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William Henry Mettam "Robin" Bailey (5 October 1919 – 14 January 1999) was an English actor. He was born in
Hucknall Hucknall, formerly Hucknall Torkard, is a market town in the Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies 7 miles north of Nottingham, 7 miles south-east of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, 9 miles from Mansfield and 10 miles south of Sutton-i ...
,
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
. Often cast in upper class and tradition-bound roles such as Mr Justice Graves in
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...
's ''
Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, o ...
'', Bailey is also known for his portrayal of Uncle Mort in '' I Didn't Know You Cared'', the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's adaptation of
Peter Tinniswood Peter Tinniswood (21 December 1936 – 9 January 2003) was an English radio and TV comedy scriptwriter, and author of a series of popular novels. He was born in Liverpool, but grew up above a dry cleaner's on Eastway in Sale, Cheshire. Early ca ...
's stories about an extended
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
family. The television series ran from 1975 to 1979. Bailey continued to play Uncle Mort in a series of radio programmes. Bailey also collaborated with Tinniswood on the television and radio series ''Tales from a Long Room'', playing the Brigadier, an eccentric
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
-lover with a fund of extraordinary tales about the game and its players.


Early life and education

Bailey was born at Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, the son of china and glass merchant George Henry Bailey and Thirza Ann (née Mettam). He was educated at the Henry Mellish Grammar School, Nottingham.


Early career

After working for some years at the Post Office, Bailey was employed by the War Office in the 1930s, where he encountered amateur dramatics; and made his stage debut in ''
The Barretts of Wimpole Street ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress Ka ...
'' at the
Theatre Royal, Nottingham The Theatre Royal in Nottingham, England, is a theatre venue in the heart of Nottingham City Centre and is owned by Nottingham City Council as part of a complex that also includes the city's Royal Concert Hall. The Theatre Royal attracts major ...
, in 1938. He acted in repertory at
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
and joined the Army in 1940. Demobilized in 1944, he returned to the stage at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. Bailey first appeared on film in 1946, in ''
School for Secrets ''School for Secrets'' (also known as ''Secret Flight'') is a 1946 British black-and-white film written and directed by Peter Ustinov and starring Ralph Richardson. In leading supporting roles were David Tomlinson, Raymond Huntley, Finlay Currie ...
'', directed by
Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...
, and other parts followed. He made his London stage debut in 1947, as Ludovico in ''
Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...
'' at the
Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...
, and his first television appearance in 1950. Many more roles followed in all three media, and Bailey became a voice actor for
BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...
as well.


Theatre

In 1959, Bailey was engaged by the Australian theatrical producers J.C. Williamson Limited to play the part of Professor Henry Higgins in their production of the Lerner & Lowe musical ''
My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...
''. The production was a duplicate of the New York City production. Although Bailey's was not a name that could attract large audiences in Australia or elsewhere, Williamson's had a policy at that time of preferring to cast lead players that they could bill as "direct from the West End", even if unknown; it was felt that an actor with that billing would always attract larger audiences than an Australian. Bailey also had a helpful resemblance to Rex Harrison who had created the Higgins part in London and New York, on record and in the eventual film of the work. Bailey, like Harrison, was not a singer; like Harrison, he handled the semi-spoken songs adeptly. Williamson's also imported a female lead Bunty Turner who likewise was not a name that would have itself drawn large audiences, but who had a striking resemblance to
Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...
who had created the role of
Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play ''Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower woman, who comes to Profe ...
in New York and London and would be supplanted by
Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...
in the film. The musical was a huge success in Australia and a second company was created so it could continue its run in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
and make its essential move on to Sydney where the Empire Theatre was being rebuilt and renamed
Her Majesty's Theatre Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, ...
especially for the Sydney season of ''My Fair Lady''. Bailey moved to Sydney with the production and the Williamson production of ''My Fair Lady'' between the two companies, toured all over Australia, South Africa and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
for more than five years. It would become the highest grossing Australian theatrical production of all time, based on the number of paid admissions. Bailey later visited Australia to play Martin Lynch-Gibbon in '' A Severed Head'' by
Iris Murdoch Dame Jean Iris Murdoch ( ; 15 July 1919 – 8 February 1999) was an Irish and British novelist and philosopher. Murdoch is best known for her novels about good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious. Her fi ...
from a novel by the playwright, a role he had created in London and New York. This had been an attempt to exploit the popularity Bailey had gained in ''My Fair Lady'' but like its overseas predecessors, was unsuccessful. Bailey's Broadway theatre experience consisted of two flops: the 1963 musical '' Jennie'', and the 1964 comedy '' A Severed Head''.


