Michael Bates

Michael Hammond Bates (4 December 1920 – 11 January 1978) was a British actor, born in colonial India. He was best known for his roles as Field Marshall Sir Bernard Law Montgomery in Patton, Guard Barnes in A Clockwork Orange (1971), Cyril Blamire in Last of the Summer Wine (1973–1975) and Rangi Ram in It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974–1977).

Early life Bates was born in Jhansi, United Provinces, British Raj (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India). was educated at Denstone School and Cambridge University before entering the Indian Civil Service in 1920. He served as Deputy Secretary of the Revenue Department and a Member of the Board of Revenue for the United Provinces of India until 1947 (in which year he was created Order of the Star of India (CSI) and was later of the Colonial Office. Bates's mother, Sarah Clarke Walker (19 June 1896 – 24 November 1982) was daughter of William Hammond Walker (1851 – 19 May 1904), also of Congleton. Bates was educated at Uppingham School and his father's alma mater, St Catharine's College, Cambridge. During the Second World War he served in the Burma Campaign as a major with the 3rd Battalion, The 9th Gurkha Rifles, and was mentioned in dispatches in 1944.

Career In 1953, while an ensemble member with the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, Bates appeared in Richard III and All's Well That Ends Well.

In 1956, Bates appeared in Hotel Paradiso (L'Hôtel du libre échange), which starred Alec Guinness, at the Winter Garden Theatre in London. On radio, he played a variety of characters in the BBC's long-running comedy series The Navy Lark, including Able Seaman Ginger, Lieutenant Bates, Rear Admiral Ironbridge, the Military padre, and Captain Ignatius Aloysius Atchison.

Bates appeared in many British television series, including Last of the Summer Wine from 1973 to 1975 (as Cyril Blamire) and It Ain't Half Hot Mum from 1973 to 1977 (as Rangi Ram).

Bates's film roles include Bedazzled (1967) as the flirtatious police inspector, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967) as Mr. McGregor, Battle of Britain (1969) as Warrant Officer Warwick, Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) as a Lance-Corporal, Patton (1970) as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery (to whom he bore a striking resemblance), A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Frenzy (1972). On stage, he played Shakespearean roles at Stratford and at the Old Vic and made a big impression as Inspector Truscott in the West End production of Loot by Joe Orton in 1966.

Personal life In 1954, Bates married Margaret M. J. Chisholm. They had three children. He was a supporter of the Conservative Party. Peter Sallis described Bates as being "slightly to the right of Thatcher" politically and said that Bates's right-wing opinions contrasted so sharply with the left-wing views of fellow Last of the Summer Wine star Bill Owen that the series was almost not made because of their arguments.

Bates died of cancer on 11 January 1978 at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Chelsea, London, aged 57. Bates had reportedly started to suffer from a rapid health decline around eighteen months before his death.

Brownface allegations Bates's role as Rangi Ram in It Ain't Half Hot Mum led to the allegation that he had performed in brownface. Series co-creator Jimmy Perry told Stuart Jeffries in 2003 that they had been unable to find a suitable Asian actor. "But Michael was ideal for the role", Perry said. Interviewed by the journalist Neil Clark for The Daily Telegraph in 2013, Perry said that all Bates wore "was a light tan. He wasn't blacked up! Michael spoke fluent Urdu, and was a captain in the Gurkhas". The show is not repeated in the UK by the BBC, which uses the "blacked up" description of Bates's performance in its website's article about the series. The series has been repeatedly shown on the UK channel That's TV since the summer of 2023, with an on-screen 'disclaimer' at the beginning of each episode reminding viewers that it contains language and attitudes reflecting the era in which it was made.

Selected filmography Film roles Carrington V.C. (1955) – Major Broke-Smith Dunkirk (1958) – Froome I'm All Right Jack (1959) – Bootle Bedazzled (1967) – Inspector Clarke Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968) – Mr. McGregor Hammerhead (1968) – Andreas / Sir Richard Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968) – Dr. Spink Salt and Pepper (1968) – Inspector Crabbe Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) – Drunk Lance Corporal Battle of Britain (1969) – Warrant Officer Warwick Arthur? Arthur! (1969) – Mr. Harrington Patton (1970) – Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery Every Home Should Have One (1970) – Magistrate The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970) – Mr. Spimm A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Chief Guard Barnes Frenzy (1972) – Sergeant Spearman No Sex Please, We're British (1973) – Mr. Needham Fall of Eagles (1974) – General Erich Ludendorff The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones (1976) – Madman Gulliver's Travels (1977) – (voice)

Television roles