Ronald Gordon Fraser (11 April 1930 – 13 March 1997) was a British character actor, who appeared in numerous British plays, films and television shows from the 1950s to the 1990s.
His credits include The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961), The Best of Enemies (1961), Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Avengers (1965), The Killing of Sister George (1968), The Misfit (1970–1971), Pygmalion (1973), Swallows and Amazons (1974), Come Play With Me (1977), The Wild Geese (1978), Spooner's Patch (1979), Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), Tangiers (1982), Absolute Beginners (1986), Minder (1985–1989), Scandal (1989), Let Him Have It (1991), Taggart (1992), and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993).
Background Ronald Fraser was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, the son of an interior decorator and builder from Scotland. He attended Ashton-under-Lyne Grammar School. He was further educated in Scotland and did national service as a lieutenant in the Seaforth Highlanders. Whilst serving in Benghazi, North Africa, he appeared in the Terence Rattigan comic play French Without Tears.
He trained as an actor at RADA, graduating in 1953. He appeared at Glasgow's Citizens' Theatre, and joined the Old Vic repertory company in 1954, making his first London appearance in The Good Sailor, a stage adaptation of Herman Melville's novel, Billy Budd.
In the West End, he appeared in The Long and the Short and the Tall (1959), The Ginger Man, The Singular Man, Androcles and the Lion (1961), The Showing Up of Blanco Posnet (1961), Purple Dust by Seán O'Casey, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Joseph Papp's production of The Pirates of Penzance and High Society. He also played Falstaff in a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. His only Broadway show was the flop La Grosse Valise by Robert Dhéry, Gérard Calvi and Harold Rome.
He appeared in numerous television roles from 1954, and in nearly 50 films from 1957, mostly in comedies. He was notable as Basil "Badger" Allenby-Johnson in the 1970s television series The Misfit (1970–1971). In 1996 Fraser voiced the chief judge in The Willows in Winter.
Selected filmography
Film credits
+YearTitleRoleNotes1959BobbikinsSailor JoeUncredited1960There Was a Crooked ManGen. CummingsThe Sundowners Ocker1961The Long and the Short and the TallL / Cpl. MacleishDon't Bother to Knock FredThe Best of Enemies PerfectRaising the WindThe HellionsFrankAs Ronnie Fraser1962The Pot CarriersRed BandThe Girl on the Boat ColonelUncreditedIn Search of the Castaways Guard at Dockyard GatePrivate PotterDoctor1963The Punch and Judy Man Mayor PalmerThe V.I.P.sJoslinGirl in the Headlines Sgt. Saunders1964The Beauty Jungle Walter CareyVictim FiveInspector LeanCrooks in Cloisters WaltThe Counterfeit Constable Sergent Timothy Reagan1965Flight of the Phoenix Sergeant Watson1967The Whisperers Charlie RossFathom Colonel Campbell1968Sebastian TobyThe Killing of Sister George Leo Lockhart1969Sinful Davey McNabThe Bed Sitting Room The Army1970Too Late the Hero Pvt. CampbellThe Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer Tom Hutchinson1971The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins GeorgeSegment "Wrath"1972Ooh... You Are AwfulReggie Campbell PeekRentadick Major Upton1974Swallows and AmazonsUncle JimPercy's Progress Bleeker1975Paper Tiger Sergeant Forster1977HardcoreMartyCome Play With Me Slasher1978The Wild GeeseJock McTaggart1982Trail of the Pink Panther Dr. Longet1985TangiersJenkins1986Absolute Beginners Amberley Drove1989ScandalJustice Marshall1991Let Him Have ItNiven's Judge1993The Mystery of Edwin DroodDean
