Bernard Spear

Bernard Spear
Born(1919-09-11)11 September 1919
Croydon, Surrey, England
Died9 May 2003(2003-05-09) (aged 83)
Sutton, London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1956-2003
Spouse
Mary Newton
​
(m. 1949)​
Children1

Bernard Spear (11 September 1919 – 9 May 2003) was an English actor.[1]

Early life

Spear was born on 11 September 1919 in Croydon, Surrey, to a Polish-Jewish father and a Russian-Jewish mother.[citation needed] He was educated at Central Federation School in London, and worked as a clerk at a tobacco manufacturers before serving in the Royal Artillery in Gibraltar during World War II.[2]

Career

Spear starred in the BAFTA TV Award-winning television play Bar Mitzvah Boy, and also portrayed the dual roles of Cervantes's manservant and Sancho Panza in the 1968 London stage version of Man of La Mancha.[3][4] His film career includes roles in the films Drop Dead Darling (1966), Bedazzled (1967), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972), Secrets of a Door-to-Door Salesman (1972), Wombling Free (1977) and Yentl (1983).[1] His only regular role on television was as Morris Ransome in the soap opera Albion Market (1985–86).[citation needed]

Personal life

Spear married dancer/writer Mary Newton (pka Logan) in 1949; the couple had one child, Julian, owner of Julian Spear PR (an independent music promotion company for radio and television), who was married to actress Carol Royle.[2][5]

Bernard and Mary remained married until his death in 2003.[2]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1959 Quatermass and the Pit News Vendor/Arthur Miniseries
1966 Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. Man with Carrier Bag
Drop Dead Darling French Inspector
1967 Bedazzled Irving Moses
1968 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Goran the Spy
1972 The Adventures of Barry McKenzie Cabbie
Hide and Seek Fruit Vendor
1973 Secrets of a Door-to-Door Salesman Jake Tripper
1974 Love Thy Neighbour Alfredo Episode: The Mediterranean
1976 Bar Mitzvah Boy Victor Green TV Movie
1977 Gulliver's Travels Voice
Wombling Free Arnold Takahashi
1983 Yentl Tailor
1985 Not Quite Paradise Mr. Schwartz
1994 Lovejoy Morrie Samuels Episode: Fruit of the Desert
2000 The Man Who Cried Man in Sweatshop

References

  1. ^ a b "Bernard Spear". BFI. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Skues, Keith (22 May 2003). "Obituary: Bernard Spear". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Bar Mitzvah Boy (1976)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  4. ^ "Bernard Spear | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  5. ^ "Actress Carol Royle Son Sam Taran Husband Editorial Stock Photo - Stock Image | Shutterstock". Shutterstock Editorial.


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