Television appearances

Robin Bailey appeared as Mr. Hale in the 1975 TV serial adaptation of
Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many st ...
's "
North and South North and South may refer to: Literature * ''North and South'' (Gaskell novel), an 1854 novel by Elizabeth Gaskell * ''North and South'' (trilogy), a series of novels by John Jakes (1982–1987) ** ''North and South'' (Jakes novel), first novel ...
". The series also co-starred
Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actor ...
as John Thornton and
Tim Pigott-Smith Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he wo ...
as Frederick Hale. In 1981, he appeared in '' Sorry, I'm A Stranger Here Myself''. He was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1982 when he was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...
at the
Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 188 ...
in London. In 1983, he took over from Arthur Lowe (who had died) in the title role of
Roy Clarke Royston Clarke Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 28 January 1930), usually known as Roy Clarke, is an English comedy writer best known for creating the sitcoms ''Last of the Summer Wine'', ''Keeping Up Appearances'', ''Open All Hours'' a ...
's
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
television sitcom ''
Potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...
'', about a busybody former sweet manufacturer with time on his hands following retirement. The series co-starred John Barron as the Vicar. ''Potter'' ran for three series, the first two with Lowe and the third with Bailey. He also played Charters in the 1985 mini-series ''
Charters and Caldicott Charters and Caldicott started out as two supporting characters in the 1938 Alfred Hitchcock film '' The Lady Vanishes''. The pair of cricket-obsessed characters were played by Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford. The characters were created by F ...
'' (the supposed latter-day adventures of two supporting characters from ''
The Lady Vanishes ''The Lady Vanishes'' is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, based on the 1936 novel ''The Wheel Spins'' by Ethel L ...
'') co-starring
Michael Aldridge Michael William ffolliott Aldridge (9 September 1920 – 10 January 1994) was an English actor. He was known for playing Seymour Utterthwaite in the television series ''Last of the Summer Wine'' from 1986 to 1990 and he had a long career as a ...
as Caldicott; and Sir Leicester Dedlock in the 1985 BBC adaptation of ''
Bleak House ''Bleak House'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a 20-episode serial between March 1852 and September 1853. The novel has many characters and several sub-plots, and is told partly by the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and ...
''. Other roles included suave civil servant Grainger in ''
The Power Game ''The Plane Makers'' is a British television series created by Wilfred Greatorex and produced by Rex Firkin. ATV made three series for ITV between 1963 and 1965. It was succeeded by ''The Power Game'', which ran for an additional three se ...
'' (1966), the actor Gerald Maitland in an episode of ''
Upstairs Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to: Television *Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975 *Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...
'' ("The Hero's Farewell", 1974), and Neville Chamberlain in ''The Gathering Storm'' and Prime Minister Gresham in ''
The Pallisers ''The Pallisers'' is a 1974 BBC television adaptation of Anthony Trollope's Palliser novels. Set in Victorian era England with a backdrop of parliamentary life, Simon Raven's dramatisation covers six of Anthony Trollope's novels and follows the e ...
''. He played the role of Mr Fuzziwig in KYTV's ''The Making of David Chizzlenut'' episode in 1993. He also played Mr Justice Gerald Graves in ''
Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, o ...
'' (1987 to 1992), and Hereward Fielding in the ''An Autumn Shroud'' episode of BBC's ''
Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is ...
'' series in 1996. His final television appearance was as Lord Probyn (Kavanagh's wife's father) in '' Kavanagh QC'' in 1997.


Other work

Bailey performed several books on tape, reading books by
Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
,
Catherine Aird Kinn Hamilton McIntosh (born 20 June 1930), known professionally as Catherine Aird, is an English novelist. She is the author of more than twenty crime fiction novels and several collections of short stories. Her witty, literate, and deftly plo ...
,
Nevil Shute Nevil Shute Norway (17 January 189912 January 1960) was an English novelist and aeronautical engineer who spent his later years in Australia. He used his full name in his engineering career and Nevil Shute as his pen name, in order to protect h ...
and
Ruth Rendell Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, (; 17 February 1930 – 2 May 2015) was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries. Rendell is best known for creating Chief Inspector Wexford.The Oxford Companion ...
. Agatha Christie *''The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'' *''The Clocks'' *''Sparkling Cyanide'' *''Ordeal by Innocence'' Catherine Aird *''A Religious Body'' *''A Late Phoenix'' *''The Stately Home Murders'' *''Henrietta Who?'' *''A Dead Liberty'' *''Parting Breath'' *''The Complete Steel'' Nevil Shute *''A Town Like Alice'' *''The Rainbow and the Rose'' *''No Highway'' *''The Far Country'' *''Ruined City'' Ruth Rendell *''No More Dying'' *''Wolf to the Slaughter'' *''The Veiled One'' *''Murder Being Once Done''


Family

He was married to Patricia Mary Weekes from 6 September 1941 until her death on 2 October 1993. They had three children. His son Simon Bailey was
Keeper of the Archives The position of Keeper of the Archives at the University of Oxford in England dates from 1634, when it was established by new statutes for the university brought in by William Laud ( Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of the University) ...
at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. He died aged 79 in 1999 in
Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...
, London, of
respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...
.


