Richard Bird

Richard Bird (4 Apr 1895 - December, 1979) was an English actor and director of stage and screen. Born George, Bird took the stage name Richard Bird after being nicknamed "Dickie" by his theatre colleagues. After working in a newspaper office for a year he made his stage debut as a member of the Liverpool Repertory Company in 1917. He went on to appear on both the London and American stage, making his film debut in some silent shorts during 1919. He appeared in films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, playing the lead roles in The Warren Case, What Happened Then? (both 1934) and I'll Walk Beside You (1943). He was adept at both drama and comedy, with his most memorable films roles showcasing this: Richard French in the supernatural Ealing drama The Halfway House, and the dual role of Arthur/the Ghost in the comedy Don't Take It to Heart (both 1944). He continued acting into the 1960s, mainly on television series such as Ivanhoe, Probation Officer and Public Eye. He directed the 1938 film version of Edgar Wallace's The Terror, as well as the 1943 stage adaptation of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock at the Garrick Theatre, London. In 1931 Bird married stage actress Joyce Barbour in London. He died in Northwood, Middlesex in 1979 aged 85.