Backing away from the limelight at the height of his fame has probably extended his life by 20 years. Even when he was in the public eye, he shunned personal publicity, rarely doing interviews or appearing on chat shows. “I went out to America at one point to talk about doing a TV series, but they wanted to do 13 and I thought that was too many,” he says. “I miss talking to actors. His divas and dames were so good they were beyond description. “I could never have achieved that level of success if I’d stayed north of the border,” he told an interviewer in 2014. Known for his rugged appearance and intense, grounded screen persona; he was one of the top British male film stars of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and later a prolific producer. Stanley Baxter. The gag, ultimately, was Baxter prancing about the boat in a pair of giant fake breasts. I still don’t.". The star penned: "Anybody would be insane to choose to live such a very difficult life. He had a thriving radio career that stretched from the 1960s to the 2010s. STANLEY Baxter intended to take his secrets to the grave. Stanley came out of retirement in 2008 to record a retrospective special about his life for ITV. He played the Fool in King Lear, among other roles, and joined forces with his friend Jimmy Logan for a radio show, It’s All Yours, which led to the award-winning TV series On The Bright Side, with Betty Marsden and Hugh Paddick, in the late 1950s. Over the decades, writers and journalists have tried to find the truth behind the many faces of the man Billy Connolly and Robbie Coltrane describe as … Darren Moore reveals coronavirus-induced pneumonia had a big impact on him, DUP ministers pay tribute to Arlene Foster’s ‘service and sacrifice’ to party, 60m doses of Pfizer jab for autumn booster programme, Boeing posts loss in first quarter as it takes hit on Air Force One work. newspaper archive. On television he made three series of The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, starting in 1972, following it with The Stanley Baxter Big Picture Show and The Stanley Baxter Moving Picture Show, which won seven awards, including four BAFTAs. Stanley went on to claim Moira became very emotional and threatened to jump out of a window following his revelation, so he opted to continue the relationship and get married. The Boy Who Ran Away From The Circus. The central narrative comes from Baxter himself, who for many years was the highest-paid entertainer on British TV. Sharing his guilt at the time, the veteran actor wrote: "I couldn't entertain such a thought [marriage] and I felt the relationship simply had to stop, so I broke it off. © DC Thomson Co Ltd 2021. “I was very happy not to be me. Well into his 80s he was still cycling and swimming. “I don’t even have to learn the lines. Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica. This is no mean achievement. "And she was very good about letting them go to bed with me. I regret that decision.”. Sir William Stanley Baker (28 February 1928 – 28 June 1976) was a Welsh actor and film producer. After the couple tied the knot, Stanley said they had a pact which permitted him to bring men to the house they shared. Actor Stanley Baxter as the Pantomime Dame in "Jack and the Beanstalk" at the King's Theatre, Glasgow (Image: Mirrorpix) And because Baxter’s star … 1 / 2 On a Glasgow rooftop, a former high wire act and a sad young man are connected by chance. "However, Moira was very, very upset. DON'T MISS:Sean Connery 'sad sight' and wanted to die sooner, Jackie Stewart says [COMMENT]Cold Feet's John Thomson details what 'saved his bacon' in 2020 [INTERVIEW]Andrea McLean steps in to 'calm down' Loose Women's Gloria and Saira [PICS]. 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BAXTER, Stanley BAXTER - January 14, 2018, (peacefully) at Altnagelvin Hospital, late of Davis Crescent, Newtownstewart, Stanley, a dearly loved husband to Ann, beloved father to Samuel, Lily and stepdad to Chloe, Amy and Darren, dearly loved son of Jean and the late James, a dear brother of Raymond and Carol. And nobody can see what you look like. The Scottish actor came out in a new authorised biography, titled The … The most recent were broadcast in 2018. He invented "Parliamo Glasgow" in which he translated Glaswegian into English, with … Scottish comic and actor Stanley Baxter has come out as gay at the age of 94. It was all music to Baxter’s receptive ears. Who can forget his padded-up Arthur Negus on The Antique People Show, or Mrs Bridges as well as Mr Hudson from Upstairs Downstairs, or the Duchess of Brenda aka The Queen delivering the Christmas message, or Sir John Gielgud hosting The Generation Game? Having been encouraged by his Glaswegian mother, Bessie Baxter, to perform impersonations of Mae West and Harry Lauder in public from a young age – “I learnt early on how to work an audience” – the 14-year-old Baxter was talent-spotted by a radio producer from BBC Scotland to read and enact stories on air. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. soon afterwards. Stanley Baxter, Scottish Variety legend, Rikki Fulton, Jack Milroy, Kings Theatre Glasgow Pantomime, Official biography January 1977: Talented Stanley could sing, dance, deliver broad panto comedy and perform pinsharp impressions of any star, male or female. I can relate to actors better than real people. Actor Stanley Baxter, 94, has bravely come out as gay and opened up about how his sexuality impacted his relationship with his wife Moira Robertson, who died in … The money men took one look at the budget and saw that the most obvious single cut was me.”