Bill Fraser 2341507 212320585 2008-05-14T10:25:30Z Tassedethe 7098284 Repairing link to disambiguation page - [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation pages with links|You can help!]] {{Infobox Person | name = Bill Fraser | image = Replace this image male.svg <!-- Billfraser.jpg --> | image_size = | caption = in ''Doctor Who'' in 1980 | birth_name = William Simpson Fraser | birth_date = {{birth date|1908|06|05}} | birth_place = [[Perth, Scotland]], [[Scotland]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1987|09|09|1908|06|05}} | death_place = [[Hertfordshire]], [[England]] | death_cause = [[Emphysema]] | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | residence = | nationality = | other_names = | known_for = | education = | employer = | occupation = Comic actor, actor | title = | salary = | networth = | height = | weight = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | religion = | spouse = [[Pamela Cundell]] | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''William Simpson "Bill" Fraser''' (b. [[5 June]] [[1908]], [[Perth, Scotland]] - d. [[9 September]] [[1987]]) was a [[Scotland|Scottish]] comedic and straight character actor on the British screen for many years. Bill Fraser was educated at Strathallan School and began his career in a bank before moving on to acting. Before [[World War II]] he ran the Connaught Theatre in Worthing; when called up he served in a [[Royal Air Force]] [[Ultra|Special Liaison Unit]], reaching the rank of [[Flight Lieutenant]]. He served in the RAF SLU with [[Eric Sykes]]. His earliest television appearance was on ''[[The Tony Hancock Show]]'' in 1956, after which he became a regular actor on ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]''. He then joined ''[[The Army Game]]'' as Sgt Claude Snudge, which led to a TV spin-off called ''[[Bootsie and Snudge]]''. Later comedic roles included parts in the TV dramatisation of ''[[The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾]]'' and well as ''[[Ripping Yarns]]'', ''[[Foreign Affairs]]'', ''[[The Corn is Green]]'' and ''[[Father, Dear Father]]''. He also appeared in the comedy films ''[[The Amorous Milkman]]'' and ''[[Doctor At Large]]''; the big-screen version of ''[[Love Thy Neighbour]]''; and the [[Frankie Howerd]] trilogy ''[[Up Pompeii!]]'', ''[[Up the Front]]'' and ''[[Up the Chastity Belt]]''. He had a recurring role on ''[[Rumpole of the Bailey]]'' as Judge Roger Bullingham, an unsympathetic judge privately known to defence [[barrister]] [[Horace Rumpole]] as "the Mad Bull". Fraser's straight parts included appearances on ''[[The Professionals (TV series)|The Professionals]]'' and ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''. He also starred in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''[[Meglos]]'' in 1980, and appeared in the spin-off show ''[[K-9 and Company]]'' the following year. In the early 80s he was in two series of a straight drama on BBC1, Flesh and Blood; his performance in its first episode of a industrialist sitting at the bedside of his dying wife was regarded by many as a tour de force. He appeared as [[Wilkins Micawber|Mr Micawber]] in the TV dramatisation of ''[[David Copperfield (1966 TV serial)|David Copperfield]]'' in 1966; and his last role was as Mr Casby in the 1988 screened production of ''[[Little Dorrit (film)|Little Dorrit]]''. During those periods when Bill was not acting, he ran a small sweetshop and tobacconists at Ilford Lane in [[Ilford]], [[Essex]]. He died from [[emphysema]] in [[Hertfordshire]], aged 79, leaving a widow, the [[actress]] [[Pamela Cundell]] (whom he had married in 1981). ==External links== * {{imdb name|name=Bill Fraser|id=0292077}} * {{Find A Grave|id=5859262}} *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/talent/f/fraser_bill.shtml BBC Entry] (not working at 23/04/2008) <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> {{Persondata |NAME = Fraser, Bill |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Fraser, William Simpson |SHORT DESCRIPTION = Comic actor, actor |DATE OF BIRTH = [[1908-06-05]] |PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]], [[Scotland]] |DATE OF DEATH = [[1987-09-09]] |PLACE OF DEATH = [[Hertfordshire]], [[England]] }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Bill}} [[Category:1908 births]] [[Category:1987 deaths]] [[Category:Deaths from emphysema]] [[Category:People from Perth, Scotland]] [[Category:People from Hertfordshire]] [[Category:People from Ilford]] [[Category:Royal Air Force officers]] [[Category:Scottish comedians]] [[Category:Scottish film actors]] [[Category:Scottish television actors]]