Anthony Bate was a gentleman of refined appearance and cultivated presence, destined to excel in roles as a spymaster or senior civil servant. His lean, pale-eyed, and mild-toned demeanor belied an unnerving icy composure, as evident in his portrayal of the enigmatic Kim Philby in ITV's telemovie Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977). He also played the charismatic Bret Renssalaer in Len Deighton's Game, Set, and Match (1988) and the affable Home Office security undersecretary, Sir Oliver Lacon, in John le Carré's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and Smiley's People (1982).
Anthony Bate began his career behind the bar of a hotel owned by his family on the Isle of Wight. After completing his national service with the Royal Navy Volunteers in 1947, he pursued a career in acting, starting with amateur dramatics and later formal training at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, where he graduated with a gold medal. He made his West End debut in a 1960 dramatisation of the Scopes Trial, "Inherit the Wind", at St. Martin's Theatre, and went on to draw many excellent notices for classical roles such as Don Pedro in "Much Ado About Nothing" for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In addition to his work on stage, Bate appeared in occasional films from 1957, often playing the straight man in minor comedies like Dentist in the Chair (1960). However, he found his niche on television, where he was increasingly sought-after by producers for a wide variety of characters, including those with furtive, stern, starchy, supercilious, or sinister dispositions. He was a ubiquitous protagonist in screen adaptations from the classics, playing the obsessive Inspector Javert in a 1967 version of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, the intrepid Dr. Livesey in Treasure Island (1977),and the Knight's Templar, Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, in Ivanhoe (1970).
Anthony Bate also played outright villains, such as the treacherous London gangster Eddie Edwards, who took advantage of his boss's incarceration to usurp his criminal empire in the 1974 television series Intimate Strangers. He was given a rare starring role as a middle-aged family man re-evaluating his life after a heart attack, delivering a nuanced and introspective performance that was arguably one of his best. Throughout his career, Bate portrayed historical figures such as Joseph Stalin, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, and Eduard Shevardnadze with equal vigour and conviction.
One of the unsung heroes of British television, Anthony Bate passed away in June 2012 at the age of 84, leaving behind a legacy of memorable performances that continue to captivate audiences to this day.