Selected filmography

* ''
School for Secrets ''School for Secrets'' (also known as ''Secret Flight'') is a 1946 British black-and-white film written and directed by Peter Ustinov and starring Ralph Richardson. In leading supporting roles were David Tomlinson, Raymond Huntley, Finlay Currie ...
'' (1946) – Wives' escort officer * '' Private Angelo'' (1949) – Simon Telfer * '' Portrait of Clare'' (1950) – Dudley Wilburn * ''
His Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...
'' (1952) – Charles * '' The Gift Horse'' (1952) – Lt. Michael Grant, Pilot * ''
Folly to Be Wise ''Folly to Be Wise'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Alastair Sim, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Culver, Colin Gordon, Martita Hunt and Edward Chapman. It is based on the play ''It Depends What You Mean'' by Jame ...
'' (1953) – Intellectual Corporal * '' Sailor of the King'' (1953) – Cdr. John Stafford – HMS 'Stratford' * '' The Young Lovers'' (1954) – Thomas Cook cashier (uncredited) * '' For Better, for Worse'' (1954) – Department Salesman * '' Hell Drivers'' (1957) – Hawlett Assistant Manager * '' Just My Luck'' (1957) – Steward * ''
The Diplomatic Corpse ''The Diplomatic Corpse'' is a 1958 British comedy thriller film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Robin Bailey, Susan Shaw and Liam Redmond. It was produced as a second feature by ACT Films. The film's sets were designed by the art dire ...
'' (1958) – Mike Billings * '' Another Time, Another Place'' (1958) – Captain Barnes * ''
The Mouse on the Moon ''The Mouse on the Moon'' is a 1963 British comedy film, the sequel to ''The Mouse That Roared''. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novel '' The Mouse on the Moon'' by Irish author Leonard Wibberley, and was directed by Richard Lester. In it, the ...
'' (1963) – Member of Whitehall Conference * ''
Catch Us If You Can "Catch Us If You Can" is a 1965 song from The Dave Clark Five, written by group's drummer Dave Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson. It was the title song for the film of the same name, which was retitled ''Having a Wild Weekend'' in the Unite ...
'' (1965) – Guy * ''
The Spy with a Cold Nose ''The Spy with a Cold Nose'' is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Laurence Harvey, Daliah Lavi, Lionel Jeffries, Denholm Elliott, and Colin Blakely. The film was nominated for Golden Globe Awards in the Best Engli ...
'' (1966) – Man with Aston Martin * ''
The Whisperers ''The Whisperers'' is a 1967 British drama film directed by Bryan Forbes and starring Edith Evans. It is based on the 1961 novel by Robert Nicolson. Although the fictional setting of the film is not named, it was mainly shot on location in the ...
'' (1967) – Psychiatrist * '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967) – Foreign Secretary (uncredited) * ''
Danger Route ''Danger Route'' is a 1967 British spy film directed by Seth Holt for Amicus Productions and starring Richard Johnson as Jonas Wilde, Carol Lynley and Barbara Bouchet. It was based on Andrew York's 1966 novel ''The Eliminator'' that was the work ...
'' (1967) – Parsons * '' See No Evil'' (1971) – George Rexton * ''
Commuter Husbands ''Commuter Husbands'' is a 1972 comedy film by noted British sexploitation director Derek Ford, and a semi sequel to his 1971 film '' Suburban Wives''. The film was directed and written by Derek Ford, and stars Gabrielle Drake, Robin Bailey, an ...
'' (1972) – Dennis, The Husband * ''
The Four Feathers ''The Four Feathers'' is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A. E. W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title. In December 1901, ''Cornhill Magazine'' announced the title as one of two new serial stories to be published in th ...
'' (1978) – Colonel Eustace * ''
If You Go Down in the Woods Today ''If You Go Down in the Woods Today'' is a British TV film comedy released in 1981, written, directed and starring Eric Sykes, also featuring Fulton Mackay and Roy Kinnear amongst a cast of dozens. The film, produced by Thames TV, was described ...
'' (1981) – Chief Constable * '' Dead on Time'' (1983) – Intelligent Man * ''Screamtime'' (1983) – Jack * ''
Jane and the Lost City ''Jane and the Lost City'' is a 1987 UK film, based on the British newspaper strip '' Jane'' by Norman Pett. An adventure comedy set during World War II, the film was directed by Terry Marcel, and stars Kirsten Hughes in the title role, Sam Jone ...
'' (1987) – The Colonel * '' The Reluctant Dragon'' (1987) – St George * ''Number 27'' (1988) – Dr. Maurice Barwick


References


Catherine Aird books read by Robin BaileyAgatha Christie books read by Robin BaileyRuth Rendell books read by Robin Bailey


External links

* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Robin 1919 births 1999 deaths Deaths from respiratory failure English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors People from Hucknall People educated at Henry Mellish Grammar School 20th-century English male actors British Army personnel of World War II