Alan Bates

Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was a prominent English actor known for his roles in films spanning from the 1960s through the 1990s. Bates made his name in the 1960s with performances in films such as Whistle Down the Wind and the 'kitchen sink' drama A Kind of Loving. He is also lauded for his performance alongside Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek, as well as for his roles in King of Hearts, Georgy Girl, Far From the Madding Crowd and The Fixer, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His career remained prolific in the following decades with roles in The Go-Between, An Unmarried Woman, Nijinsky and The Rose, among others. Alongside films, Bates' career spanned across numerous television dramas, such as The Mayor of Casterbridge, A Voyage Round My Father and An Englishman Abroad, and on stage, most notably in the plays of Simon Gray.

Bates was born in Allestree, Derby, England. Music was originally encouraged by his parents, both amateur musicians, but by age 11, Bates decided to pursue acting. His initial studies in drama led him to Derby's Little Theatre before he earned a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where he studied with Albert Finney and Peter O'Toole. He later joined the RAF for National Service. Bates made his professional stage debut in 1955, which catapulted him to stardom soon after. Bates was honored as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1995, and was knighted in 2003, for his services to drama. He notably served as an Associate Member of RADA and a patron of The Actors Centre, Covent Garden, London, from 1994 until his death.