Timothy Bateson(1926-2009)
- Actor
Prolific British character actor, adept at eccentric or whimsical
impersonations, particularly of Dickensian characters. The son of law
society president Sir Dingwall Bateson, he won a scholarship to Wadham
College, where he trained for acting with the Oxford University
Dramatic Society. Straight out of college, he was handpicked by
Alberto Cavalcanti for the role of
Lord Verisopht in the Ealing production of
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947).
Bateson made his theatrical debut at the Old Vic the following year in
"Twelfth Night". He was highly acclaimed for his performance as Lucky
in "Waiting for Godot", which he first performed at the Arts Theatre in
London in 1955.
Nothing, if not versatile, Bateson turned his considerable talents to a wide variety of diverse assignments, ranging from Shakespearean classics (Richard III (1955)) to social drama The Outsider (1948)) and lightweight farce (The Mouse That Roared (1959)). He was a longstanding member of the BBC radio repertory company and latterly much in demand for voice-over work, which included providing the voice of Kreacher in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Television saw him in small roles as scientists, police officers, clerks and the like, in numerous popular shows from The Avengers (1961) and Z Cars (1962) to Doctor Who (1963).
Nothing, if not versatile, Bateson turned his considerable talents to a wide variety of diverse assignments, ranging from Shakespearean classics (Richard III (1955)) to social drama The Outsider (1948)) and lightweight farce (The Mouse That Roared (1959)). He was a longstanding member of the BBC radio repertory company and latterly much in demand for voice-over work, which included providing the voice of Kreacher in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Television saw him in small roles as scientists, police officers, clerks and the like, in numerous popular shows from The Avengers (1961) and Z Cars (1962) to Doctor Who (1963).