. A cheap gag, but – as was usually the case with Stanley Baxter – very costly. John Baxter is a film critic, novelist, biographer and broadcaster, whose books on the cinema include ‘The Hollywood Exiles’, ‘The Cinema of John Ford’, and highly praised biographies of Ken Russell, Fellini, Bunuel, ‘Steven Spielberg’ and ‘Stanley Kubrick’. There were also countless Hollywood icons, both male and female, including Judy Garland in The Wizard Of Oz. “I suppose I’m a bit of a loner. Stanley’s marriage to Moira became difficult over the next few years, as she struggled with mental health issues and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Stanley Baxter Even though he retired from TV comedy some 30 years ago, Stanley Baxter continues to hold a special place in the viewing nation’s heart. He divulged: "I couldn't put up with very long periods of not being with men. The verve and imagination with which Baxter created these unforgettable impressions made his TV shows compulsory viewing in the 1970s and 80s, winning him every TV award going, making him rich enough to retire from mainstream showbiz in his early 60s and endearing him to a whole generation of TV viewers. In the end he became a victim of his own success. Legendary actor Stanley Baxter has come out as gay aged 94 after 25 years of living as a virtual recluse. “A film editor on my show once took home £110,000 in a year. Stanley Baxter is one of the most successful entertainers of his generation and for many years had his own Bafta-winning TV series. He was married for … See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, “In my TV work I used every voice except my own,” he reflects. He is an actor and writer, known for The Stanley Baxter Moving Picture Show (1974), Crooks Anonymous (1962) and The Fast Lady (1962). After LWT’s controller, John Birt, put his foot down, Baxter switched to the BBC, at the invitation of Michael Grade, a lifelong fan. I’m proud to be a Scot but I’m not a nationalist.”. When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Perhaps uniquely, Stanley Baxter has succeeded in making himself invisible. Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer make it fifth time lucky as boss of Manchester United? But a biography written for posthumous publication has today been released after the 94-year-old star changed his mind. “You wonder how you ever had time to work,” he says. Were there any missed opportunities in his career? He is an actor and writer, known for The Stanley Baxter Moving Picture Show (1974), Crooks Anonymous (1962) and The Fast Lady (1962). The star, who is best known for his self-titled comedy shows and his children’s TV series Mr Majeika, stepped away from the spotlight 25 years ago. If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. Actor Stanley Baxter as the Pantomime Dame in "Jack and the Beanstalk" at the King's Theatre (Image: Mirrorpix) He visited the lavatories in Holloway, London … Express. He was previously married to Moira Robertson. The show featured interviews about his life alongside new comedy material including a skit about the Queen's Christmas speech. All episodes of The Stanley Baxter Playhouse. In truth, Stanley Baxter was excellent at being somebody else, and now, this long-awaited biography reveals the Scot was a disaster at being himself. Just a decade ago, his annual television spectaculars were as much a part of Christmas as turkey and hangovers: in December 1985, more than 14 million people tuned in to watch the monkey-faced Scotsman mimic the Queen, in a lavish show that included a full-scale orchestra and … Unsurprisingly, having lived “down south” for so long, he does not regard himself as a professional Scotsman. In the book, Stanley admits he hid his sexuality throughout his career and explained he initially decided to end his relationship with Moira when she told him she wanted to get married. She would go off to our bedroom and let me take the one opposite.". "Thankfully Moira was very understanding. Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. He relished the fact that his career had come full circle – he started out on radio, and that’s how he intends to bow out. Monday 2nd November 2020, 3:15pm. Since 2004, there have been eight series of the Stanley Baxter Playhouse, mostly written by his friends – the Scottish playwright Rona Munro, and the actor Bill Paterson among them. Scottish actor known for his impressions, including one of Elizabeth II, which were featured on his multiple comedy series. As early as 1955 Baxter made his film debut in Geordie, with Alastair Sim, but it wasn’t until the early 1960s that he began to get character roles in films such as Very Important Person (1961), The Fast Lady (1962) and Crooks Anonymous (1962), usually playing the goofy young Scot. Even though he retired from TV comedy some 30 years ago, Stanley Baxter continues to hold a special place in the viewing nation’s heart. A resident of Highgate in North London since the early 1960s, Baxter attributes his nationwide success to moving south. Stanley Baxter as the Pantomime Dame in “Jack and the Beanstalk” at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow. Stanley was later arrested at a public toilet in north London in 1962 on suspicion of soliciting for sex. On The Bright Side brought him the first of many awards – the Guild Of Television Producers And Directors Award for Light Entertainment Personality. It’s all delightful.”