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Bernard Miles
Actor, Writer, Director, Producer, Additional Credits
Died June 14, 1991 (83 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE (27 September 1907–14 June 1991) was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1959, the first new theatre opened in the City of London since the 17th century.
Miles was born in Uxbridge, Middlesex and attended Bishopshalt School in Hillingdon. While his parents were respectively a farm labourer and a cook, he was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford. He entered the theatre in the 1930s, soon appearing in films. Like many actors, he featured prominently in the patriotic cinema during the Second World War, including classics of the genre such as In Which We Serve and One of Our Aircraft Is Missing. He also had an uncredited role in the WWII classic The First of the Few, released in the US as Spitfire.
His typical persona as an actor was as a countryman, with a strong accent typical of the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire counties. He was also, after Robert Newton, the actor most associated with the part of Long John Silver, which he played in a British TV version of Treasure Island, and in an annual performance at the Mermaid commencing in the winter of 1961-62. Actors in the annual theatrical productions included Spike Milligan as Ben Gunn, and, in the 1968 production, Barry Humphries as Long John Silver. It was Miles who, impressed by the talent of John Antrobus originally commissioned him to write a play of some sort. This led to Antrobus collaborating with Milligan to produce a one-act play called The Bed Sitting Room, which was later adapted to a longer play, and staged by Miles at The Mermaid on 31 January 1963, with both critical and commercial success.
He had a pleasant rolling bass-baritone voice that worked well in theatre and film, as well as being much in demand for voice-overs. As a performer, he was most well known for a series of comic monologues, often given in a rural dialect. These were recorded and sold as record albums, which were quite popular. Some of his comic monologues are currently available on youtube.com.
Miles was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1953, was knighted in 1969, and was granted a life peerage as Baron Miles, of Blackfriars in the City of London in 1979. He was only the second British actor ever to be given a peerage (the first was Laurence Olivier).
Miles's written works include "The British Theatre" (1947), "God's Brainwave" (1972), and "Favorite Tales from Shakespeare" (1972). In 1981, he co-authored the book Curtain Calls with J.C. Trewin.
He died in Yorkshire.
His daughters are the actress Sally Miles and the artist Bridget Miles. His son John Miles was a Grand Prix Driver in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the Lotus team.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Bernard Miles, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Bernard James Miles, Baron Miles, CBE (27 September 1907–14 June 1991) was an English character actor, writer and director. He opened the Mermaid Theatre in London in 1959, the first new theatre opened in the City of London since the 17th century.
Miles was born in Uxbridge, Middlesex and attended Bishopshalt School in Hillingdon. While his parents were respectively a farm labourer and a cook, he was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford. He entered the theatre in the 1930s, soon appearing in films. Like many actors, he featured prominently in the patriotic cinema during the Second World War, including classics of the genre such as In Which We Serve and One of Our Aircraft Is Missing. He also had an uncredited role in the WWII classic The First of the Few, released in the US as Spitfire.
His typical persona as an actor was as a countryman, with a strong accent typical of the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire counties. He was also, after Robert Newton, the actor most associated with the part of Long John Silver, which he played in a British TV version of Treasure Island, and in an annual performance at the Mermaid commencing in the winter of 1961-62. Actors in the annual theatrical productions included Spike Milligan as Ben Gunn, and, in the 1968 production, Barry Humphries as Long John Silver. It was Miles who, impressed by the talent of John Antrobus originally commissioned him to write a play of some sort. This led to Antrobus collaborating with Milligan to produce a one-act play called The Bed Sitting Room, which was later adapted to a longer play, and staged by Miles at The Mermaid on 31 January 1963, with both critical and commercial success.
He had a pleasant rolling bass-baritone voice that worked well in theatre and film, as well as being much in demand for voice-overs. As a performer, he was most well known for a series of comic monologues, often given in a rural dialect. These were recorded and sold as record albums, which were quite popular. Some of his comic monologues are currently available on youtube.com.
Miles was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1953, was knighted in 1969, and was granted a life peerage as Baron Miles, of Blackfriars in the City of London in 1979. He was only the second British actor ever to be given a peerage (the first was Laurence Olivier).
Miles's written works include "The British Theatre" (1947), "God's Brainwave" (1972), and "Favorite Tales from Shakespeare" (1972). In 1981, he co-authored the book Curtain Calls with J.C. Trewin.
He died in Yorkshire.