Television credits +YearTitleRoleNotes1957-1958BBC Sunday Night TheatreFlute/Bill Meadows2 episodes1958-1967ITV Play of the WeekVarious5 episodes1958-1973Armchair Theatre6 episodes1959The Invisible Man SharpEpisode: "Jailbreak"1961Danger ManGiuseppe MorelliEpisode: "The Brothers"Spycatcher WintersEpisode: "Stooping to Conquer"1962Drama 61-67RavenEpisode: "Drama '62: The Lonesome Road"Out of This World Oscar RaeboneEpisode: "The Tycoons"The DuPont Show of the WeekDr. James MathersEpisode: The Ordeal of Dr. Shannon 1962-1963ITV Television PlayhouseVarious3 episodes1962-1974Comedy PlayhouseVarious5 episodes1963Sykes and a...1 episode1964FestivalTom BroadbentEpisode: "John Bull's Other Island"1965ITV Sunday Night DramaHarry BestEpisode: "Suspense Hour: Nightmare on Instalments"Armchair Mystery TheatreRidgewayEpisode: "The Hunter"The AvengersSir Horace WinslipEpisode: "The Gravediggers"1966This Man CraigCouncillor McLarenEpisode: "Sticks and Stones"1967Theatre 625ApthorpeEpisode: "Sword of Honor"1968The TroubleshootersWallace NicholsEpisode: "The Dispossessed"1968-1974BBC Play of the MonthVarious3 episodes1968-1977ITV Playhouse4 episodes1970-1971The Misfit Basil Allenby-Johnson1972OmnibusMax BeerbohmEpisode: "Max Beerbohm Remembers"1973The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes HorrocksEpisode: "The Looting of the Specie Room"1974Francis Durbridge's "Melissa"Felix Hepburn3 episodes1976The SweeneyTitus OatesEpisode: "Selected Target"Star MaidensKippleEpisode: "The Perfect Couple"1977Mr. Big Mr. Oldenshaw2 episodesThe Dick Emery Show1 episode1978Pennies From Heaven Major Archibald PaxvilleEpisode: "Painting the Clouds"The Famous Five Mr. BarlingEpisode: "Five Go to Smuggler's Top"The Bass Player and the BlondeCharlie3 episodes1979Spooner's PatchInspector Spooner1981Brideshead RevisitedRed-Haired Man2 episodes1983The Lady Is a Tramp First Tramp1 episode1985Screen TwoBarnaby TuckerEpisode: "In the Secret State"The Practice Dr. Reginald Biddy10 episodes1985-1989Minder Self-Inflicted Sid/Albert Goddard2 episodes1986-1991Lovejoy Michael Edwards/Drummer1987Q.E.D.Dr. WatsonEpisode: "Murder on Bluebell Lane"Fortunes of WarCommander SheppyEpisode: "Romania: January 1, 1940"1987-1989Life Without GeorgeHarold Chambers1988City Lights Uncle JimmyEpisode: "The Melvin Diaries"Doctor WhoJoseph C.Serial: "The Happiness Patrol"1990ArenaChauffeurEpisode: "Oblomov"The Comic Strip PresentsGeoffreyEpisode: "Oxford"The Play on OneTimothy ApcarEpisode: "Obituaries"BoonLen DrumgoldEpisode: "Burning Ambition"1992TaggartAngus CollinsEpisode: "Violent Delights"Virtual Murder Van HelsingEpisode: "A Dream of Dracula"The Blackheath PoisoningsDoctor PorterMiniseries1993The Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesDonaldEpisode: "Young Indiana Jones and the Phantom Train of Doom"1994Class Act Judge MacVitie1 episode1996The Net Commander KershawEpisode: "A Blind Eye"Madson Walter Gardner1 episodeThe Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll FlandersSir Richard GregoryEpisode 4The Willows in WinterChief Judge (voice)TV movie, as Ronnie Fraser
Personal life Fraser was a resident of Hampstead, London. He was married from 1956 to 1964 to Elizabeth Howe, and the couple had two daughters.
He died of a haemorrhage, aged 66, in London on 13 March 1997.GRO Register of Deaths: Mar 1997 D44A 2501D 255 Camden, DoB = 11 April 1930 aged 66
References
External links