
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 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.
47Credits17 TV · 30 films
1951–2025Years activefirst to latest
10.0 Highest ratedLove Left the Masquerade: Peter Medak's Cinema of Pretenders
7.0 Average ratingacross 46 titles
Top TV shows 17best Alan Bates shows
- 1
Hallmark Hall of FameStewart · 1 ep · 1951 - 2
Unnatural PursuitsHamish Partt · 2 eps · 1992 - 3
Love in a Cold ClimateUncle Matthew · 2 eps · 2001 - 4
Screen OneHenry Sitchell · 1 ep · 1989 - 5
Screen TwoMarcel Proust · 1 ep · 1985 - 6
Laurence Olivier Presents1976 - 7
SpartacusAntonius Agrippa · 2 eps · 2004 - 8
The Ray Bradbury TheaterJohn Fabian · 1 ep · 1985 - 9
Arabian NightsStoryteller · 2 eps · 2000 - 10
The Mayor of CasterbridgeMichael Henchard · 7 eps · 1978 - 11
In the BeginningJethro · 2 eps · 2000 - 12
Great PerformancesJames · 1 ep · 1971 - 13
Oliver's TravelsOliver · 5 eps · 1995 - 14
Armchair TheatreLewis Black · 1 ep · 1956 - 15
The Wednesday PlayGrigor Pecharin · 1 ep · 1964 - 16
Salem Witch TrialsSir William Phips · 2 eps · 2003 - 17
Hard TimesJosiah Bounderby · 4 eps · 1994
Top movies 30best Alan Bates movies
- 1
Love Left the Masquerade: Peter Medak's Cinema of PretendersArchive · 2025 - 2Plaintiffs and DefendantsPeter · 1975
- 3
The TrespasserSiegmund · 1981 - 4
Hard TimesJosiah Bounderby · 1994 - 5
102 Boulevard HaussmannMarcel Proust · 1990 - 6
Discovering HamletClaudius (archive footage) · 2011 - 7
Zorba the GreekBasil · 1964 - 8
A Voyage Round My FatherJohn Mortimer · 1984 - 9
The CaretakerMick · 1964 - 10
Whistle Down the WindThe Man, Arthur Alan Blakey · 1961 - 11
A Kind of LovingVictor Arthur 'Vic' Brown · 1962 - 12
Losing TrackHenry Sitchell · 1992 - 13
The Story of Jacob and JosephNarrator (voice) · 1974 - 14
MeanwhileFather Peter · 2003 - 15
King of HeartsCharles Plumpick · 1966 - 16
Far from the Madding CrowdGabriel Oak · 1967 - 17
The Go-BetweenTed Burgess · 1971 - 18
Gosford ParkJennings · 2001 - 19
Pack of LiesStewart · 1987 - 20
ButleyBen Butley · 1974 - 21
An Unmarried WomanSaul Kaplan · 1978 - 22
SpartacusAntonius Agrippa · 2004 - 23
The Running ManStephen · 1963 - 24
The RoseRudge Campbell · 1979 - 25
Separate TablesJohn Malcolm / Maj. Pollock · 1983 - 26
Women in LoveRupert Birkin · 1969 - 27
HamletClaudius · 1990 - 28
EvelynThomas Connolly · 2002 - 29
Bertie and ElizabethKing George V · 2002 - 30
We Think the World of YouFrank Meadows · 1988