Biography
Since his London stage debut in "The Mulberry Bush" (1956), he has been closely associated with playwrights John Osborne, Harold Pinter and Simon Gray, both on the boards and in film. Bates originated the role of Cliff in Osborne's "Look Back in Anger" (1956) and made his Broadway debut the following year in the play. He won tremendous acclaim for his portrayal of Edmund Tyrone in a production of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into …
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Career Milestones
2003 | featured in "The Statement" with Michael Caine |
2002 | Appeared in the Tom Clancy thriller "The Sum of All Fears" |
2002 | Appeared in the Richard Gere thriller "Mothman Prophecies" |
2002 | Returned to Broadway opposite Frank Langella in "Fortune's Fool" |
2001 | Gave a sterling performance as the head butler at "Gosford Park" in Robert Altman's ensemble murder mystery |
2000 | Returned to the NYC stage in the Off-Broadway production of "The Unexpected Man" |
1998 | Starred opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in CBS movie "Reginald's Gift", the true story of Maggie and Reginald Green who donated the organs of their brain-dead son, enhancing or saving the lives of seven people |
1997 | Embarked on West End Show "Life Support", his 11th collaboration with playwright Gray, directed by Pinter |
1996 | Appeared as Oliver in four-part "Oliver's Travels" for "Mystery!" (PBS) |
1995 | Played Josiah Bounderby in PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre" production of Charles Dickens' "Hard Times" |
1994 | Starred as obsessive English writer Hamish Partt in A&E movie "Unnatural Pursuits" (screenplay by Simon Gray) |
1991 | Portrayed Marcel Proust in A&E movie "102 Boulevard Haussman" |
1990 | Turned in a solid portrayal as King Claudius in Franco Zeffirelli's "Hamlet", starring Mel Gibson as the Melancholy Dane |
1984 | Second TV film with Schlesinger, "Separate Tables" (HBO) |
1983 | Earned a BAFTA Award for his portrayal of exiled traitor Guy Burgess in "An Englishman Abroad", a TV-movie (BBC) directed by John Schlesinger |
1982 | Reteamed with director Anderson for "Brittania Hospital" |
1982 | Came home shell-shocked to wife Julie Christie after World War I in "The Return of the Soldier" |
1978 | Was outstanding as Jill Clayburgh's ultimate lover (after abandonment by weak-willed husband Michael Murphy) in Paul Mazursky's "An Unmarried Woman" |
1975 | First film with Lindsay Anderson, "In Celebration" |
1973 | Reunited with Frankenheimer for "Impossible Object" |
1973 | Reprised Tony-winning role from Simon Gray's stage play "Butley" in film version directed by Pinter |
1972 | Portrayed Petruccio in "The Taming of the Shrew" for the Royal Shakespeare Company |
1971 | Starred as farmer opposite aristocratic Julie Christie in Joseph Losey's "The Go-Between"; screenplay written by Harold Pinter |
1970 | Interpreted title role of "Hamlet" on British stage |
1969 | Engaged in now famous nude wrestling scene with Oliver Reed in Ken Russell's film adaptation of the D H Larwence novel "Women in Love" |
1968 | Received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for John Frankenheimer's "The Fixer", adapted by Dalton Trumbo from the Bernard Malamud novel |
1967 | Reteamed with Schlessinger for "Far From the Madding Crowd"; first screen teaming with Julie Christie |
1966 | Played the lover who left Lynn Redgrave in the lurch in "Georgy Girl" |
1964 | Portrayed Anthony Quinn's intellectual British cohort in "Zorba the Greek" |
1964 | Again reprised stage role in feature film "The Caretaker/The Guest", directed by Clive Donner |
1962 | First collaboration with director John Schlesinger, "A Kind of Loving" |
1961 | Reprised "Caretaker" role on Broadway |
1960 | Originated part of Mick in Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker" on the English stage |
1960 | Feature film debut in movie version of Osborne's "The Entertainer" |
1959 | US TV debut, "Duel For Love" |
1957 | Broadway debut, "Look Back in Anger" |
1956 | First film appearance, a one-minute impersonation of King Lear in "It's Never Too Late" |
1956 | Played Cliff in the original production of John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger" |
1956 | London stage debut, "The Mulberry Bush" |
1956 | Joined English Stage Society at the Royal Court in London (date approximate) |
1955 | Joined Frank Dunlop's Midland Theatre Company, Coventry, England, where he stage-managed and made stage acting debut in "You and Your Wife" |
1951 | Served in the Royal Air Force (dates approximate) |
Awards
2002 | Tony Award for Actor (Play) |
2002 | Palm Springs International Film Festival for International Filmmaker Award |
2002 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in Gosford Park |
1991 | BAFTA Award for Actor In a Supporting Role in Hamlet |
1973 | Tony Award for Actor (Dramatic) |
1969 | BAFTA Award for Actor in Women in Love |
1968 | Academy Award for Actor in The Fixer |
1968 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama in The Fixer |
1967 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama in Far From the Madding Crowd |
1966 | Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor |
1966 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Georgy Girl |
1962 | BAFTA Award for British Actor in A Kind of Loving |