Norman Bird
Biography
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).
Known For
All Movies (67)
- The Funny Blokes of British Comedy2005 · as Mr. Arrad (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Crossing the Floor1996 · as Grandfather
- Shadowlands1993 · as Taxi Driver Witness
- Born Kicking1992 · as Mr Radley
- Miss Pym's Day Out1992 · as Man on Bus
- Buddy1986 · as Mr Normington
- This Office Life1984 · as Seeds
- Black Carrion1984 · as Henry Bircher
- A Voyage Round My Father1984 · as Ham
- The Ghost Downstairs1982 · as Mr. Morris
- If You Go Down in the Woods Today1981 · as Doctor
- The Final Conflict1981 · as Dr. Philmore
- A Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special1980 · as Mr Braithwaite
- The Lord of the Rings1978 · as Bilbo (voice)
- The Medusa Touch1978 · as Major Henry Morlar
- The Slipper and the Rose1976 · as Dress Shop Proprieter
- Baby Sitters1976
- Double Trouble1976
- Wedding Bells1976
- On the Tiles1976
- The Big Kick1976
- Monkey Tricks1976
- Pot Luck1976 · as Farmer
- King Arthur, the Young Warlord1975 · as Ambrose
- Elementary, My Dear Watson1973 · as Inspector Street
- Ooh...You Are Awful1972 · as Warder Burke
- Young Winston1972 · as Party Chairman
- Doomwatch1972 · as Brewer
- Hands of the Ripper1971 · as Police Inspector
- Please Sir!1971 · as Reynolds
- The Raging Moon1971 · as Dr Matthews
- The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer1970 · as Alderman Poot
- Up Among the Cuckoos1970 · as Walter
- The Virgin and the Gypsy1970 · as Uncle Fred
- Run a Crooked Mile1969 · as Sgt. Hooper
- Takeover1969 · as Father
- Oh! What a Lovely War1969 · as Training Sgt (uncredited)
- The Limbo Line1969
- All at Sea1969 · as Mr. Danvers
- A Dandy in Aspic1968 · as Copperfield
- The Wrong Box1966 · as Clergyman
- Sky West and Crooked1966 · as Mr. Cheeseman - undertaker
- End in Tears1966 · as Charles 'Whoopy' Cushion
- The Hill1965 · as Commandant
- The Black Torment1964 · as Harris
- The Beauty Jungle1964 · as Mr. Edward Freeman
- First Men in the Moon1964 · as Stuart
- The Bargee1964 · as Waterways Supervisor Albert Williams
- Hot Enough for June1964 · as Employment Exchange Clerk
- 80,000 Suspects1963 · as Harold Davis
- Maniac1963 · as Salon
- The Punch and Judy Man1963 · as Reginald Fletcher
- Bitter Harvest1963 · as Mr. Pitt
- The Mind Benders1963 · as Aubrey
- The Cracksman1963 · as Policeman
- In Search of the Castaways1962 · as Senior Yacht Guard
- Term of Trial1962 · as Mr. Taylor
- Night of the Eagle1962 · as Doctor
- Cash on Demand1961 · as Arthur Sanderson
- Victim1961 · as Harold Doe
- Whistle Down the Wind1961 · as Eddie
- The Secret Partner1961 · as Ralph Beldon
- Very Important Person1961 · as Senior British Officer Travers
- Man in the Moon1960 · as Herbert
- The League of Gentlemen1960 · as Weaver
- The Angry Silence1960 · as Roberts
- An Inspector Calls1954 · as Jones-Collins - Foreman
All TV Shows (59)
- After Henry1988 · as Mr Henderson
- Lytton's Diary1985 · as Charles Adams
- Screen Two1985 · as Grandfather
- Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense1984 · as Henry Bircher
- The Fourth Arm1983 · as Col. Cole
- Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years1981 · as Sir Maurice Hanley
- To Serve Them All My Days1980 · as Alderman Blunt
- Hammer House of Horror1980 · as Basil
- Yes Minister1980
- Friday Night, Saturday Morning1979
- Worzel Gummidge1979 · as Mr. Braithwaite
- Thomas & Sarah1979
- The Glums1978 · as Office Manager
- Return of the Saint1978 · as Morgan
- Life Begins at Forty1978 · as Dr Gardiner
- All Creatures Great and Small1978 · as Farmer Benson
- Miss Jones And Son1977
- Raffles1977
- Yanks Go Home1976
- Fawlty Towers1975 · as Mr. Arrad
- Two's Company1975 · as Mr. Bunn
- Angels1975
- Seven Faces of Woman1974 · as Ken
- Up The Workers1973 · as Sid Stubbins
- Arthur of the Britons1972 · as Ambrose
- Crown Court1972
- The Adventurer1972 · as Brooks
- My Wife Next Door1972
- The Organization1972 · as Ken Grist
- Shirley's World1972
- Suspicion1971 · as Harry Beardsley
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes1971 · as Inspector Trent
- Jason King1971
- The Guardians1971 · as Tom Henryson
- Budgie1971 · as Inspector Charles Upton
- Softly Softly: Task Force1969 · as Samuel Tomkins
- Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)1969 · as Elliot
- Department S1969 · as Drayton
- W. Somerset Maugham1969 · as Arthur Low
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre1969 · as Father
- ITV Saturday Night Theatre1969 · as Stanley Nicholson
- Sanctuary1967
- Half Hour Story1967 · as Harry
- Till Death Us Do Part1966 · as Landlord
- Thirty-Minute Theatre1965 · as Arthur Pendlebury
- It's Not Me - It's Them!1965 · as Mr. Partridge
- Gideon's Way1965 · as Supt. Fred Lee
- Public Eye1965 · as Arthur Biddle
- Theatre 6251964 · as William Oaks
- The Saint1962 · as Mr. Spode
- The Saint1962 · as Weems
- Z-Cars1962
- Drama 61-671961 · as Father
- The Avengers1961
- Coronation Street1960 · as Frank Jackson
- No Hiding Place1959
- Armchair Theatre1956 · as Walter
- Armchair Theatre1956 · as Charles Lincoln
- Armchair Theatre1956 · as Spooner






