ALAN BATES (Eamon McCree)

One of England's most prolific and highly-regarded actors, Alan Bates has been delighting audiences with his work on stage and on screen for over thirty years. Born in Allestree, Derbyshire, the son of musicians, Bates enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1951, along with such soon-to-be-acclaimed actors as Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney. Bates was one of the first actors to appear with the English Stage Company at the Royal Court in their first production of "The Mulberry Bush." He created the role of Cliff in John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger," which he also played in New York and Moscow. He starred in Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker" in both London and New York, as well as the film version. And he received the Clarence Derwent Award for his performance in "Long Day's Journey Into Night," by Eugene O'Neill.

His Shakespearean roles include "Richard III," Master Ford in "The Merry Wives of Windsor," "Hamlet," "The Taming of the Shrew," and "Much Ado About Nothing." Bates also starred in David Storey's "In Celebration," repeating the role in the film version, and in Storey's "Life Class," directed by Lindsay Anderson. Other dramatic credits include Simon Gray's "Butley," which earned him the Evening Standard Award for Best Actor in London, and the Tony Award for Best Actor in New York, and the award-winning "Otherwise Engaged," also by Simon Gray. Bates appeared in John Osborne's "A Patriot for Me" and in Harold Pinter's production of his own play, "One for the Road."

Most recently, Bates played the title role in Peter Shaffer's "Yonadab" at the National Theater and starred in Simon Gray's new play, "Melon." He has also appeared in "Ivanov" at the Strand Theater, and "A Muse of the Fire," Bates' own one-man show.

Bates' film career has been equally distinguished, starting with Tony Richardson's THE ENTERTAINER, followed by John Schlesinger's A KIND OF LOVING and FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, Michael Cacoyannis' ZORBA THE GREEK, Silvio Narizanno's GEORGY GIRL, and Philippe de Broca's THE KING OF HEARTS. He also starred in John Frankenheimer's THE FIXER, Ken Russell's WOMEN IN LOVE, Joseph Losey's THE GO-BETWEEN and Peter Medak's A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGO, and Laurence Olivier's THE THREE SISTERS.

Bates appeared in Paul Mazursky's AN UNMARRIED WOMAN, Mark Rydell's THE ROSE, and Herbert Ross' NIJINSKY. More recently, Bates has been seen in A PRAYER FOR THE DYING, WE ALL THINK THE WORLD OF YOU, FORCE MAJEURE, MR. FROST, DR. M., and HAMLET, also starring Mel Gibson.

Bates' many television performances include Harold Pinter's "The Collection," "Look Back in Anger," "A Memory of Two Mondays," "The Wind and the Rain," Simon Gray's "Plaintiffs and Defendants," "Two Sundays," the acclaimed series "The Mayor of Casterbridge," "The Trespasser," John Mortimer's "A Voyage Round My Father," "Separate Tables," and Alan Bennett's "An Englishman Abroad," (the latter two directed by John Schlesinger). He also starred in "Doctor Fischer of Geneva" by Graham Greene. Bates' most recent television work is "102 Boulevard Haussmann," by Alan Bennett and "Unnatural Pursuits" for the BBC.

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