. He kept the bullies at bay by doing impersonations of film stars and variety artistes in the school playground. He eats well, likes a glass of wine and enjoys a quiet domesticated life. order back issues and use the historic Daily Express He found immense laughs as Formby and Liberace. Actor Stanley Baxter, 94, has bravely come out as gay and opened up about how his sexuality impacted his relationship with his wife Moira Robertson, who died in 1997. All Rights Reserved. I’m not the kind of person to drop in on the neighbours.”. On demob Baxter went to work as an assistant stage manager and played small parts at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre. Nichols later wrote a very funny play about it called Privates On Parade. He once said: “I’d sometimes need around 40 costume changes for one show, and the camera-work, cross-cutting between a number of characters, all played by me, was incredibly intricate and time-consuming, not to mention the editing. Comedian and writer Barry Cryer says one of few Scots he ever wrote for at the time was Stanley Baxter. So determined was he to surpass the lavishness of each preceding show that he constantly pushed his London Weekend TV budgets to almost breaking point. We have a read through, then we record in sections. Baxter remained friends with Kenneth Williams until his death in 1988, although their relationship was often tested by Williams’ unpredictable temperament and personal torment. His big budget song and dance spectaculars – Stanley Baxter’s Picture Annual, The Stanley Baxter Moving Picture Show – regularly chalked up viewing figures around 20 million. His pantos became legendary. Everyone in the TV and film world started to sit up and take notice of this brilliant young Scotsman. Scottish-born comedian and impressionist. The Real Stanley Baxter reads like a drawn-out kiss-and-tell red-top feature article; from the overtly salacious (and often irrelevant and misleading) chapter headings, to the sensational tone of the text, Beacom seems to succeed in giving Baxter the thing he spent so much of … “I’m not. He had only done a handful of shows before Birt moved to the BBC as Grade’s boss and once again Baxter the big spender got the heave-ho. One of his TV spectaculars in the mid-1980s cost half a million pounds. We shower Stanley with bouquets of admiration, while showing some of the funniest clips from his must-see shows, which regularly achieved the top slot in audience ratings. “I was also offered a play on Broadway but Kenneth Williams had done it here and I didn’t think I could have done it any better than Kenneth. In his so-called retirement he has written an autobiography but refuses to allow it to be published until after his death, not apparently because it contains any hugely scandalous stories of his celebrity friends, but because he didn’t fancy schlepping round the country doing promotional appearances, press interviews and book signings. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. You can unsubscribe at any time. “Bruce Forsyth tried and failed to crack America, so what chance did I have? Baxter prefers the description “character actor” to comedian or comedy actor because he has never been tempted by the desire to perform stand-up, and although laughter was always the priority, his meticulous attention to detail in costume and make-up – even when playing Dame in pantomime – was far more akin to the actor’s art than variety. Stanley Baxter delighted over 20 million viewers at a time with his television specials. I kept getting those sheep’s eyes every time she passed me in the theatre and she appeared to be heartbroken... READ MORE... Showbiz legend Stanley Baxter says No, "I told her my preference and said: 'That’s why I am breaking off the relationship. A fast-moving sketch show, ahead of its time, it included Baxter’s legendary send-up of Parliamo Italiano, the stilted teach-yourself-Italian programme of the time, entitled Parliamo Glasgow with Baxter as the scholarly host translating “Izat a marra on yer barra, Clara?” in his poshest BBC announcer voice as “Is that a marrow on your barrow, Clara?”. The … While addressing his sexuality in the book, he explained he had a “very difficult life”. Apart from the ITV children’s series Mr Majeika in the late 1980s, he washed his hands of television and turned his attention to radio, playing Noel Coward in 1994, and playing all the characters in an adaptation of Whisky Galore! Click here to find personal data about Stanley Baxter including phone numbers, addresses, directorships, electoral roll information, related property prices and other useful information. They even provided the boy with a box to stand on so he could reach the microphone. Spent three years at Glasgow Citizens Theatre before moving to London in 1959. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. She died in 1997 at the age of 69 after suffering an overdose. He said a few years ago: “I went into radio as a schoolboy at 14 and I would never have imagined that I’d still be doing it 76 years later. Coming from a relatively comfortable background in Kelvinside, young Stanley was sent off to a posh school, Hillhead, where the boys were at pains to hide their moneyed backgrounds by talking in rough Glaswegian slang. He’d become dependent on anti-depressants and sleeping pills to help him deal with the stress. Why? He revealed he was worried his career would be over because of the incident before his lawyer got the charge dropped. Sandy Mitchell, right, wrote scripts for the sketches starring Stanley Baxter. January 13, 2020, 6:00 am. “I’m not quite sure who I really am which makes it easier to play other people.”. Baxter was a most brilliant cowboy Coward, a smouldering Dietrich. 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