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Bernard Miles

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.


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Born:
Sep 27, 1907 In Uxbridge, Hillingdon, Middlesex, England, UK
Movie/TV Credits:
54
First Appeared:
In the movie The Love Test 1935-06-30
Latest Project:
Movie The Lady and the Highwayman 1990-09-10
Known For
Poster of Henry Moore
Poster of The Guinea Pig
Filmography
Movie The Lady and the Highwayman Judge 1990-09-10
Movie James Stewart: A Wonderful Life Self (archive footage) 1988-11-22
Movie Treasure Island Long John Silver 1982-01-01
Movie Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Dr. Thomas 1980-03-30
Movie Run Wild, Run Free Reg 1969-03-28
Movie The Specialist 1966-08-21
Movie Heavens Above! Simpson 1963-05-20
Movie Barbara Hepworth Narrator 1961-09-17
Movie Sapphire Ted Harris 1959-11-02
Movie Tom Thumb Jonathan 1958-12-04
Movie The Smallest Show on Earth Old Tom 1957-04-09
Movie Fortune Is a Woman Mr. Jerome 1957-03-13
Movie Saint Joan Master Executioner 1957-05-08
Series Nathaniel Titlark 1956-02-21
Movie The Man Who Knew Too Much Edward Drayton 1956-05-16
Movie Tiger in the Smoke Tiddy Doll the Gang Leader 1956-11-27
Movie Zarak Hassu the one-eyed 1956-12-01
Movie Moby Dick The Manxman 1956-06-27
Series This Is Your Life Unknown 1955-07-29
Movie Never Let Me Go Joe Brooks 1953-03-18
Movie The Magic Box Cousin Alfred 1952-01-01
Movie Henry Moore Narrator 1951-04-30
Series Treasure Island 1951-05-01
Movie Chance of a Lifetime Stevens 1950-04-24
Movie The Guinea Pig Mr. Read 1948-10-26
Movie The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Newman Noggs 1947-03-12
Movie Fame Is the Spur Tom Hannaway 1947-09-23
Movie Carnival Trewhella 1946-12-02
Movie Great Expectations Joe Gargery 1946-12-26
Movie Tunisian Victory British soldier (voice) 1944-03-23
Movie Tawny Pipit Colonel Barton-Barrington 1944-04-28
Movie The New Lot Ted Loman 1943-01-01
Movie The Big Blockade Royal Navy Mate 1942-01-19
Movie In Which We Serve Chief Petty Officer Hardy / Walter Hardy 1942-09-17
Movie One of Our Aircraft Is Missing Geoff Hickman, Front Gunner in B for Bertie 1942-04-24
Movie The Day Will Dawn McAllister (Irish Soldier) 1942-06-08
Movie Freedom Radio Capt. Muller 1941-02-04
Movie The Dawn Guard Farmer 1941-01-01
Movie Quiet Wedding PC 1941-04-19
Movie The Common Touch Cricket Steward 1941-11-15
Movie Contraband Man Lighting Pipe 1940-05-11
Movie Band Waggon Saboteur (uncredited) 1940-03-23
Movie Pastor Hall Heinrich Degan 1940-05-28
Movie The Spy in Black Hans - Hotel Receptionist 1939-08-03
Movie The Lion Has Wings Civilian Observer Controller 1939-11-03
Movie The Rebel Son Polish Prisoner 1938-02-02
Movie Strange Boarders Chemist (uncredited) 1938-05-01
Movie They Drive by Night Detective at Billiard Halls (Uncredited) 1938-12-01
Movie The Citadel Medical Aid Society Committee Member (uncredited) 1938-10-29
Movie The Challenge Villager 1938-09-14
Movie Crown v. Stevens Detective Wells 1936-08-03
Movie The Love Test Allan 1935-06-30
Movie The Guv'nor Man at Meeting 1935-10-01
Movie Late Extra Charlie (uncredited) 1935-11-19