Norman Beaton
Biography
Norman Beaton was a Guyanese actor who built his career in Britain after leaving Georgetown, British Guiana, for London in 1960. He taught in Liverpool while singing calypso, and his calypso hit Come Back Melvina reached number one in Trinidad and Tobago in 1959. He wrote plays before concentrating on acting. On stage he played Ariel in The Tempest in 1970 and Nanki-Poo in The Black Mikado in 1975, and helped establish the Black Theatre of Brixton. He broke into television in The Fosters in 1976 and played the lead in the film Black Joy (1977), for which the Variety Club of Great Britain named him Film Actor of the Year. His most recognized part was Desmond Ambrose, the title character of Channel Four's comedy Desmond's, played for six years starting in 1988, which earned him a Royal Television Society award. He also appeared in Playing Away, The Mighty Quinn (1989), and Little Napoleons.
60years old at death
- Born Georgetown
- Died Guyana
- Star sign: ScorpioThe sign runs October 23 to November 21
- Also credited as Norman Lugard Beaton
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 12 years1977 to 1989
Every film, newest first
- 1989The Mighty QuinnIMDb rating 6.0
- 1983EurekaIMDb rating 5.9
- 1977Black JoyIMDb rating 6.3
Genres
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Beyond film
Beaton built a second career as a calypso singer. In 1959, his song "Come Back Melvina" reached the top spot in Trinidad and Tobago.
A change of course
Before acting, Beaton was the first black teacher employed by the Liverpool Education Authority, a post he gave up to write plays and work in the theater.
Behind the camera
Beaton grew unhappy teaching and started writing plays. His first was the musical Jack of Spades, about a black man and a white woman whose relationship was doomed, which was controversial then. Its moderate success gave him confidence to leave teaching for the theater.
Getting ready for a role
Beaton called playing Ariel in a 1970 production of Shakespeare's The Tempest the most important role of his acting career.
Behind the award
Beaton took the lead in Black Joy, a low-budget independent movie about a West Indian community in London. The Variety Club of Great Britain named him Film Actor of the Year in 1978 for that part.
Big break
Beaton's six-year run from 1988 as Desmond Ambrose in the Channel Four comedy Desmond's became his best-known role, and won him the Royal Television Society Best Comedy Performer Award.
Norman Beaton movies on Netflix
Worked with
Norman Beaton made one film with each of them. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
M. Emmet Walsh's page
Mickey Rourke's page
Gene Hackman's page
Rutger Hauer's page
Ed Lauter's page
Denzel Washington's page
Carl SchenkelDirector, 1 film, 1989
All films by Carl Schenkel
Nicolas RoegDirector, 1 film, 1983
All films by Nicolas Roeg
Anthony SimmonsDirector, 1 film, 1977
All films by Anthony Simmons
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.