts
1954-03-16 An Inspector Calls Jones-Collins - Foreman