Norman Beaton

Norman Beaton

British Actor

Norman (Lugard) Beaton. Born in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana), October 31, 1934. Attended local schools in Georgetown. Married and divorced three times; children: Jeremy, Norman, Jayme, and Kim. Made debut as actor while at teacher training college, 1956; enjoyed success as singer and recording artist, becoming Guyana Calypso Champion, 1956; settled in Britain, 1960, and worked as teacher, Liverpool; appeared in repertory theatre, Liverpool, Bristol, and Worthing, late 1960s, made television debut, 1966; subsequently stage, television, and radio performer; chair: Black Theatre of Brixton, 1975; events subcommittee (U.K.), World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, 1976; Minorities Arts Advisory Service, 1979; artistic director, Ira Aldridge Memorial Theatre Company, 1983. Member: Consultative Committee for the Arts Britain Ignores, 1975; Afro-Asian subcommittee, British Actors Equity, 1979; West Midlands Arts and Drama Advisory Panel, 1979. Recipient: Variety Club of Great Britain Film Actor of the Year Award, 1978; Caribbean Post Golden Sunshine Award, 1978. Died December 13, 1994.

Bio

Norman Beaton was one of those unique actors who managed to stand out in classical roles, yet excel in light comedies. From 1989 to 1994 he enjoyed nationwide popularity on British television with Channel 4’s highly successful situation comedy series Desmond’ s. This show was described as an African-Caribbean equivalent of America’s The Cosby Show. With sharp scripts by young Black writer Trix Worrell, Beaton gave a brilliant performance as the manic owner of a South London barbershop.

Born in Guyana (then British Guiana), Beaton came to Britain in 1960. His reputation as an actor grew steadily. He progressed from regional theater to leading roles at the Old Vic, the National Theatre (where he played Angelo in a Black-cast version of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure in 1981), and the Royal Court Theatre. Apart from Shakespeare, his theater roles also encompassed Pinter, Beckett, Gilbert and Sullivan, Brecht, Moliere, and pantomime. In 1974 he established the Black Theatre of Brixton, which was instrumental in developing Black theatre in Britain. During this period he also became one of Britain’s leading television actors. Among his biggest successes were dramatic roles in Afternoon Dancing (1974); Black Christmas (1977); Empire Road (1978–79), Britain’s first all-Black soap opera; Play for Today’s “Easy Money” (1981); Nice (1984); Dead Head (1986); Playing Away (1986); Big George Is Dead (1987); When Love Dies (1990); and Little Napoleons (1993). He was also interviewed in the documentary Black and White in Colour (1992), a history of Black people in British television.

Alongside Lenny Henry, Norman Beaton was the star of British television’s first Black situation comedy series, The Fosters, which ran for two seasons in 1976–77. But the actor will be best remembered for Desmond’s. As a result of its popularity, African- American television star Bill Cosby invited him in 1991 to make a couple of guest appearances in The Cosby Show. Beaton readily accepted a role as a cricket-loving doctor, and Cosby was so taken by the actor that he wore Beaton’s gift of a Desmond’s baseball cap in the show. Shortly after he died in 1994 at the age of 60, Channel 4 aired Shooting Stars in the series Black Christmas, with a memorable appearance by Beaton reading a sonnet by Shakespeare.

Works

  • 1976–77

    The Fosters

    1978–79

    Empire Road

    1985

    Dead Head

    1989–94

    Desmond’ s

    1994

    Little Napoleons

  • 1977

    A Black Christmas

    1980

    Growing Pains

    1986

    Playing Away

  • Two for a Birdie; Pressure, 1975; Black Joy, 1977; Barbados (narrator), 1978; Eureka, 1982; Real Life, 1983.

  • I Come from the Sun, 1966; Blues for Mister Charlie, 1974; Finding Manbee, 1974; Home Again, 1975; Carnival in Trinidad, 1975; Margie, 1975; Pan- tomime, 1978; Play Mas, 1979; Alterations, 1980; The Fast Lane, 1980; Remembrance, 1981; The British Empire Part 2, 1982; The Comedians, 1984; No Get Out Clause, 1985; Ascension Ritual, 1985; Still Life, 1985; Cricket’s a Mug’s Game, 1985.

  • Come Back Melvina, 1959

  • Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (composer), 1956; Jack of Spades, 1965; Cleo (composer and narrator), 1965; Bristol Fashion (composer and narrator), 1966; A Tale of Two Cities (composer and narra- tor), 1966; The Ticket-of-Leave Man, 1968; Richard Three (composer and narrator), 1968; The Merchant of Venice, 1968; Shylock X, 1968; Sit Down Banna (writer); The Country Wife (also composer and narrator), 1968; Bakerloo to Par- adise, 1968; So You Think You’re One of Us, 1968; The Tempest, 1970; Prometheus Bound, 1971; Ar- rest, 1971; Murderous Angels, 1971; Pirates, 1971; Tyger, 1971; The National Health, 1971; Cato Street, 1971; Two for a Birdie, 1971; The Three- penny Opera, 1972; Up the Chastity Belt, 1972; Signs of the Times, 1973; Talk Shop, 1973; Mind Your Head, 1973; Larry and Marian, 1973; Play Mas, 1974; Anansi and the Strawberry Queen (di- rector), 1974; Jumbee Street March (director), 1974; The Black Mikado, 1975; Rum and Coca- Cola, 1976; Seduced (director), 1978; Sergeant Ola and His Followers, 1979; Nice, 1980; Samba, 1980; Measure for Measure, 1981; The Caretaker, 1981; The Night of the Day of the Imprisoned Writer, 1981; In the Mood, 1981; The Miser, 1982; The Sol Raye Variety Gala (also director), 1982; You Can’t Take It With You, 1983; Cargo Kings, 1983; Jackanory, 1983; Blues for Railton, 1985; The Black Jacobins, 1986.

  • Beaton but Unbowed (autobiography), 1986

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