Norman Bird
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| Norman Bird | |
| Born | 30 October 1920 Coalville, Leicestershire, England |
| Died | 22 April 2005 |
Norman Bird (30 October 1920 – 22 April 2005) was one of Britain's foremost character actors. Often sporting a moustache and an air of worried resignation, he seemed to specialise in downtrodden roles. Describing himself as "the man with the cardigan", his doleful looks ensured that he was usually cast as henpecked husbands, petty officials or interfering busybodies.
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. His first film appearance was as the foreman in An Inspector Calls (1954).
He was a familiar face to British cinema audiences of the 60s, appearing in such classic films as The League of Gentlemen (1960), The Angry Silence (1961), Whistle Down the Wind (1961) and Victim (1962).
He went on to make nearly 70 films and over 200 television appearances, notably as Mr Braithwaite in Worzel Gummidge (1979-81) and as Mr Arrad in the Fawlty Towers episode "Waldorf Salad" (1979). His long list of credits include Steptoe and Son, Rising Damp, Ever Decreasing Circles, Yes Minister, To Serve Them All My Days, Z-Cars, The Saint, 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).
