Absolutely not? And we never really discovered who he was, other than a brilliant character actor and impersonator; as the rules of celebrity changed, he simply refused to play by them. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories. Er, or something like it. Stanley reckoned his wife's place was in the home. Moira died of an overdose, aged 69. I turned to walk away. Moira chased Stanley, says Stanleys sister, Alice. Rushing to the window of their second storey flat, she climbed out onto the ledge and shouted, 'If I can't have you then I won't settle for anyone else. A loved one. Ill be calmer tomorrow. Baxter began to turn work down not playing Captain Hook in a production of Peter Pan opposite Lulu, not appearing with Cannon and Ball at the Palladium. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com. She was far more bohemian than me.' She kept calling for him and my mother wasnt too happy about this. Men just look nelly, however hard they try. And he had been sighted on a visit to Scotland in July 1994, to unveil a tribute to his late friend and fellow comic Duncan Macrae, during which he had confirmed that it had been his intention to drop out of public life completely: Most comics work till they drop, but Im happier now than ever. 'Anybody else would have gotten rid of me but she was devoted. Instead of gaining the confidence to join them, he shied away, repelled by the high camp 'all chiffon hankies and make-up and flouncing about. Jul 1988 - Present34 years 4 months. And the decision may have played a part his wifes untimely death. tomo salem nh happy hour madiga caste surnames fraser river pollution damien zachary cord rust oleum home floor coating instructions hurricane middle school football schedule fixed practice advantages and disadvantages etobicoke ircc appointment david braley health sciences centre dermatology lisbon australia population baker botts partner . They werent interested in doing another take just because Stanley felt there was a whisker of it that wasnt right. He adds, his voice dark: 'The truth is, I don't really want to be me.'. Later, they decamped to an island outside the city. In January, 1962, he was focused hard on his career. Moira didn't ever leap anywhere, he says softly. Eccentric. This is it, I thought, suddenly breathless. I dont deserve it, I know, but if anyone can help me at this dreadful period, it is him, Williams wrote before leaving home. The dark, often highly dramatic script of their life together began when he joined the Citz in 1948, shortly after being demobbed. Comments have been closed on this article. 'I didn't want to bring any child into the world who suffered what I suffered. That was that. A native of Fountain Inn, son of the late James Chesley and Brian Beacom For The Daily Mail, 'I don't find you funny either - but yet the whole world laughs at you': Sacha Baron Cohen responds to Trump's 'unfunny creep' jibe, Keeping them laughing until the end: Bobby Ball was still filming until weeks before his death aged 76 after positive Covid test, as co-star Lee Mack pays tribute to his 'hero' and devastated Tommy Cannon says: 'Rock on, my good friend'. Im a character actor. What could he do? Its a dead loss, to be honest. He says now that he'd known for years that he found men more attractive than women, because at the Saturday morning cinema club he could not take his eyes off the half-naked Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, rather than Maureen O'Sullivan's Jane. My names Cole Moreton, from the Independent on Sunday. He was the lead in one play before going off to serve with the Royal Army Service Corps in the Far East, where he was recruited for the Combined Services Entertainment unit, a drag- and-greasepaint outfit straight out of It Aint Half Hot Mum. My dad said This is a very big step you're taking, Stanley. Say goodbye? And so, Robertson & Baxter was formed. They all wanted him: Aspel, Parkinson. I have been writing for the Independent on Sunday for more than 20 years, but the edition that appears on Sunday will be the last. Baxter resolved to repress his sexuality when he returned to Glasgow two years later to live, as he put it, 'as a straight actor'. IN MARCH 1952, 26-year-old Stanley Baxter, recognised as the brightest young star in the Citizens Theatre Company, made a decision that was to shock his parents, stun his close friend Kenneth Williams and even surprise himself. '. Danh mc . The changing weather had given me a cold, so the stout went straight to my head, and the meal was tasteless. Despite his success, he had, in fact, always had a certain invisibility. Baxter had married Moira Robertson, an actress at the Citizen's Theatre, in the early Fifties. Early on she used to say, That woman's following you around like a wee dug! And she was right. She punched me and my glasses flew off. In December 1965, Baxters wife Moira suggested that Williams and her husband should go on holiday together in Beirut. And he turned it down. 18:08, Mon, Nov 2, 2020 | UPDATED: 18:25, Mon, Nov 2, 2020. Stanley maintains incredible control, but he can also come on like the wee woman on the stairhead talking about the price of mince, said Mary Brennan, who reviews around 20 panto performances a year. You can tell Ive talked to the press before, cant you? It was a golden period for British film-making, and he appeared in mildly successful black-and-white movies like the Highland comedy Geordie and Very Important Person, in which he starred alongside James Robertson Justice and Leslie Phillips. for virtual children's programming. (this was eventually broadcast on Radio 2 earlier this week). Ill tell you, he said, managing to communicate weariness down the line. I believed that no-one in our family should be anything but a star.. Stanley Baxter is one of my all-time favourites, he said. But the question is also intriguing: how could someone who once inspired such affection slip from the public gaze so completely, in so short a space of time? In 1944, his call-up papers arrived. It looked right. He felt guilty for the many affairs and the new partners. A dreadful fantasy played in his head, that he would suffer a heart attack backstage during panto season and be found dead on the floor of the dressing room. What none but his closest friends realised was that Baxter was desperately unhappy, his personal life a battlefield. Getting dark. At a time when being gay was illegal in Britain, the actor would bring men home with his wifes knowledge. And I did love her deeply, in my own way.. Stanley walked through the doors of the Gorbals theatre and into theatre heaven, loving this avant-garde world populated by the likes of Sybil Thorndyke and Duncan Macrae. It was all very selfish of me and a bit macho. