Norman Bird

Born: 1920-10-30

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).


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The Lord of the Rings

as Bilbo (voice)
Released: 1978-11-15

The Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign...

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The Final Conflict

as Dr. Philmore
Released: 1981-03-20

Damien Thorn has helped rescue the world from a recession, appearing to be a benign corporate...

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First Men in the Moon

as Stuart
Released: 1964-07-01

The world is delighted when a spacecraft containing a crew made up of the world's astronauts...

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The Medusa Touch

as Major Henry Morlar
Released: 1978-04-13

A French detective in London reconstructs the life of a man lying in hospital with severe...

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The Hill

as Commandant
Released: 1965-06-17

North Africa, World War II. British soldiers on the brink of collapse push beyond endurance to...

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Shadowlands

as Taxi Driver Witness
Released: 1993-12-25

C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets...

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In Search of the Castaways

as Senior Yacht Guard
Released: 1962-12-01

Two teenagers, Mary (Hayley Mills) and Robert (Keith Hamshere) are lead by Professor Paganel...

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The League of Gentlemen

as Weaver
Released: 1960-04-15

Involuntarily-retired Colonel Hyde recruits seven other dissatisfied ex-servicemen for a special...

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Victim

as Harold Doe
Released: 1961-08-01

A web of blackmail and murder attracts the attention of a barrister with a seemingly idyllic...

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Oh! What a Lovely War

as Training Sgt (uncredited)
Released: 1969-03-10

The working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the three boys...

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Night of the Eagle

as Doctor
Released: 1962-04-25

A skeptical college professor discovers that his wife has been practicing magic for years. Like...

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The Mind Benders

as Aubrey
Released: 1963-02-01

A British scientist is discovered to have been passing information to the Communists, then kills...

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The Angry Silence

as Roberts
Released: 1960-03-10

When the union in his factory walks out on strike, a family man refuses to participate, risking...

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The Slipper and the Rose

as Dress Shop Proprieter
Released: 1976-03-25

Prince Edward wants to marry for love, but the King and court of the kingdom of Euphrania are...

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An Inspector Calls

as Jones-Collins - Foreman
Released: 1954-03-16

An upper-crust family dinner is interrupted by a police inspector who brings news that a girl...

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The Wrong Box

as Clergyman
Released: 1966-06-19

In Victorian England, a fortune now depends on which of two brothers outlives the other—or can...

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Whistle Down the Wind

as Eddie
Released: 1961-07-25

When an injured wife-murderer takes refuge on a remote Lancashire farm, the farmer’s three...

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Cash on Demand

as Arthur Sanderson
Released: 1961-12-20

A charming but ruthless criminal holds the family of a bank manager hostage as part of a...

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Maniac

as Salon
Released: 1963-05-20

When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he...

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Hands of the Ripper

as Police Inspector
Released: 1971-10-17

A series of murders occur that mirror those committed by the Whitechapel Ripper. Through his...

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The Black Torment

as Harris
Released: 1964-10-19

A lord returns to his manor with his new wife, to hear rumours that he had already secretly...

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Doomwatch

as Brewer
Released: 1972-03-01

The waters surrounding an island become contaminated by chemical dumping, and people who eat...

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A Dandy in Aspic

as Copperfield
Released: 1968-04-02

Double-agent Alexander Eberlin is assigned by the British to hunt out a Russian spy, known to...

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Man in the Moon

as Herbert
Released: 1960-10-31

William is an unsuccessful guinea pig for a medical group interested in researching the common...

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Ooh... You Are Awful

as Warder Burke
Released: 1972-12-01

Charlie Tully and womanising Reggie Peek con two rich Italians out of £500,000 but during their...

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The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

as Alderman Poot
Released: 1970-11-12

Fresh-faced young Michael Rimmer worms his way into an opinion poll company and is soon running...

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Hot Enough for June

as Employment Exchange Clerk
Released: 1964-01-01

A young man travels to Prague to join his new employer, unaware that he is being used as an...

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Term of Trial

as Mr. Taylor
Released: 1962-08-16

A schoolteacher plagued by alcoholism and his refusal to serve in World War II, Graham Weir...

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The Punch and Judy Man

as Reginald Fletcher
Released: 1963-04-08

Walter Pinner is the titular Punch And Judy Man plying his trade in the seaside town of...

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The Bargee

as Waterways Supervisor Albert Williams
Released: 1964-01-01

After a lock-keeper entrusts his daughter to a canal Casanova, he is shocked to learn that she...

