Norman Beaton facts for kids

Norman Lugard Beaton (born 31 October 1934 – died 13 December 1994) was an actor from Guyana. He lived in the United Kingdom for many years. He became famous for playing Desmond Ambrose in the TV comedy show Desmond's on Channel 4. The writer Stephen Bourne called him "the most important and respected Black British actor of his time."

Early Life and Education

Norman Beaton was born in Georgetown, which was then called British Guiana (now Guyana). He went to Queen's College. After that, he attended a college to become a teacher, where he did very well. He even worked as an assistant head teacher at Cane Grove Anglican School.

Moving to London

Before moving to London in 1960, Beaton taught and played music with a calypso band called The Four Bees. In London, he studied at London University. He also taught for a short time in Liverpool. He was the first Black teacher to work for the Liverpool Education Authority.

Starting His Career

Norman Beaton also had a successful career as a calypso singer. In 1959, his song "Come Back Melvina" became a number-one hit in Trinidad and Tobago. When his family joined him in London in 1960, he worked in a bookshop's shipping department.

From Teaching to Acting

While teaching in Liverpool, Beaton played guitar for famous poets like Adrian Henri and Brian Patten. They even performed at the famous Cavern Club. Norman Beaton soon realized he wanted to act. He started writing plays. His first play was a musical called Jack of Spades. It was about a difficult relationship between a Black man and a white woman, which was a brave topic back then.

The success of this play gave him the courage to stop teaching and focus on theatre. He moved to Bristol and then to Sussex. There, he played the main role in another musical he wrote, Sit Down, Banna. This was the real start of his acting journey.

Acting Career Highlights

In the early 1970s, Norman Beaton began performing in plays in London's West End. In 1970, he played Ariel in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. He later said this was "the most important role of my acting career." The next year, he had a small part in the film Up the Chastity Belt.

Theatre and Television Roles

In 1975, Beaton helped create the Black Theatre of Brixton. That same year, he played Nanki-Poo in The Black Mikado. This was a modern version of the classic play The Mikado.

In 1976, Beaton started acting on television in the series The Fosters, which also featured a young Lenny Henry. The next year, he starred in a film called Black Joy. This movie was about a West Indian community in London. For his role, he was named Film Actor of the Year in 1978. He also appeared in the BBC TV show Empire Road.

Becoming Desmond Ambrose

Norman Beaton's most famous role was playing Desmond Ambrose in the Channel Four comedy series Desmond's. He played this character for six years, starting in 1988. For his work on Desmond's, he won the Royal Television Society Best Comedy Performer Award.

He also played the main character, Willie Boy, in the 1987 TV comedy Playing Away. This film was about a West Indian cricket team playing against a white team in the countryside. Beaton also appeared in movies like The Mighty Quinn (1989). He was a guest star on The Cosby Show in 1991 and in the TV show Little Napoleons in 1994.

His life story, called Beaton But Unbowed, was published in 1986.

Later Life and Passing

On 13 December 1994, Norman Beaton's health declined. He decided to move back to his hometown of Georgetown, Guyana. This was similar to what his character Desmond was doing in the TV show. He collapsed at the airport from a heart attack and passed away a few hours later. He was 60 years old. He had five children from his marriages.

In Porkpie, a spin-off show from Desmond's, it was announced that Beaton's character, Desmond, had passed away about 11 months before the new show began.

Personal Life

Norman Beaton had children from his marriages. He had four children with his first wife, two born in Guyana and two in the UK. He also had one child with his second wife.

He lived for many years in Brixton with Jane Cash, whom he called "the wife he never had." Jane passed away in 2020. He married Jean Davenport in 1988, but they later separated. Jean passed away in 2001.

Legacy and Impact

The BBC Radio Drama has created the Norman Beaton Fellowship (NBF). This program helps new actors from different backgrounds get roles in radio dramas across the UK.