Sir Alan Bates was born in Allestree in 1934, and after leaving grammar school earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London.

After spending two years in the Royal Air Force, Bates joined the new English Stage Company and made his West End debut in 1956 at the age of 22.

In the same year, he made a huge impact by appearing in John Osbourne's famous play 'Look Back in Anger', a production that gave a name to a generation of post-war 'angry young men'.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
1960 The Entertainer
1961 Whistle Down The Wind
1962 A Kind of Loving
1964 Zorba The Greek
1966 Georgy Girl
1967 Far From The Madding Crowd
1968 The Fixer
1969 Women In Love
1970 The Go-Between
1980 Nijinsky
1987 A Prayer For The Dying
1990 Hamlet
2001 Gosford Park
The play made Bates a star and set him on a path which would see him perform in plays by the likes of Harold Pinter, Peter Schaffer and William Shakespeare.

In 1960, Bates made his film debut in the acclaimed 'The Entertainer', playing one of Laurence Olivier's sons.

Big roles were soon to follow including 'Whistle Down the Wind' in 1962, Zorba

e Greek in 1964 and Georgy Girl in 1966.

He eventually appeared in more than 50 films and earned an Oscar nomination for his role in 1968's The Fixer.

Yet perhaps his most famous moment came in 1969's Women In Love in a role which involved him wrestling naked with Oliver Reed!

Sir Alan married actress in Victoria Ward in 1970 and their twin sons, Benedick and Tristan were born in