Thomas Baptiste
- Born
- 1929-03-17 (age 89)
- Died
- 2018-12-06 (aged 89) · 7 years ago
- Birthplace
- Georgetown, British Guiana
- Occupation
- Actor, Opera Singer
- Active
- 1999 - 1999
- Alma Mater
- Morley College, National School of Opera, Royal Academy of Music
Biography
EARLY LIFE
Thomas Baptiste was born Alastair Neil Robertson Niven on 17 March 1929 in British Guiana (now Guyana) to a wealthy landowner. He moved to Britain in the late 1940s and studied music at Morley College in Lambeth, followed by scholarships to the National School of Opera and the Royal Academy of Music. He joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop early in its existence.
CAREER
Baptiste's career spanned several decades, beginning with a two-year run in Noël Coward's Nude with Violin from 1956. In 1960, he played Riley in the first professional production of Harold Pinter's The Room, directed by Pinter himself. He made history in 1963 as the first Black character on Coronation Street, playing a bus conductor who was falsely sacked. His film credits include 'Sapphire' (1959), 'Beyond This Place' (1959), 'Flame in the Streets' (1961), 'The Ipcress File' (1965), 'Shaft in Africa' (1973), 'The Wild Geese' (1978), 'Rise and Fall of Idi Amin' (1981), 'Ama' (1991), and 'The Secret Laughter of Women' (1999). On television, he appeared in 'The Wednesday Play' (1965), 'The Saint' (1967), 'Empire Road' (1978-1979), 'Yes Minister' (1980), 'EastEnders' (1990), and 'Love Hurts' (1992). He notably played Paul Robeson in the 1978 stage production 'Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?' In the 1960s, he co-founded an advisory committee of the British Actors' Equity Association to represent black actors in Britain. He appeared in Cool Red (1976), the first major Black American Nigerian collaboration. He continued acting until at least 1999.
PERSONAL LIFE
Thomas Baptiste maintained a close friendship with designer Oliver Messel and was part of Princess Margaret's Mustique 'set' in the Caribbean. From the 1990s, he had a home in St Lucia and spent the last 10 years of his life in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK. He died on 6 December 2018, at the age of 89.
Filmography
No filmography available for this person yet.
Box Office
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₦5,331,351.00
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Popularity Score
Top 100% of African actors
