Norman Beaton

Norman Beaton

Norman Beaton was a popular and much loved Guyanese born British actor. He arrived in the UK in 1960 and worked as a calypso singer and musician and a teacher - being the first black teacher employed by the education authority in Liverpool. His heart set on a career in showbusiness, he moved to Bristol and became a presenter on the regional news magazine Points West, before a two week prison sentence curtailed his presenting career. He subsequently found work in London's West End, appearing in The Tempest as Ariel, a role he subsequently cited as the most important in his career. He helped set up the Black Theatre in Brixton in the mid 70s and broke into television with the first black British sitcom, The Fosters in 1976, playing Lenny Henry's father. A star turn in the movie Black Joy followed a year later, as did the principal role in the fledgling black soap Empire Road for the BBC. But it is perhaps his performance as Desmond Ambrose, the crotchety Peckham barber in Channel 4's hit sitcom Desmond's that Beaton will forever be remembered for. The series ran from 1988 until his ill health curtailed the show in 1994. He retired to Georgetown, the place of his birth, but collapsed and died of a heart attack at the airport on arrival, on 13th December 1994. He was 60 years old.

  • Title: Norman Beaton
  • Popularity: 1.431
  • Known For: Acting
  • Birthday: 1934-10-31
  • Place of Birth: Georgetown, Guyana
  • Homepage:
  • Also Known As:
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Norman Beaton Movies

  • 1975
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    In Sickness and in Health

    In Sickness and in Health

    1 1975 HD

    A hard-working doctor must also carry the burden of a turbulent home life, due to the expectations of his demanding wife. Part of Thames Televison's...

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  • 1984
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    Real Life

    Real Life

    1 1984 HD

    A comedy about a dreamer whose Walter Mitty-like fantasies turn his world of make-believe into a world of trouble.

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  • 1972
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    Up the Chastity Belt

    Up the Chastity Belt

    3.8 1972 HD

    A funny thing happened to Lurkalot, serf to Sir Coward de Custard, on the way to Custard Castle. Lurkalot sells lusty love potions and rusty chastity...

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  • 1977
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    Black Joy

    Black Joy

    6.4 1977 HD

    An innocent and unsophisticated Guyanese immigrant is exposed to the hustlin' way of life in the Brixton ghetto.

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  • 1987
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    Playing Away

    Playing Away

    5.6 1987 HD

    To mark the conclusion of their "Third World Week" celebration, a cricket team in a small English village invites a black cricket team from South...

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  • 1989
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    The Mighty Quinn

    The Mighty Quinn

    6.2 1989 HD

    Police chief Xavier Quinn investigates the gruesome murder of Donald Pater, one of the wealthiest residents on a Caribbean island. He was found...

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  • 1976
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    Pressure

    Pressure

    5.7 1976 HD

    A British-born younger son of an immigrant family from Trinidad finds himself adrift between two cultures.

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  • 1989
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    Endgame

    Endgame

    1 1989 HD

    A performance of Samuel Beckett's 'Endgame', a play in which nothing happens, once - unlike Beckett's first play 'Waiting for Godot' in which nothing...

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  • 1984
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    Nice

    Nice

    7.8 1984 HD

    A naïve and "nice" West Indian's descent into postcolonial cynicism is depicted in a twenty minute monologue from writer Farrukh Dhondy.

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  • 1987
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    Big George Is Dead

    Big George Is Dead

    1 1987 HD

    Returning to England from Trinidad and Tobago for one night only, a former trickster finds that old friends and communities have moved on.

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  • 1977
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    Black Christmas

    Black Christmas

    1 1977 HD

    A bittersweet drama on a familiar theme - the frictions forced to the surface during a Christmas family get-together - Michael Abbensetts' Black...

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  • 1990
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    When Love Dies

    When Love Dies

    1 1990 HD

    A young man looks back over his unhappy marriage and struggles to come to terms with his wife's suicide.

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  • 1982
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    Easy Money

    Easy Money

    1 1982 HD

    At a concert Marcia picked Terry out of the crowd. So he no longer feels alone. Until he learns about her secret life and dare not tell his friends.

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  • 1992
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    Black and White in Colour

    Black and White in Colour

    1 1992 HD

    A two part documentary that details the contribution of black and Asian people to television history from the birth of television in 1936 to 1992....

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  • 1983
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    Eureka

    Eureka

    5.2 1983 HD

    An Alaskan gold prospector lives in luxury with his family on an island which gangsters want.

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  • 1987
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    Mark of the Hand

    Mark of the Hand

    1 1987 HD

    Guyanese painter Aubrey Williams (1926-1990) returns to his homeland on a “journey to the source of his inspiration” in this vivid Arts...

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  • 1979
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    The Last Window Cleaner

    The Last Window Cleaner

    1 1979 HD

    When DC Denis Deacey finds himself surprisingly transferred to Belfast he gets digs in a most unusual boarding house called The Crumlin View where no...

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  • 1980
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    Growing Pains

    Growing Pains

    4.6 1980 HD

    An old book containing a strange poem resurrects a vengeful spirit from the dead. Originally an episode of British horror anthology TV series, Hammer...

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  • 1988
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    Airbase

    Airbase

    1 1988 HD

    Hidden beneath an airbase the elite F-111 pilots live in a secret fantasy world as they wait, primed for the ultimate war game of World War Three....

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  • 1982
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    Easy Money

    Easy Money

    1 1982 HD

    At a concert Marcia picked Terry out of the crowd. So he no longer feels alone. Until he learns about her secret life and dare not tell his friends.

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  • 1984
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    The Cosby Show

    The Cosby Show

    7 1984 HD

    The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until...

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  • 1979
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    Minder

    Minder

    6.783 1979 HD

    This comedy drama series featured Terry McCann, a former boxer with a conviction for G.B.H., and Arthur Daley, a second-hand car dealer with an eye...

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  • 1971
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    Barlow

    Barlow

    6 1971 HD

    Barlow at Large is a British television programme broadcast in the 1970s, starring Stratford Johns in the title role. Johns had previously played...

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  • 1989
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    Desmond's

    Desmond's

    7.1 1989 HD

    Desmond's was a British television situation comedy broadcast by Channel 4 from 1989 to 1994. With 71 episodes, Desmond's became Channel 4's...

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  • 1972
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    Sykes

    Sykes

    6.4 1972 HD

    Classic sitcom starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques as brother and sister twins who have to tackle the trials and tribulations of suburban life.

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  • 1978
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    Empire Road

    Empire Road

    1 1978 HD

    Empire Road was a British television series, made by the BBC in 1978 and 1979. Written by Michael Abbensetts, the show ran for two seasons of eight...

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  • 1986
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    Dead Head

    Dead Head

    5.3 1986 HD

    London based petty crook, Eddie Cass agrees to pick up a package and courier it across the capital. When nobody answers the door at the drop off...

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  • 1980
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    Hammer House of Horror

    Hammer House of Horror

    7.1 1980 HD

    Anthology series, in which each self-contained episode featured a different kind of horror. These varied from witches, werewolves, ghosts, devil...

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  • 1994
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    Little Napoleons

    Little Napoleons

    1 1994 HD

    Labour councillor Judith Silver invites N.K. Edwards and Vijay Shah to stand for election to the local council. Who will win the seat? And will Tory...

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  • 1972
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    The Protectors

    The Protectors

    5.6 1972 HD

    The Protectors is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series using live actors as...

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