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The Raging Moon

as Dr Matthews
Released: 1971-01-21

Bruce Pritchard is paralysed in a soccer game and is confined to a wheelchair in a convalescence...

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The Beauty Jungle

as Mr. Edward Freeman
Released: 1964-08-25

A Bristol typist joins the world of beauty contests.

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The Cracksman

as Policeman
Released: 1963-01-01

Ernest Wright's peerless prowess as a locksmith comes to the attention of a tough big-time...

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Crossing the Floor

as Grandfather
Released: 1996-10-05

Political satire closely mirroring real-life British politics of the time - a self-serving...

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King Arthur, the Young Warlord

as Ambrose
Released: 1975-01-01

This is the inspiring, epic journey of a noble warrior's quest to prove his worth, his might,...

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Very Important Person

as Travers
Released: 1961-04-24

Comedy set in World War Two, starring James Robertson-Justice and Leslie Phillips. Sir Ernest...

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Run a Crooked Mile

as Sgt. Hooper
Released: 1969-11-18

A man witnesses a murder in a secluded mansion. When he reports it, there's no evidence of the...

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A Voyage Round My Father

as Ham
Released: 1984-04-19

A successful lawyer struck with blindness in middle age continues his battles in the courtroom...

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Please Sir!

as Reynolds
Released: 1971-05-01

Mr. Hedges, the somewhat naive and idealistc teacher of the rebellious Class 5C, lobbies to have...

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Bitter Harvest

as Mr. Pitt
Released: 1963-03-08

A pretty young woman will do anything to escape her deadly dull existence in the backlots of...

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Black Carrion

as Henry Bircher
Released: 1984-11-12

Two journalists search for a rock band that was popular 20 years ago but just seemed to have...

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The Secret Partner

as Ralph Beldon
Released: 1961-05-01

A shipping tycoon with a record becomes a suspect when money goes missing from the company vault.

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If You Go Down in the Woods Today

as Doctor
Released: 1981-04-29

A Boy Scout troupe led by their scoutmaster (Sykes) is on a field trip to a seemingly-peaceful...

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Sky West and Crooked

as Mr. Cheeseman - undertaker
Released: 1965-08-31

A young, lonely, emotionally challenged teenage girl finds solace in burying dead animals after...

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A Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special

as Mr Braithwaite
Released: 1980-12-27

Christmas is coming to Ten Acre Field and Worzel Gummidge (Jon Pertwee) is determined to enjoy...

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This Office Life

as Seeds
Released: 1984-12-30

On arrival at British Albion, Mr Gryce felt that his lack of ambition would be completely...

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Born Kicking

as Mr Radley
Released: 1992-09-20

Roxanne (known as Roxy) is a star performer in her local soccer team. Her natural talent is...

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Miss Pym's Day Out

as Man on Bus
Released: 1992-02-19

In 1977, after a fourteen year dry spell, the novelist Barbara Pym was nominated for a Booker...

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The Virgin and the Gypsy

as Uncle Fred
Released: 1970-06-01

Film adaptation from the novel by D.H. Lawrence, discovered after the celebrated author's death...

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80,000 Suspects

as Harold Davis
Released: 1963-08-15

A doctor's already-shaky marriage is tested to an even greater extent when he has to contend...

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The Limbo Line

as uncredited
Released: 1969-03-03

The Limbo Line tells a story of Cold War double-crossing with British secret agent Manston...

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Buddy

as Mr Normington
Released: 1986-01-01

Buddy (1986) is a BBC schools drama, based on the novel of the same name by Nigel Hinton. It was...

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Elementary, My Dear Watson

as Inspector Street
Released: 1973-01-18

John Cleese stars as Sherlock Holmes in this Comedy Playhouse pilot episode from 1973.

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All at Sea

as uncredited
Released: 1969-01-01

The unexpected adventures of children on a school cruise to Portugal and North Africa. In...

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Coronation Street

as Frank Jackson
First aired: 1960-12-09

The residents of Coronation Street are ordinary, working-class people, and the show follows them...

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The Saint

as Mr. Spode
First aired: 1962-10-04

Simon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who...

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The Saint

as Weems
First aired: 1962-10-04

Simon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who...

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The Avengers

as uncredited
First aired: 1961-01-07

The Avengers is a British television series created in the 1960s. It initially focused on Dr....

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Crown Court

as uncredited
First aired: 1972-10-11

Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the...

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No Hiding Place

as uncredited
First aired: 1959-09-16

No Hiding Place is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by...

