Ronald Fraser (11 April 1930 - March 13 1997) was an English character actor who appeared in numerous British films of the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's whilst also appearing in many popular TV shows. He is the father of actor Hugh Fraser.
Ronald Fraser was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, the son of an interior decorator. He was educated in Scotland and did National Service as a Lieutenant in the Seaforth Highlanders. He trained as an actor at RADA and appeared at the Glasgow Citizen's Theatre before appearing in Repertory Theatre in London and at the Old Vic from 1954.
Fraser was a resident of Hampstead, London. He was a heavy drinker and a well known figure in the local Hostelries.
He died of a haemorrhage, aged 66 on 13 March 1997. The pallbearers at his funeral were Sean Connery, Peter O'Toole, Simon Ward (star of Young Winston) and Chris Evans.
Ronald Fraser, the British movie and television character actor, was born on April 11, 1930 in Ashton-under-Lyme, England. He began his professional acting career in 1954 and began appearing in small roles in movies and television in 1957. His first major movie credit was as a soldier, Lance Corporal 'Mac' Macleish in Long and the Short and the Tall, The (1961). He specialized in playing nasty, brutish types, such as the piggish Private Campbell in Robert Aldrich's World War II drama Too Late the Hero (1970), who robs a corpse, kills a fellow British solder, and deserts his compatriots to surrender to the Japanese before being strung up like a slaughtered hog by the enemy. He also appeared in Aldrich's Killing of Sister George, The (1968) and gave a memorable performance as Sergeant Watson in the original Flight of the Phoenix, The (1965), also directed by Aldrich. He was versatile enough as an actor to occasionally break type, such as his turn as Colonel Pickering in the 1981 Pygmalion (1981) (TV), which starred Twiggy (I) as Eliza Dolittle. Ronald Fraser died on March 13, 1997, a month shy of his 67th birthday.
