About
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...
Known for
Coronation StreetSeries • 1960
The AvengersSeries • 1961
The SaintSeries • 1962
Crown CourtSeries • 1972
Z-CarsSeries • 1962
Screen TwoSeries • 1985
Theatre 625Series • 1964
Thirty-Minute TheatreSeries • 1965
No Hiding PlaceSeries • 1959
ITV Saturday Night TheatreSeries • 1969
All Creatures Great and SmallSeries • 1978
AngelsSeries • 1975
Public EyeSeries • 1965
Yes MinisterSeries • 1980
Softly Softly: Task ForceSeries • 1969
Return of the SaintSeries • 1978
The Rivals of Sherlock HolmesSeries • 1971
Jason KingSeries • 1971
Till Death Us Do PartSeries • 1966
Fawlty TowersSeries • 1975
Worzel GummidgeSeries • 1979
Department SSeries • 1969
Gideon's WaySeries • 1965
Steptoe and SonSeries • 1962