Timothy Dingwall Bateson (3 April 1926 – 15 September 2009) was an English actor.

Life and career

Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the son of solicitor Dingwall Latham Bateson and the great-nephew of rugby player Harold Dingwall Bateson, he was educated at

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. The headmas ...

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

and

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorot ...

. At

Oxford 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 read history, rowed

cox Cox may refer to: * Cox (surname), including people with the name Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** ...

for the

Wadham College Boat Club Wadham College Boat Club (WCBC) is the rowing club of Wadham College, Oxford, in Oxford, United Kingdom. The club's members are students and staff from Wadham College and Harris Manchester College. Founded some time before 1837, Wadham has had ...

during

Eights Week Eights Week, also known as Summer Eights, is a four-day regatta of bumps races which constitutes the University of Oxford's main Colleges of the University of Oxford, intercollegiate Sport rowing, rowing event of the year. The regatta takes p ...

and performed in the

Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University ...

.Michael Covene
Obituary
''The Guardian'', 8 November 2009 Bateson's stage credits included the first British production of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic exp ...

's '' Waiting for Godot'' in 1955 at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberl ...

in London in a production directed by Peter Hall. In 1957 he starred in the BBC adventure serial '' The Adventures of Peter Simple''. He appeared in many film, television and radio productions including '' The Cadfael Chronicles'', ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' (in the serial entitled '' The Ribos Operation'') and ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

''. He also provided the voices for several characters in the children's TV series '' TUGS'' (1989). Most notably, he provided the voice of O.J., the oldest member of the Star Fleet. Since 1994, he did the voice of Measley from the audiotape version of '' The Animals of Farthing Wood''. Bateson was featured in many productions of

Focus on the Family Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations t ...

Radio Theater. Among his appearances on the program were in ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas Ca ...

'' (1996), where he doubled as narrator and as the

Ghost of Christmas Present The Ghost of Christmas Present is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit fro ...

; ''Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost Of Freedom'' (1997), portraying Dr. Karl Bonhoeffer; '' Ben-Hur'' (2001), portraying Balthasar; ''Father Gilbert Mysteries: The Silver Cord'' (2004), portraying Mr. Lehman; and ''

Silas Marner ''Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe'' is the third novel by George Eliot. It was published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, the novel is notable for its strong realism and its sophisticated treatment of a variety of issue ...

'' (2007), portraying Mr. Macey. He voiced the house-elf Kreacher in ''

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Wit ...

'', his last work.

Family and death

In 1953, Bateson married former actress Sheila Shand Gibbs, with whom he had three children, Elizabeth, Andrew and Caroline. He and his wife were committed

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

s. He died in London at the age of 83 on 16 September 2009. He was survived by his wife, their children and his older sister Ann.

Selected filmography

*''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

'' (1947) – Lord Verisopht *'' Vice Versa'' (1948) – Coker *'' The Guinea Pig'' (1948) – Tracey *'' The History of Mr. Polly'' (1949) – Apprentice (uncredited) *'' White Corridors'' (1951) – Dr. Cook *'' Never Look Back'' (1952) as Court Official (uncredited) *''

Sunday Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...

'' (1952–1954) – Val *'' Carrington V.C.'' (1955) – 1st Soldier in NAAFI (uncredited) *''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

'' (1955) – Ostler *'' The Black Arrow'' (1958) – Lord Shoreby *'' Tread Softly Stranger'' (1958) – Fletcher *''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrica ...

'' (1959) – 'Swiss Cheese' *'' Yesterday's Enemy'' (1959) – Simpson (uncredited) *''

The Mouse That Roared ''The Mouse That Roared'' is a 1955 satirical novel by Irish-American writer Leonard Wibberley, which launched a series of satirical books about an imaginary country in Europe called the Duchy of Grand Fenwick. Wibberley used the premise to m ...

'' (1959) – Roger *'' Devil's Bait'' (1959) – Dentist (uncredited) *''

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, an ...

'' (1959) – William Guppy *''

Our Man in Havana ''Our Man in Havana'' (1958) is a novel set in Cuba by the British author Graham Greene. He makes fun of intelligence services, especially the British MI6, and their willingness to believe reports from their local informants. The book predates ...

'' (1959) – Rudy (uncredited) *'' The Shakedown'' (1960) – Estate Agent *'' The Big Day'' (1960) – Clerk *'' There Was a Crooked Man'' (1960) – Flash Dan *''

Barnaby Rudge ''Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty'' (commonly known as ''Barnaby Rudge'') is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. ''Barnaby Rudge'' was one of two novels (the other was ''The Old Curiosity Shop'') that Dickens publ ...

