Alfie_Bass

Alfie Bass

Alfred Bass (born Abraham Basalinksy; 8 April 1921 – 15 July 1987) was an English actor. He was born in Bethnal Green, London to a Jewish family. He appeared in a variety of stage, film, television and radio productions throughout his career.

Stage career

Bass's acting career began at Unity Theatre, London in the late 1930s, appearing in Plant In The Sun, and as the pantomime King in Babes In The Wood.

His stage career included plays by Shakespeare and Shaw. During the 1950s he continued to direct shows at Unity, and on one occasion appeared in court (along with Vida Hope) charged with putting on a play without a licence.. His stage work also included, "The Bespoke Overcoat" which was filmed in 1956. He also took over from Chaim Topol in the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on the West End stage.

Film appearances

Bass first appeared on film in wartime documentaries . He has appeared in a number of feature films including The Lavender Hill Mob, A Tale of Two Cities (1958) and Alfie (1966) starring Michael Caine and Shelley Winters. In the latter he played Harry Clamacraft, a man Alfie meets and befriends in a sanatorium.

He starred in Roman Polanski's vampire film The Fearless Vampire Killers (British title "The Dance of the Vampires") as innkeeper Yoine Shagal with his daughter Sarah played by Sharon Tate. In the course of the film, he and his daughter become vampires. When a maid tries to scare him off with a crucifix, he responds with "Oy, have you got the wrong vampire!".

Bass also appeared in the "Pride" segment of The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins and had a leading role in the 1977 sex comedy Come Play with Me. He has had many cameo roles, such as the Indian restaurant doorman in The Beatles' movie Help! (1965), and in Moonraker (1979).

Television and Radio

He continued working until the turn of the 1980s and had roles in the TV series Till Death Us Do Part, Minder, and Are You Being Served? as Mr. Goldberg, the second in a series of replacements for Arthur Brough's Mr. Grainger character (the first being James Hayter's Mr. Tebbs). As in the Mr. Goldberg role, he often emphasised his Jewish background in on-screen characterizations.

He also guest starred in two episodes of the British comedy television The Goodies, in which he appeared as the "Town Planner" in Camelot, and as the "Giant" in The Goodies and the Beanstalk.

He starred in The Army Game a British TV comedy series of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and then co-starred in its sequel Bootsie and Snudge as a tramp with Bill Fraser and Clive Dunn.

He also appeared in the 1950s Landmark BBC Radio SF Series Journey Into Space as Lemuel "Lemmy" Barnet.