His daughters are the actress Sally Miles and the artist Bridget Miles. His son John Miles was a Grand Prix Driver in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the Lotus team.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Bernard Miles, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movies & Shows on Plex
Known For
Filmography
| 1988 | The Lady and the Highwayman · as Judge |
| 1987 | James Stewart: A Wonderful Life - Hosted by Johnny Carson · as Edward Drayton (clip From The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)) |
| 1982 | Treasure Island · as Long John Silver |
| 1980 | Why Didn't They Ask Evans? · as Dr. Thomas |
| 1979 | Tales of the Unexpected (TV Series) · as Mr Rummins |
| 1969 | Baby Love · as Cast |
| 1969 | Run Wild, Run Free · as Reg |
| 1969 | Q... (TV Series) · as Special Guest |
| 1966 | |
| 1963 | Heavens Above! · as Simpson |
| 1961 | Barbara Hepworth · as Narrator |
| 1959 | |
| 1958 | Tom Thumb · as Jonathan |
| 1958 | The Vision of William Blake · as Poems & Narration |
| 1957 | The DuPont Show of the Month (TV Series) · as Joseph |
| 1957 | Saint Joan · as Master Executioner |
| 1957 | She Played with Fire · as Mr. Jerome |
| 1957 | Big Time Operators · as Old Tom |
| 1957 | Doctor at Large · as Haymaking Farmer |
| 1956 | Zarak · as Hassu The One-Eyed |
| 1956 | Tiger in the Smoke · as Tiddy Doll The Gang Leader |
| 1956 | Moby Dick · as The Manxman |
| 1956 | The Man Who Knew Too Much · as Edward Drayton |
| 1953 | Never Let Me Go · as Joe Brooks |
| 1951 | Treasure Island (TV Series) |
| 1951 | The Magic Box · as Cousin Alfred |
| 1950 | Chance of a Lifetime · as Stevens |
| 1950 | Sunday Night Theatre (TV Series) · as A Tramp |
| 1949 | Fireside Theatre (TV Series) · as Boss |
| 1948 | The Outsider · as Mr. Read |
| 1947 | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby · as Newman Noggs |
| 1947 | Fame Is the Spur · as Tom Hannaway |
| 1946 | Great Expectations · as Joe Gargery |
| 1946 | Carnival · as Trewhella |
| 1944 | Tawny Pipit · as Colonel Barton-Barrington |
| 1944 | Tunisian Victory · as British Soldier (voice) |
| 1944 | Two Fathers · as The Englishman |
| 1943 | The New Lot · as Ted Loman |
| 1942 | In Which We Serve · as Chief Petty Officer Hardy / Walter Hardy |
| 1942 | |
| 1942 | The Avengers · as Mcallister (irish Soldier) |
| 1942 | One of Our Aircraft Is Missing · as Geoff Hickman, Front Gunner In B For Bertie |
| 1942 | This Was Paris · as Nazi Propaganda Officer |
| 1942 | The Big Blockade · as Royal Navy Mate |
| 1941 | The Common Touch · as Cricket Steward |
| 1941 | Quiet Wedding · as Pc |
| 1941 | The Voice in the Night · as Capt. Muller |
| 1941 | The Dawn Guard · as Farmer |
| 1941 | War Front · as Reporter |
| 1941 | Sea Cadets · as Cast |
| 1940 | Blackout · as Man Lighting Pipe |
| 1940 | Pastor Hall · as Heinrich Degan |
| 1940 | Band Waggon · as Saboteur (uncredited) |
| 1939 | The Lion Has Wings · as Civilian Observer Controller |
| 1939 | |
| 1938 | They Drive by Night · as Detective At Billiard Halls (uncredited) |
| 1938 | The Challenge · as Villager |
| 1938 | The Citadel · as Medical Aid Society Committee Member (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Convict 99 · as Prison Warder |
| 1938 | Strange Boarders · as Chemist (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Alf's Button Afloat · as Lamp Seller |
| 1936 | Midnight at the Wax Museum · as Modeller (kelvin) |
| 1936 | Everything Is Thunder · as British Officer |
| 1936 | Crown v. Stevens · as Detective Wells |
| 1936 | Two Who Dared · as Lieutenant Kouranoff |
| 1936 | Rhodes · as Observer At Card Game |
| 1935 | Mister Hobo · as Man At Meeting |
| 1935 | Late Extra · as Charlie (uncredited) |
| 1935 | The Love Test · as Allan |
| 1933 | Channel Crossing · as Passenger |