'' (1960) – Simon Tappertit *'' Seven Keys'' (1961) – Bank Teller (uncredited) *'' The Unstoppable Man'' (1961) – Rocky *'' What a Carve Up!'' (1961) – Porter – (US: 'No Place like Homicide') *'' On the Fiddle'' (1961) – Stretcher Bearer (uncredited) *'' The Day the Earth Caught Fire'' (1961) – Printer in Printroom (uncredited) *'' The Golden Rabbit'' (1961) – Henry Tucker *'' Ring-a-Ding Rhythm'' (1962) – Coffee shop owner *'' Crooks Anonymous'' (1962) – Partrige *'' The Girl on the Boat'' (1962) – Purser *'' Jigsaw'' (1962) – Porter (uncredited) *'' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) – Mr. Holly *''Seventy Deadly Pills'' (1964) – Goldstone *''

Father Came Too! ''Father Came Too!'' is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter. It is a loose sequel to ''The Fast Lady''. It was produced by the Independent Artists co ...

'' (1964) – Wally *''

Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

'' (1964) – Barman *'' The Evil of Frankenstein'' (1964) – Hypnotized Man (uncredited) *'' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965) – Junkyard Owner *''

The Wrong Box ''The Wrong Box'' is a 1966 British comedy film produced and directed by Bryan Forbes from a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove, based on the 1889 novel '' The Wrong Box'' by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne. It was made by ...

'' (1966) – Clerk *''

Thirty-Minute Theatre ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' was a British anthology drama series of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, which was used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short running length, and which t ...

'' (1966) – Big Ted *'' After the Fox'' (1966) – Michael O'Reilly (uncredited) *'' Danger Route'' (1967) – Halliwell *'' Torture Garden'' (1967) – Fairground Barker *'' The Anniversary'' (1968) – Mr. Bird *''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debute ...

'' (1968, TV) – Andrew Rogers *''

Twisted Nerve ''Twisted Nerve'' is a 1968 psychological thriller film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Hywel Bennett, Hayley Mills, Billie Whitelaw and Frank Finlay. The film follows a disturbed young man, Martin, who pretends, under the name of Geo ...

'' (1968) – Mr. Groom *''

The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres around Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, re ...

'' (1969) – Dentist *'' 1917'' (1970) – Corporal Falk *'' Doctor at Large'' (1971, TV) – Mr. Clifford * '' Kindly Leave the Kerb'' (1971, TV) – *''

Please Sir! ''Please Sir!'' is a British television sitcom created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featuring actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Penny Spencer, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies. Produced by London Week ...

'' (1971, TV) – Dutton *'' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'' (1971, TV) – Goujon *''

Barlow at Large ''Barlow at Large'', later ''Barlow'', is a British police procedural television programme broadcast in the 1970s, starring Stratford Johns in the title role. Johns had previously played Barlow in the ''Z-Cars'', '' Softly, Softly'' and '' S ...

'' (1973) – Smeed *''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'' (1974) – Mr. Dick *'' Autobiography of a Princess'' (1975) – Blackmailer *'' The Good Life'' (1976, TV) – Arthur Bailey *''

Joseph Andrews ''The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams'', was the first full-length novel by the English author Henry Fielding to be published and among the early novels in the English language. Appearing in 1742 ...

'' (1977) – Master of Hounds *''

The Duchess of Duke Street ''The Duchess of Duke Street'' is a BBC television drama series set in London between the late 1800s and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. It starred Gemma J ...

'' (1977, TV) – Mr. Bream *''

: The Ribos Operation'' (1978, TV) – Binro *'' Last of the Summer Wine'' (1978, TV) – Amos Hames *''

Going Straight ''Going Straight'' is a BBC sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. The programme was a direct spin-off to the sitcom ''Porridge'', which all four were involved in, wi ...

'' (1978, TV) – Oaksey *'' All Creatures Great and Small'' (1978, TV) – Mr. Beckwith *''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has ...

'' (1978) – Sir Oliver Martext *'' Pinocchio'' (1978, TV) – Schoolmaster *''A Hitch in Time'' (1978) – Headmaster (uncredited) *''

The Famous Five ''The Famous Five'' is a series of children's adventure novels and short stories written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, ''Five on a Treasure Island'', was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures of a group of youn ...

