Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor. His credits included The Caesars (1968), Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), Lust for a Vampire (1971), Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), Moonbase 3 (1973), Poldark (1975-1977), Secret Army (1979), Turtle's Progress (1980), Second Chance (1981), Minder on the Orient Express (1985), Dear John (1986-1987), Screen Two (1989), and King of the Wind (1990).
Early life
Bates was born in Bristol, England. His parents were both psychiatrists; his mother was French and he was a great-great-grandson of French scientist Louis Pasteur. He held dual-nationality and was bilingual,
Later, Bates carved a niche in the world of horror films and played important roles or the lead in several Hammer Horror productions, The Horror of Frankenstein (1970),
He also played communist Paul Vercors in the final season of the drama series Secret Army (1979). In 1981 he had played a lead role in Second Chance (1981). Bates also appeared in the television movie Minder on the Orient Express (1985), again as a Frenchman.
It looked, for some time, as if he might remain typecast in sinister roles, but he was offered a part in comedy series Dear John (1986-1987), by the writer John Sullivan, which saw Bates cast in a more sympathetic role as the newly divorced member of a singles group. It ran for two series, and gave him chance to display a talent for comic roles.
His last roles were as Ed in the episode: "Flying in the Branches" in Screen Two (1989), In 1973 he married actress Virginia Wetherell. The couple had a daughter Daisy (born 1974) and a son Will (born 1977). in London, at the age of 51.
Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
The Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is a registered charity.
The charity mainly funds research at St George's University of London, where work is currently focused on the effectiveness of drugs or a combination of drugs on pancreatic cancer cells and also their effectiveness in inhibiting cell resistance to chemotherapy. The research has resulted in a high impact publication in the International Journal of Cancer, showing that a commonly used antibiotic, Doxycycline, is capable of inducing cell death in human pancreatic cancer cells.