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Z-Cars

as uncredited
First aired: 1962-01-02

Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed...

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Public Eye

as Arthur Biddle
First aired: 1965-01-23

Public Eye is a British television series that ran from 1965 to 1975. It was produced by ABC...

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All Creatures Great and Small

as Farmer Benson
First aired: 1978-01-08

All Creatures Great and Small is a British television series, based on the books of the British...

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Return of the Saint

as Morgan
First aired: 1978-09-10

Follow the swashbuckling exploits of Simon Templar, a modern-day Robin Hood of sorts.

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Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense

as Henry Bircher
First aired: 1984-09-05

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense was a short-lived anthology television series from Hammer...

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Fawlty Towers

as Mr. Arrad
First aired: 1975-09-19

Owner Basil Fawlty, his wife Sybil, a chambermaid Polly, and Spanish waiter Manuel attempt to...

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Department S

as Drayton
First aired: 1969-09-09

Department S is a United Kingdom spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. The...

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Angels

as uncredited
First aired: 1975-09-01

Angels is a BBC medical soap-opera which launched on 1st September 1975 and was the blue print...

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Two's Company

as Mr. Bunn
First aired: 1975-09-06

Two's Company is a British television situation comedy series that ran from 1975-79. Produced by...

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Jason King

as uncredited
First aired: 1971-09-15

Jason King - a suavely sophisticated former secret agent turned novelist - travels the world...

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Yes Minister

as uncredited
First aired: 1980-02-25

Satirical sitcom set in the office of a UK Cabinet minister, Jim Hacker MP, who struggles with...

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Softly Softly: Task Force

as Samuel Tomkins
First aired: 1969-11-20

Softly, Softly: Task Force is a police based drama series which ran on BBC 1 from 1969 to 1976....

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Hammer House of Horror

as Basil
First aired: 1980-09-13

Anthology series, in which each self-contained episode featured a different kind of horror....

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The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

as Inspector Trent
First aired: 1971-09-20

Adaptations of mystery stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's contemporary rivals in the genre.

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The Adventurer

as Brooks
First aired: 1972-09-29

The Adventurer is an ITC Entertainment TV adventure series created by Dennis Spooner that ran...

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Gideon's Way

as Supt. Fred Lee
First aired: 1965-03-18

Gideon's Way is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment in 1964/65, based on...

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The Guardians

as uncredited
First aired: 1971-07-10

The Guardians is a television drama series of 13x60 minute episodes made by London Weekend...

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Worzel Gummidge

as Mr. Braithwaite
First aired: 1979-02-25

Worzel Gummidge is a children's comedy series, produced by Southern Television for ITV, based on...

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Thomas & Sarah

as uncredited
First aired: 1979-01-14

Thomas & Sarah is a British drama series that aired on ITV in 1979. A spin-off from the BAFTA...

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Arthur of the Britons

as Ambrose
First aired: 1972-12-06

This series strips away the elaborate medieval view of Camelot, and presents Arthur as the chief...

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Till Death Us Do Part

as uncredited
First aired: 1966-06-06

Following the chronicles of the East End working-class Garnett family, headed by patriarch Alf...

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Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years

as Sir Maurice Hanley
First aired: 1981-09-06

Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years is an 8-part 1981 drama serial based on the life of...

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Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)

as Elliot
First aired: 1969-09-21

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) is a British private detective television series. In the initial...

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Budgie

as Inspector Charles Upton
First aired: 1971-04-09

Budgie is a popular British television series starring former popstar Adam Faith which was...

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To Serve Them All My Days

as Alderman Blunt
First aired: 1980-10-17

After barely surviving the trenches of World War I, an embittered young soldier takes a teaching...

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Shirley's World

as uncredited
First aired: 1972-04-07

Shirley's World is a television series aired first by American Broadcasting Company during the...

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Raffles

as uncredited
First aired: 1977-02-25

Raffles was a 1977 television adaptation of the A. J. Raffles stories by Ernest William Hornung....

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My Wife Next Door

as uncredited
First aired: 1972-09-19

My Wife Next Door is a BBC sitcom created by Brian Clemens which was written by Richard Waring...

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The Glums

as Office Manager
First aired: 1978-10-07

The Glums began as part of the 1950s radio show 'Take It from Here'. The characters were revived...

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Armchair Theatre

as Walter
First aired: 1956-07-08

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the...

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Up The Workers

as Sid Stubbins
First aired: 1973-09-04

This comedy series lets you in on the secrets of industrial relations and management-workers...

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