image of Ralph Bates
Birthday: Feb 12, 1940
Place of Birth: Bristol, England

Ralph Bates

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom Dear John and for being one of Hammer Horror's best-known actors from the latter period of the company. Bates was born in Bristol, England, of French ancestry (He was the great, great nephew of French scientist Louis Pasteur) and educated at Trinity College Dublin. He read French there, before winning a scholarship to Yale Drama School. The course completed, Bates returned to Ireland to make his stage debut in Shaw's You Never Can Tell at The Gate Theatre, Dublin, in 1963. A career in repertory theatre soon followed and the young actor gained experience in productions ranging from Hedda Gabler, to raucous comedies. Later, Bates carved a niche in the world of horror films and played important roles or the lead in several Hammer Horror productions, such as Taste the Blood of Dracula, The Horror of Frankenstein, Lust for a Vampire, and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, in which he played a deranged doctor who mistakenly transforms himself into a beautiful siren. He portrayed Caligula in the series The Caesars and alongside Cyd Hayman in a passionate French tale of murder and mystery - Crime of Passion series. After playing Thomas Culpeper in an episode of The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), he went on to star in the BBC drama series, Moonbase 3 (1973) and the long-running Poldark, in which he played villainous George Warleggan. The series ran for 29 episodes, starting in 1975. He also played Communist Paul Vercors in the final season of the drama series Secret Army. Because of his French ancestry and dark looks, he was often chosen to play a Frenchman on television. Bates also appeared in the television movie Minder on the Orient Express, again as a Frenchman. It looked, for some time, as if he might remain typecast in sinister roles, but he was offered a part in a farcical comedy by the writer John Sullivan, which saw Bates as the loveable but loveless central character among a singles group, with each of its members looking for that perfect but ever elusive partner. Dear John (1986–87), in which he realistically played the part of a divorcee returning to single life, lasted for two series, and around the same time he appeared in the ITV Yorkshire Television sitcom Farrington of the F.O. (1986) with Angela Thorne and Joan Sims. Bates became ill and was diagnosed with cancer. He died in London at age 51 from pancreatic cancer. He was divorced from the actress Joanna Van Gyseghem, and survived by his second wife, the actress Virginia Wetherell (married 1973-1991). The couple had one daughter actress Daisy Bates (b. 1974), and a son William Bates (b. 1977), an actor & musician. Description above from the Wikipedia article  Ralph Bates, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography
Movie Cast Year
The Horror of Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein 1970
Lust for a Vampire Giles Barton 1971
Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde Dr. Jekyll 1971
I Don't Want to Be Born Gino Carlesi 1976
Taste the Blood of Dracula Lord Courtley 1970
Fear in the Night Robert Heller 1972
Persecution David Masters 1974
Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook Lord Courtley (archive footage) 1991
Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook Victor Frankenstein (archive footage) 1991
Mrs. Reinhardt Mr. Reinhardt 1981
Frankenstein Reborn Victor's Father (photo) (uncredited) 1993
Santa's Christmas Crash 1995
Letters to an Unknown Lover Bernard 1986
Thank You Very Much Peter 1971
King of the Wind LeDuc 1990
Flying in the Branches Ed 1989
Murder Motel Michael Spencer 1975
Series Cast Year
Thriller Michael Spencer 1973
Moonbase 3 1973
The Gentle Touch 1980
The Persuaders! Michel 1971
Jason King 1971
Secret Army 1977
Crown Court 1972
Dear John John Lacey 1986
The Six Wives of Henry VIII Thomas Culpepper 1970
The Caesars Caligula 1968
Broad And Narrow 1965
The Agatha Christie Hour 1982
Poldark George Warleggan 1975
Minder François LeBlanc 1979
Secret Army Paul Vercors 1977
Dangerous Knowledge Sanders 1976
The Protectors David Lee 1972
Tales of the Unexpected Paul Foster 1979
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