Acting · Coalville, Leicestershire, England, UK · Born October 30, 1920
John George Norman Bird (30 October 1924 – 22 April 2005) was an English character actor. 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. He was also a member of the BBC's Radio Drama Company. His first film appearance was as the foreman in An Inspector Calls (1954). He was a familiar face to British cinema audiences of the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in nearly 50 films such as The Angry Silence (1960), The League of Gentlemen (1960), Whistle Down the Wind (1961), Victim (1961) and Term of Trial (1962) with Laurence Olivier and The Hill with Sean Connery (1965). He had over 200 television appearances, notably as Mr Braithwaite in Worzel Gummidge (1979–81) and Mr Arrad in the Fawlty Towers episode "Waldorf Salad" (1979). His long list of credits include Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, Rising Damp, Ever Decreasing Circles, Yes Minister, To Serve Them All My Days, All Creatures Great and Small, Z-Cars, Public Eye, The Saint, Department S, 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).
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy
2005
as Mr. Arrad (archive footage) (uncredited)
MovieCrossing the Floor
1996
as Grandfather
MovieShadowlands
1993
as Taxi Driver Witness
MovieBorn Kicking
1992
as Mr Radley
MovieMiss Pym's Day Out
1992
as Man on Bus
TVAfter Henry
1988
as Mr Henderson
MovieBuddy
1986
as Mr Normington
TVLytton's Diary
1985
as Charles Adams
TVScreen Two
1985
as Grandfather
MovieThis Office Life
1984
as Seeds
MovieBlack Carrion
1984
as Henry Bircher
TVHammer House of Mystery and Suspense
1984
as Henry Bircher
MovieA Voyage Round My Father
1984
as Ham
TVThe Fourth Arm
1983
as Col. Cole
MovieThe Ghost Downstairs
1982
as Mr. Morris
TVWinston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
1981
as Sir Maurice Hanley
MovieIf You Go Down in the Woods Today
1981
as Doctor
MovieThe Final Conflict
1981
as Dr. Philmore
MovieA Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special
1980
as Mr Braithwaite
TVTo Serve Them All My Days
1980
as Alderman Blunt
TVHammer House of Horror
1980
as Basil
TVYes Minister
1980
TVFriday Night, Saturday Morning
1979
TVWorzel Gummidge
1979
as Mr. Braithwaite
TVThomas & Sarah
1979
MovieThe Lord of the Rings
1978
as Bilbo (voice)
TVThe Glums
1978
as Office Manager
TVReturn of the Saint
1978
as Morgan
Life Begins at Forty
1978
as Dr Gardiner
MovieThe Medusa Touch
1978
as Major Henry Morlar
TVAll Creatures Great and Small
1978
as Farmer Benson
Miss Jones And Son
1977
TVRaffles
1977
Yanks Go Home
1976
MovieThe Slipper and the Rose
1976
as Dress Shop Proprieter
Baby Sitters
1976
Double Trouble
1976
Wedding Bells
1976
On the Tiles
1976
The Big Kick
1976
Monkey Tricks
1976
Pot Luck
1976
as Farmer
TVFawlty Towers
1975
as Mr. Arrad
TVTwo's Company
1975
as Mr. Bunn
TVAngels
1975
MovieKing Arthur, the Young Warlord
1975
as Ambrose
TVHappy Ever After
1974
as Mr Fletcher
Seven Faces of Woman
1974
as Ken
TVUp The Workers
1973
as Sid Stubbins
MovieElementary, My Dear Watson
1973
as Inspector Street
TVArthur of the Britons
1972
as Ambrose
MovieOoh...You Are Awful
1972
as Warder Burke
TVCrown Court
1972
TVThe Adventurer
1972
as Brooks
TVMy Wife Next Door
1972
MovieYoung Winston
1972
as Party Chairman
TVThe Organization
1972
as Ken Grist
TVShirley's World
1972
MovieDoomwatch
1972
as Brewer
Suspicion
1971
as Harry Beardsley
MovieHands of the Ripper
1971
as Police Inspector
TVThe Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
1971
as Inspector Trent
TVJason King
1971
TVThe Guardians
1971
as Tom Henryson
MoviePlease Sir!
1971
as Reynolds
TVBudgie
1971
as Inspector Charles Upton
MovieThe Raging Moon
1971
as Dr Matthews
MovieThe Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
1970
as Alderman Poot
Up Among the Cuckoos
1970
as Walter
MovieThe Virgin and the Gypsy
1970
as Uncle Fred
TVSoftly Softly: Task Force
1969
as Samuel Tomkins
MovieRun a Crooked Mile
1969
as Sgt. Hooper
TVRandall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
1969
as Elliot
TVDepartment S
1969
as Drayton
Takeover
1969
as Father
W. Somerset Maugham
1969
as Arthur Low
MovieOh! What a Lovely War
1969
as Training Sgt (uncredited)
MovieThe Limbo Line
1969
TVITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
as Father
MovieAll at Sea
1969
as Mr. Danvers
MovieA Dandy in Aspic
1968
as Copperfield
Sanctuary
1967
TVHalf Hour Story
1967
as Harry
MovieThe Wrong Box
1966
as Clergyman
TVTill Death Us Do Part
1966
as Landlord
MovieSky West and Crooked
1966
as Mr. Cheeseman - undertaker
End in Tears
1966
as Charles 'Whoopy' Cushion
TVThirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Arthur Pendlebury
It's Not Me - It's Them!
1965
as Mr. Partridge
MovieThe Hill
1965
as Commandant
TVGideon's Way
1965
as Supt. Fred Lee
TVPublic Eye
1965
as Arthur Biddle
MovieThe Black Torment
1964
as Harris
The Trial of Dr. Fancy
1964
as Charles Lincoln
MovieThe Beauty Jungle
1964
as Mr. Edward Freeman
MovieFirst Men in the Moon
1964
as Stuart
TVTheatre 625
1964
as William Oaks
MovieThe Bargee
1964
as Waterways Supervisor Albert Williams
MovieHot Enough for June
1964
as Employment Exchange Clerk
Movie80,000 Suspects
1963
as Harold Davis
MovieManiac
1963
as Salon
MovieThe Punch and Judy Man
1963
as Reginald Fletcher
MovieBitter Harvest
1963
as Mr. Pitt
MovieThe Mind Benders
1963
as Aubrey
MovieThe Cracksman
1963
as Policeman
MovieIn Search of the Castaways
1962
as Senior Yacht Guard
TVThe Saint
1962
as Mr. Spode
MovieTerm of Trial
1962
as Mr. Taylor
MovieNight of the Eagle
1962
as Doctor
TVSteptoe and Son
1962
as Bank Manager
TVZ-Cars
1962
MovieCash on Demand
1961
as Arthur Sanderson
MovieVictim
1961
as Harold Doe
MovieWhistle Down the Wind
1961
as Eddie
MovieThe Secret Partner
1961
as Ralph Beldon
MovieVery Important Person
1961
as Senior British Officer Travers
Drama 61-67
1961
as Father
TVThe Avengers
1961
TVCoronation Street
1960
as Frank Jackson
MovieMan in the Moon
1960
as Herbert
MovieThe League of Gentlemen
1960
as Weaver
MovieThe Angry Silence
1960
as Roberts
TVNo Hiding Place
1959
TVArmchair Theatre
1956
as Walter
MovieAn Inspector Calls
1954
as Jones-Collins - Foreman
