
Alan Bates
Known for Acting · 103 credits
- Born
- 1934-02-17
- Died
- 2003-12-27
- Place of birth
- Allestree, Derbyshire, England
- Also known as
- Алан Бейтс
Biography
Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving. He is also known for his tour-de-force with Anthony Quinn, Zorba the Greek, as well as his roles in King of Hearts, Georgy Girl, Far From the Madding Crowd, and The Fixer, which gave him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1969, he starred in the Ken Russell film Women in Love with Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson. Bates went on to star in The Go-Between, An Unmarried Woman, Nijinsky, and The Rose with Bette Midler, as well as playing varied roles in television drama, including The Mayor of Casterbridge, Harold Pinter's The Collection, A Voyage Round My Father, An Englishman Abroad (as Guy Burgess), and Pack of Lies. He also continued to appear on the stage, notably in the plays of Simon Gray, such as Butley and Otherwise Engaged.
Known For
TV Shows (20)

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self

The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self

Great Performances
1971
as James

The Wednesday Play
1964
as Grigor Pecharin

Screen Two
1985
as Marcel Proust
Pebble Mill
1991
as Self

The Ray Bradbury Theater
1985
as John Fabian

Screen One
1989
as Henry Sitchell

Arabian Nights
2000
as Storyteller

Spartacus
2004
as Antonius Agrippa

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Stewart

Laurence Olivier Presents
1976

Armchair Theatre
1956
as Lewis Black / Mario

In the Beginning
2000
as Jethro

Oliver's Travels
1995
as Oliver

Love in a Cold Climate
2001
as Uncle Matthew

Hard Times
1994
as Josiah Bounderby

Salem Witch Trials
2003
as Sir William Phips

The Mayor of Casterbridge
1978
as Michael Henchard

Unnatural Pursuits
1992
as Hamish Partt
Movies (83)

The Sum of All Fears
2002
as Dressler

The Mothman Prophecies
2002
as Alexander Leek

Gosford Park
2001
as Jennings

Zorba the Greek
1964
as Basil

Hamlet
1990
as Claudius

Spartacus
2004
as Antonius Agrippa

The Shout
1978
as Charles Crossley

Women in Love
1969
as Rupert Birkin

Evelyn
2002
as Thomas Connolly

Mister Frost
1990
as Felix Detweiler

Hard Times
1994
as Josiah Bounderby

The Go-Between
1971
as Ted Burgess

A Prayer for the Dying
1987
as Jack Meehan

The Rose
1979
as Rudge Campbell

The Cherry Orchard
1999
as Gayev

The Statement
2003
as Armand Bertier

Quartet
1981
as H.J. Heidler

The Wicked Lady
1983
as Captain Jerry Jackson

Nijinsky
1980
as Sergei Diaghilev

Butley
1974
as Ben Butley

The Making of Gosford Park
2002
as Self

Celebrity Naked Ambition
2003
as Self (archive footage)

The Prince and the Pauper
2000
as Re Enrico VIII

Far from the Madding Crowd
1967
as Gabriel Oak

An Unmarried Woman
1978
as Saul Kaplan

Nothing Like a Dame
2018
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Salem Witch Trials
2002
as Sir William Phips

Uncontrollable Circumstances
1989
as Malcolm Forrest

The Return of the Soldier
1983
as Captain Chris Baldry

Royal Flash
1975
as Rudi Von Sternberg

The Entertainer
1960
as Frank Rice

St. Patrick: The Irish Legend
2000
as Calpornius

Dr. M
1990
as Dr, Marsfeldt / Guru

The Caretaker
1964
as Mick

Britannia Hospital
1982
as Macready

Georgy Girl
1966
as Jos Jones

A Voyage Round My Father
1984
as John Mortimer

King of Hearts
1966
as Charles Plumpick

Whistle Down the Wind
1961
as The Man, Arthur Alan Blakey

Shuttlecock: Sins of a Father
2020
as Major James Prentis (archival footage)

Hands Up!
1985
as Self (1981 footage)

Shuttlecock
1993
as Major James Prentis VC

Impossible Object
1973
as Harry

The Fixer
1968
as Yakov Bok

Nicholas’ Gift
1998
as Reg Green

Silent Tongue
1994
as Eamon McCree

The Running Man
1963
as Stephen

The Story of Jacob and Joseph
1974
as Narrator (voice)

We Think the World of You
1988
as Frank Meadows

Discovering Hamlet
2011
as Claudius (archive footage)

Once Upon a Tractor
1965
as Joe Turrel

The Grotesque
1995
as Sir Hugo Coal

Dr. Fischer of Geneva
1984
as Dr. Alfred Jones

Pack of Lies
1987
as Stewart

Three Sisters
1970
as Col. Vershinin

Hollywood North
2004
as Michael Baytes

Duet for One
1986
as David Cornwallis

Lionpower from MGM
1967
as Self - Gabriel Oak (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Dog It Was That Died
1989
as Blair

In Celebration
1975
as Andrew Shaw

102 Boulevard Haussmann
1990
as Marcel Proust

Bertie and Elizabeth
2002
as King George V

Separate Tables
1983
as John Malcolm / Maj. Pollock
Location: Far from the Madding Crowd
1967
as Himself

Secret Friends
1991
as John

An Englishman Abroad
1983
as Guy Burgess

Unnatural Pursuits
1992
as Hamish Partt

The Collection
1976
as James

Very Like a Whale
1981
as Sir Jock Mellor

Anthony Quinn: The Final Words
2001
as Self

The Trespasser
1981
as Siegmund

A Kind of Loving
1962
as Victor Arthur 'Vic' Brown

Nothing But the Best
1964
as Jimmy Brewster
Two Sundays
1975
as Charles

Meanwhile
2003
as Father Peter

Look at Life: All in a Day's Work
1969
as Self

Second Best
1972
as Tom

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
1972
as Bri

Losing Track
1992
as Henry Sitchell

One for the Road
1985
as Nicholas
Plaintiffs and Defendants
1975
as Peter

Love Left the Masquerade: Peter Medak's Cinema of Pretenders
2025
as Archive

The Ray Bradbury Theater: And So Died Riabouchinska
1988
as John Fabian
About Alan Bates
Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving. He is also known for his tour-de-force with Anthony Quinn, Zorba the Greek, as well as his roles in King of Hearts, Georgy Girl, Far From the Madding Crowd, and The Fixer, which gave him an Academy Award nomination for Best A… With 103 credits spanning from 1951 to 2025, Alan Bates has appeared in 83 films and 20 TV shows.
Fans searching for Alan Bates movies, Alan Bates filmography, or the latest projects starring Alan Bates can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Alan Bates Movies
- The Sum of All Fears (2002) — as Dressler
- The Mothman Prophecies (2002) — as Alexander Leek
- Gosford Park (2001) — as Jennings
- Zorba the Greek (1964) — as Basil
- Hamlet (1990) — as Claudius
Where to Watch Alan Bates Films
Most Alan Bates movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Alan Bates, check our movies catalogue and browse page.