Ronald Fraser (actor)
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Ronald Fraser | |
---|---|
Born | Ronald Gordon Fraser 11 April 1930 Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England |
Died | 13 March 1997 | (aged 66)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1957–1997 |
Spouse | Elizabeth Howe (1956–1964) |
Children | 2 daughters |
Ronald Fraser (11 April 1930 – 13 March 1997) was a British character actor, who appeared in numerous British plays, films and television shows from the 1950s to the 1990s.[1]
An unusual appearance and unique delivery made him a natural comedic actor. Fraser was a familiar figure in West End clubs during the Sixties, and despite a long-standing reputation as one of the hardest drinking of British actors he was still working in his last years. He was perhaps best known as Basil "Badger" Allenby-Johnson in the 1970s television series The Misfit.
Background
Ronald Fraser was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, the son of an interior decorator and builder from Scotland. He attended Ashton Grammar School. He was educated in Scotland and did national service as a lieutenant in the Seaforth Highlanders.
While serving in
In the
He appeared in numerous television roles from 1954, and in nearly 50 films from 1957, mostly in comedies.[2] In 1996 Fraser voiced the chief judge in The Willows in Winter.
Selected filmography
Film credits
- Black Ice (1957) – Tom
- Bobbikins (1959) – Sailor Joe (uncredited)
- There Was a Crooked Man (1960) – Gen. Cummins
- The Sundowners (1960) – Ocker
- The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961) – L / Cpl. Macleish
- Don't Bother to Knock (1961) – Fred
- The Best of Enemies (1961) – Perfect
- Raising the Wind (1961)
- The Hellions(1961) – Frank
- The Pot Carriers (1962) – Red Band
- The Girl on the Boat (1962) – Colonel (uncredited)
- In Search of the Castaways (1962) – Guard at Dockyard Gate
- Private Potter (1962) – Doctor
- The Punch and Judy Man (1963) – Mayor Palmer
- The V.I.P.s (1963) – Joslin
- Girl in the Headlines (1963) – Sgt. Saunders
- The Beauty Jungle (1964) – Walter Carey
- Victim Five (1964) – Inspector Lean
- Crooks in Cloisters (1964) – Walt
- The Counterfeit Constable (1964) – Sergent Timothy Reagan
- Daylight Robbery (1964)
- Flight of the Phoenix (1965) – Sergeant Watson
- The Whisperers (1967) – Charlie Ross
- Fathom (1967) – Colonel Campbell
- Sebastian (1968) – Toby
- The Killing of Sister George (1968) – Leo Lockhart
- Sinful Davey (1969) – MacNab
- The Bed Sitting Room (1969) – The Army
- Too Late the Hero (1970) – Pvt. Campbell
- The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970) – Tom Hutchinson
- The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) – George (segment "Wrath")
- Ooh... You Are Awful(1972) – Reggie Campbell Peek
- Rentadick (1972) – Major Upton
- Swallows and Amazons (1974) – Uncle Jim
- Percy's Progress (1974) – Bleeker
- Paper Tiger (1975) – Sergeant Forster
- Hardcore (1977) – Marty
- Come Play With Me (1977) – Slasher
- The Wild Geese (1978) – Jock McTaggart
- Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) – Dr. Longet
- Tangiers(1985) – Jenkins
- Absolute Beginners (1986) – Amberley Drove
- Scandal (1989) – Justice Marshall
- Let Him Have It (1991) – Niven's Judge
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1993) – Dean
Television credits
- The Invisible Man (1959) – Sharp
- Danger Man (1961) – Giuseppe Morelli
- The Ordeal of Dr. Shannon (1962) – Dr. James Mathers
- The Avengers (The Gravediggers) (1965) – Sir Horace Winslip
- Sword of Honour (1967) – Apthorpe
- The Misfit (1970–1971) – Basil Allenby-Johnson
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1973) – Horrocks
- Pygmalion (1973) – Col. Pickering
- Melissa (1974) – Felix Hepburn
- The Sweeney (1976) – Titus Oates
- Pennies From Heaven(1978) – Major Archibald Paxville
- The Famous Five(1978) – Mr. Barling
- Spooner's Patch (1979) as Inspector Spooner (1979)
- Brideshead Revisited(1981) – Red-Haired Man
- Minder (1985–1989) – Self-Inflicted Sid / Albert Goddard
- Lovejoy (1986–1991) – Michael Edwards / Drummer
- Life Without George (1987–1989) – Harold Chambers
- Doctor Who (The Happiness Patrol) (1988) – Joseph C.
- Taggart (1992) – Angus Collins
- The Blackheath Poisonings (1992) – Doctor Porter
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993) – Donald
- TFI Friday (1996) – Himself
Personal life
Fraser was a resident of Hampstead, London. He was a heavy drinker and a well-known figure in the local hostelries.[3] He was married from 1956 to 1964 to Elizabeth Howe, and the couple had two daughters.[2]
He died of a
References
- ^ "Ronald Fraser". BFI. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016.
- ^ a b c d Hayward, Anthony. "Obituary: Ronald Fraser", The Independent, 15 March 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2012
- ^ Gary Russell on The Famous Five – First season – Five Go to Smuggler's Top Archived 15 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ GRO Register of Deaths: Mar 1997 D44A 2501D 255 Camden, DoB = 11 April 1930 aged 66
External links
- Ronald Fraser at IMDb
- Ronald Fraser at the Internet Broadway Database
- Ronald Fraser at the TCM Movie Database
- Ronald Fraser at Find a Grave