Harry Baird (actor)
Encyclopedia
Harry Baird was a Guyana
-born British
actor who came to prominence in the 1960s.
Baird was born in Georgetown
, British Guiana
and was educated in Canada
and England. He was given his film break in 1954 as a boxer named Jamaica in the Carol Reed
film A Kid for Two Farthings
(1954). A year later, he appeared in Kismet
at the Stoll Theatre in London
, and although he had a role in Jean Genet
's The Blacks
in 1961, he subsequently appeared mostly in film and television. His first lead role was as Atimbu, in the White Hunter television series in 1958. A series of stereotypical roles followed in low-budget films with generic African or 'jungle' themes.
His most high-profile role, however, was in the Michael Relph
-Basil Dearden
racial drama Sapphire
(1959). Quality roles for a black actor in Britain remained scarce, although he appeared in supporting roles in the Patrick McGoohan
vehicle Danger Man
and the Gerry Anderson
series UFO
(1970) as Lieutenant Bradley, although he left the series midway through the run. Baird's only true lead role was in the 1968 Melvin Van Peebles
drama The Story of a Three-Day Pass
in which Baird played an American soldier who falls for a white Parisian woman. Based on Van Peebles own novel La Permission
, it is arguably Baird's finest performance. Other roles included The Whisperers
(1967) with Edith Evans
, The Touchables
(1968) (in which he played a gay wrestler named Lillywhite), the Hammer film The Oblong Box (1969) with Vincent Price
, and The Italian Job
(1969) alongside his friend Michael Caine
, whose wife, fellow Guyanan Shakira Baksh
, Baird had appeared alongside on UFO.
Baird was diagnosed with glaucoma
in the 1970s, a condition which ultimately left him blind. He died of cancer
in London in 2005.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor who came to prominence in the 1960s.
Baird was born in Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
, British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
and was educated in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and England. He was given his film break in 1954 as a boxer named Jamaica in the Carol Reed
Carol Reed
Sir Carol Reed was an English film director best known for Odd Man Out , The Fallen Idol , The Third Man and Oliver!...
film A Kid for Two Farthings
A Kid for Two Farthings (film)
A Kid For Two Farthings is a 1955 film, directed by Carol Reed. The screenplay was adapted by Wolf Mankowitz from his own novel of the same name.-Plot:...
(1954). A year later, he appeared in Kismet
Kismet (musical)
Kismet is a musical with lyrics and musical adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, and a book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, based on Kismet, the 1911 play by Edward Knoblock...
at the Stoll Theatre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and although he had a role in Jean Genet
Jean Genet
Jean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...
's The Blacks
The Blacks (play)
The Blacks: A Clown Show is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. Published in 1958, it was first performed in a production directed by Roger Blin at the Théatre de Lutèce in Paris, which opened on 28 October 1959....
in 1961, he subsequently appeared mostly in film and television. His first lead role was as Atimbu, in the White Hunter television series in 1958. A series of stereotypical roles followed in low-budget films with generic African or 'jungle' themes.
His most high-profile role, however, was in the Michael Relph
Michael Relph
Michael Relph was a British art director and producer. He was the son of actor George Relph....
-Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden was an English film director.-Life and career:Dearden was born at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. He graduated from theatre direction to film, working as an assistant to Basil Dean...
racial drama Sapphire
Sapphire (film)
Sapphire is a 1959 British crime drama. It focused on racism in London toward immigrants from the West Indies. The film was directed by Basil Dearden, and stars Nigel Patrick, Earl Cameron and Yvonne Mitchell. It received the BAFTA Award for Best Film and screenwriter Janet Green won a 1960 Edgar...
(1959). Quality roles for a black actor in Britain remained scarce, although he appeared in supporting roles in the Patrick McGoohan
Patrick McGoohan
Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
vehicle Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
and the Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
series UFO
UFO (TV series)
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
(1970) as Lieutenant Bradley, although he left the series midway through the run. Baird's only true lead role was in the 1968 Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin "Block" Van Peebles is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.He is most famous for creating the acclaimed film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of African American focused films...
drama The Story of a Three-Day Pass
The Story of a Three-Day Pass
The Story of a Three-Day Pass is a black-and-white film written and directed, often in a Nouvelle Vague style, by Melvin Van Peebles, based on a novel he wrote in French, La Permission. Although made in 1967, the film was not released in the U.S. until July 8, 1968...
in which Baird played an American soldier who falls for a white Parisian woman. Based on Van Peebles own novel La Permission
La Permission
La Permission is a 1967 French language novel written by Melvin Van Peebles which was turned into the film, The Story of a Three-Day Pass.-History:By the late 1950s, Van Peebles had been involved filmmaking and had made two short films...
, it is arguably Baird's finest performance. Other roles included The Whisperers
The Whisperers
The Whisperers is a 1967 British drama film directed by Bryan Forbes. It is based on the 1961 novel by Robert Nicolson.- Plot :The Whisperers tells the story of an impoverished old woman living alone in a seedy apartment who enjoys a rich fantasy life as an heiress...
(1967) with Edith Evans
Edith Evans
Dame Edith Mary Evans, DBE was a British actress. She was known for her work on the British stage. She also appeared in a number of films, for which she received three Academy Award nominations, plus a BAFTA and a Golden Globe award.Evans was particularly effective at portraying haughty...
, The Touchables
The Touchables
"The Touchables" is a novelty single by Dickie Goodman released on Mark-X Records in 1961.The record is a parody of the hit TV show The Untouchables...
(1968) (in which he played a gay wrestler named Lillywhite), the Hammer film The Oblong Box (1969) with Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, and The Italian Job
The Italian Job
The Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom....
(1969) alongside his friend Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
, whose wife, fellow Guyanan Shakira Baksh
Shakira Caine
Shakira Caine , is a Guyanese-British former fashion model and actress of Indian descent....
, Baird had appeared alongside on UFO.
Baird was diagnosed with glaucoma
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which the optic nerve suffers damage, permanently damaging vision in the affected eye and progressing to complete blindness if untreated. It is often, but not always, associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye...
in the 1970s, a condition which ultimately left him blind. He died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in London in 2005.