Bernard Miles
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Miles was the only British actor, apart from Laurence Olivier, to be honored with a life peerage.
He formed the Mermaid Theatre Trust to build the first playhouse for 300 years in London's financial district; theater opened in May 1959
Biography
Prolific actor of the London stage who entered film in 1933 in small supporting roles. Specializing in portraying country rustics, Miles appeared in Michael Powell's "The Love Test" (1935) and "One of Our Aircraft Is Missing" (1942), Anthony Asquith's "Quiet Wedding" (1940) and the Boulting Brothers' "Pastor Hall" (1940) before his first starring role opposite Noel Coward in the Noel Coward-David Lean directed "In Which We Serve" (1942). He contributed to the script of Will Hay's wartime comedy hit "The Goose Steps Out" (1942) and made his directorial debut with "Tawny Pipit" (1944), a comedy about rare birds that he co-wrote, produced and co-directed.
Although Miles continued writing "The Guinea Pig" (1948) and directing films "Chance of a Lifetime" (1950), he is best remembered for a gallery of superb character performances. Some of the most memorable included the "poor-but-honest" Joe Gargery in David Lean's "Great Expectations" (1946), the sinister phony minister/kidnapper in Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 remake of "The Man Who Knew Too Much," and the bourgeois father threatened by the prospect of his son's interracial marriage in "Sapphire" (1959).
In 1959 Miles founded the Mermaid Theater with his wife, actress Josephine Wilson. His most famous mermaid role was as Long John Silver in the annual Christmas production of "Treasure Island" which he co-wrote and starred in for a 1982 TV version. Miles was knighted in 1969 for his efforts to sustain the Mermaid Theater and was given a life peerage in 1979.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1930
Professional stage debut as 2nd messenger in "Richard III"
1933
Film acting debut, "Channel Crossing"
1937
Joined Herbert Farjeon's revue company
1942
Contributed to the script of Will Hay's wartime comedy, "The Goose Steps Out"
1942
Appeared in first starring role, opposite Noel Coward in "In Which We Serve"
1944
Co-wroted, produced and co-directed (with Charles Saunders) first feature film, "Tawny Pipit"
1969
His stage musical, "Lock Up Your Daughters", adapted from an 18th-century play by Henry Fielding, was subsequently made into a film by Columbia Pictures
1982
Co-wrote a TV adaptation of his famed annual Christmas Mermaid stage production of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island"; played Long John Silver
1991
Friends in show business staged a benefit for Miles after learning he was nearly blind, confined to a wheelchair and living on a state pension (date approximate)
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
Miles was the only British actor, apart from Laurence Olivier, to be honored with a life peerage.
He formed the Mermaid Theatre Trust to build the first playhouse for 300 years in London's financial district; theater opened in May 1959
He was knighted in 1969.
He made life peer by British government in 1979.
