Alan Bates
Biography
Alan Bates was an English actor who built his reputation in the 1960s with films such as Whistle Down the Wind (1961) and A Kind of Loving (1962). Born in Allestree, Derby, England, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his stage debut in 1955 before his West End breakthrough as Cliff in Look Back in Anger. His film debut came in The Entertainer (1960), and he went on to star in Zorba the Greek (1964), Georgy Girl (1966), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), and The Fixer (1968), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Later roles included The Go-Between (1971), An Unmarried Woman (1978), The Rose (1979), and Hamlet (1990). He also appeared in television dramas such as The Mayor of Casterbridge and An Englishman Abroad, and on stage in Simon Gray plays including Butley and Otherwise Engaged. He was made CBE in 1995 and knighted in 2003.
69years old at death
- Born Allestree
- Died City of Westminster
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Alan Arthur Bates (birth name)Also credited as Sir Alan Arthur Bates
Movie Career
- Films
- 32
- Career span
- 58 years1960 to 2018
Genres
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Big break
Bates originated the role of Cliff in Look Back in Anger at the Royal Court in 1956, then played it in the West End, on television and on Broadway, and the part made him a star.
Early training
Bates studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art on a scholarship alongside Albert Finney and Peter O'Toole, then left to join the RAF for National Service.
A change of course
While acting at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City in the early 1960s, Bates worked for the Padded Wagon Moving Company.
Alan Bates movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
John Schlesinger directed two of these films. Joan Plowright appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Joan Plowright's page
Ian Holm's page
Bob Hoskins's page
Laurence Olivier's page
Julie Christie's page
Frank Finlay's page
All films by John Schlesinger
Box office
What Alan Bates's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$335 million
10 of the 32 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 32 films: 10 worldwide figure; 5 us gross only; 2 never in cinemas; 15 figure not found.
- 10Worldwide figure
- 5US gross only
- 2Never in cinemas
- 15Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$194M57.8% of the total
- 2$55M16.5% of the total
- 3$29M8.7% of the total
- 4$24M7.2% of the total
- 5$21M6.2% of the total
- 6$9.0M2.7% of the total
- 7$1.4M0.4% of the total
- 8$725K0.2% of the total
$956,851from the other 2 films with a worldwide figure, 0% of the total
Awards
Five awards and honors from 1973 to 2002, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Awards | |||
| 2002 | Best Actor in a Play | Won | |
| 1973 | Best Actor in a Play | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 2001 | Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor | Won | |
| Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Won | ||
| Knight Bachelor | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.