John Bird (actor)

Infobox actor
name = John Bird


caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1936|11|22|df=y
birthplace = Nottingham, United Kingdom
occupation= satirist, actor and comedian

John Bird (born 22 November 1936) is an English satirist, actor and comedian.

Early life

Born in Nottingham, England, Bird briefly joined the Socialist Party of Great Britain, while still at school. [ [http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/june04/others.html others ] ] He was educated at King's College, Cambridge (where he was to first meet John Fortune), he became well-known during the television satire boom of the 1960s, appearing in "That Was The Week That Was", the title of which was coined by Bird. Bird was intended by Ned Sherrin for Frost's role in the series, but was committed elsewhere. He also appeared in the television programmes "Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life", "A Very Peculiar Practice" and "My Father Knew Lloyd George", as well as in "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball".

Acting career

John bird played Raymond, a nervous, stuttering boy in Dennis Potter's play Blue Remembered Hills, in 1979.

He has also acted straight and comic roles in several television series and in films such as "Dick Turpin", "Help!", "Jabberwocky", "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" and "Yellow Pages".

During the 1970s, when Idi Amin was at the height of his infamy, Bird starred on a popular recording (" [The Collected Broadcasts of Idi Amin|The Colleckerted " [sic] " Broadcasts of Idi Amin] ") based on Alan Coren's anti-Idi "Punch" columns.

He played the Director of the British National Theatre in an episode of the BBC situation comedy "Yes, Prime Minister" broadcast in 1988 and appeared as a newspaper editor in the political drama "To Play the King" in 1993.

From 1990 to 1992, Bird starred in eighteen episodes of the television detective series, "El C.I.D.", set in Spain. The series was serious rather than comedy-based, and co-starred Alfred Molina in the first two series and Amanda Redman in the third. The series was created by "Clapperboard" presenter Chris Kelly.

Bird starred as John Fuller-Carp, a barrister, in the BBC radio and television sitcom, "Chambers". He also stars in the BBC Radio 4 and BBC Two series "Absolute Power" with Stephen Fry.

"Bremner, Bird and Fortune"

He is best known in the UK for his work with John Fortune and Rory Bremner. In their famous series of sketches, "The Long Johns", one of the Johns interviews the other in the guise of a senior figure such as a politician or businessman. Their appearances together in series such as "Bremner, Bird and Fortune" have won several awards.

Further reading

*cite book|title=The Long Johns|author=Bird, John and Fortune, John|publisher=Hutchinson|location=London|year=1996|id=ISBN 0-09-180216-4

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0083392|name=John Bird