Bill Fraser
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{{Infobox Person
| name = Bill Fraser
| image = Replace this image male.svg <!-- Billfraser.jpg -->
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| 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]]
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| occupation = Comic actor, actor
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| spouse = [[Pamela Cundell]]
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'''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]]