'' (1978, TV) – Professor Hayling *''

Diary of a Nobody ''The Diary of a Nobody'' is an English comic novel written by the brothers George and Weedon Grossmith, with illustrations by the latter. It originated as an intermittent serial in ''Punch'' magazine in 1888–89 and first appeared in book f ...

'' (1979) – Cummings *'' Rings on Their Fingers'' (1979) – Meter Reader *''Tanglewoods' Secret'' (1980) – Mr. Tandy *'' Treasures of the Snow'' (1980) – Portier *''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running progra ...

'' (1980–1983) – Mr. Thomson *''

Loophole A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...

'' (1981) – 3rd Interviewer *''

Chintz Chintz () is a woodblock printed, painted, stained or glazed calico textile that originated in Golconda (present day Hyderabad, India) in the 16th century. The cloth is printed with designs featuring flowers and other patterns in different colou ...

'' (1981) – Shop Assistant *''

Terry and June ''Terry and June'' is a BBC television sitcom, which was broadcast on BBC1 from 1979 to 1987. The show was largely a reworking of '' Happy Ever After'', and starred Terry Scott and June Whitfield as a middle-aged, middle-class suburban couple, Te ...

'' (1981) – Mervyn *'' Q.E.D.'' (1982) – Alfie *''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...

'' (1982) – Commerce *'' High Road to China'' (1983) – Alec Wedgeworth *'' Don't Wait Up'' (1983) – Mr. Burton *''

'' (1984) – Mr. Fezziwig *'' Minder'' (1984) – Railwayman *''

Ever Decreasing Circles ''Ever Decreasing Circles'' is a British sitcom which ran on BBC1 between 1984 and 1989, consisting of four series and one feature-length special. It was written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, and it reunited them with Richard Briers, who ha ...

'' (1984) – Laurence *'' Dramarama'' (1985) – Keeper *''

'' (1986) – The Worm / The Four Guards / Goblin (voice) *''

Foreign Body A foreign body (FB) is any object originating outside the body of an organism. In machinery, it can mean any unwanted intruding object. Most references to foreign bodies involve propulsion through natural orifices into hollow organs. Foreign b ...

'' (1986) – Agent at Harley Street *'' East of Ipswich'' (1987) – Mr. Macklin *'' Hi-de-Hi!'' (1987) – Charlie *''

Chelmsford 123 ''Chelmsford 123'' is a British television situation comedy produced for Channel 4 by Hat Trick Productions. Chelmsford ran for two series, of six and seven episodes respectively, in 1988 and 1990. The series was set in the British town of Che ...

'' (1988) – Latin Tutor *''

A Handful of Dust ''A Handful of Dust'' is a novel by the British writer Evelyn Waugh. First published in 1934, it is often grouped with the author's early, satirical comic novels for which he became famous in the pre–World War II years. Commentators have, h ...

'' (1988) – MacDougal *'' TUGS'' (1989–1990, TV Series) – O.J. / Eddie / Little Ditcher / Lord Stinker / Garbage Corporation Master / Big Mickey (voice) *'' Zorro'' (1990–1993, TV Series) – Padre Benites *'' Shakespeare: The Animated Tales'' (1992) – Antigonus (voice) *'' The Animals of Farthing Wood'' (1994) – Measley (Audiotape only) *'' True Blue'' (1996) – Porter *'' For My Baby'' (1997) – Max Liebman *''

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and leg ...

'' (1998) – Father Abbot *''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origina ...

'' (1998) – Banker *''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels o ...

'' (1999, TV) – Mr. Jocelyne *'' The Criminal'' (1999) – Thomas *'' The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'' (1999) – English Judge *'' The Clandestine Marriage'' (1999) – Gaoler *'' Barbara'' (2000, TV) – Mr. Dugdale *'' The 10th Kingdom'' (2000, TV) – Tooth Fairy *'' The Discovery of Heaven'' (2001) – Mr. Keller *'' All or Nothing'' (2002) – Harold *'' Fakers'' (2004) – Old Gezzer *'' Ladies in Lavender'' (2004) – Mr. Hallett *''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'' (2005) – Parson *'' Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' (2005) – Summers *'' My Hero'' (2006, TV) – Leo *'' Terry Pratchett's Hogfather'' (2006, TV) – The Lecturer *''

'' (2007) – Kreacher (voice) (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bateson, Timothy 1926 births 2009 deaths 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford English male film actors English male radio actors English male Shakespearean actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors English Christians Male actors from London People educated at Uppingham School Royal Shakespeare Company members