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. ', To pacify her, Baxter promised they would marry, if she would consent to wait a year. She was only using the gate to rest. Although we'd spend lots of time in each other's beds, nothing happened. Baxter staged full-scale MGM musicals and played every role. Moira Robertson could be forced to hand over 45,000 after being jailed . Doesnt he do interviews at all? It was a relief. . He had indeed dreamed of being a professional actor since appearing on stage as a seven-year-old at local talent contests. Not at all? inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Look, his shows cost a fortune partly because it takes them so long to change and do make-up and so on. Baxter recalls how he would be allowed by his wife to bring men home, at a time when homosexuality was illegal in Britain. Choosing to eliminate the obvious first, I checked the phone book. With silk gloves up to his armpits and a tiara, he announced himself as the Duchess of Brendagh and delivered a Christmas message that talked of the Queen Mum as a priceless antique. Everythings being raked around in here ready for Christmas. And as the years progressed, the medicated Moira and Stanley became close again. I never wanted to be gay. I told him of how she was slipping into little overdoses, and I would be going round to see her and reviving her. Grandmother Helen Wright, 67, carried out the crime to help pay off her son's drug debt, having recruited friend Moira Robertson, 65 - using the latter's home in Ballieston, Glasgow, as a . Like his previous TV specials, it was a delirious collection of sketches and set-pieces featuring Baxter in character (his meticulously observed parodies of women like Shirley Bassey and Marlene Dietrich were a trademark), complete with spectacular sets and breathtaking changes of costume and make-up. What about? Stanley Baxter is one of the most successful entertainers of his generation and for many years had his own Bafta-winning TV series. In that moment, I thought the world had changed. The lavish, multi-layered dresses worn by classic pantomime dames are built on a bodysuit of gripping Lycra whose fierce constriction can leave the body raw and bruised by the end of each performance. Helen Wright, 67, and Moira Robertson, 65, were also snared with 51,000 in cash at a . A Scottish national treasure. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. I told her my preference and said, Thats why I am breaking off the relationship. Instead, he was arrested. But immediately afterwards she was so sorry.'. He wanted to be left alone, so why not? Could he look really old, like the man in the corner with cigarette ash all down his dark suit? Of all those stories, it is hard to imagine anything more sad than this one. What Williams didnt know, however, was the pressure Stanley had been under. The relationship made a sort of sense, says Stanley. I dont know if you got it? FOR MANY of the details I subsequently learnt about Stanley Baxters life, I was grateful to Andy Young, a Scottish freelance writer who gained the comedians confidence about 100 years ago and is one of the few people to have interviewed him at any length. Managing a portfolio of SME clients across a range of sectors and complexities. She called him her Sonny Boy and, as his precocious talent emerged, had him perform at every family gathering. Its hard to know if the invigorating sea air or simply timing resulted in Moiras declaration, but she announced she wished to have a full-blown sexual relationship with her leading man. A visit to the local library to see the electoral register confirmed that S stood for Stanley. As spring approached, Stanley saw even more of the woman with the hooded eyes, even taking her along to his parents home at 5 Wilton Mansions in Glasgow's Kelvinside. WHERE do you start, with only a name to go on? Should he push aside the attention of this attractive, classy young woman? Stanley asked . Stanley asked the same question of himself but pushed the answer aside. A lot of people are interested in this. The BBC couldnt help, and neither could London Weekend Television, for whom Baxter had made many of his most successful shows in the Seventies. You wont tell me which part of London, will you? No. His father was a branch manager of Commercial Union while his mother would have liked to have been an actress, When the family agreed that acting was respectable his mother took him round halls where he gave renderings of Harry Lauder and . When Baxter retired in 1872 . "And that he was losing a friend." Exasperated, his ITV television bosses told him they could no longer afford his extravaganzas. . About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. No. He was sent to India, and then further East to Burma, where he was promoted to corporal and assigned duties as a typist (Class 3). The decriminalisation of gay sex between consenting adults was still five years away. 'She would think the television was talking to her.' . moira robertson baxter. Moira Robertson Managing Director Moira has been involved in the media, data and conferences sector for over 20 years, managing teams of sales professionals and directly providing sales solutions herself. Waiting around outside the entrance to the flats where he lived was making me feel like a burglar casing the joint. He had to get on with it, focus on finishing the last 10 days of the panto season and his last 10 days at the Citz. Baxter had done Shakespeare, and in 1969 he appeared alongside Sir Ralph Richardson in the original cast of Joe Ortons last play, What The Butler Saw. As a last shot I rang David White, who said I had been very naughty. How would I know what he looked like? Well see what happens. Hanover, Ontario, Canada. Just a decade ago, his annual television spectaculars were as much a part of Christmas as turkey and hangovers: in December 1985, more than 14 million people tuned in to watch the monkey-faced Scotsman mimic the Queen, in a lavish show that included a full-scale orchestra and battalions of dancers. 11:52 EST 31 Oct 2020. By "Kenny thought I was making a terrible mistake," says Stanley. It was real weakness on my part.. I sat on the edge of the bed and sobbed my heart out, he admits. His associates would not return my calls. Since he was a toddler, Bessie had taken him to vaudeville shows. There was no answer. The last panto was in 1991, wasnt it? Well, you, really. Tanned and fit-looking, straight-backed, with his broad face exactly as it was on the television years ago, eyes that were calm but curious, and slightly sparkling. He suggested I contact Mentorn Films, who were recording new links for the show. Not to the Press. It was a dark day. Auditions were in Singapore and, after arriving there in December 1946 by flying boat, he was taken under the wing of a stooped, grey-haired man with a dusty moustache and a strident, nasal voice. I couldve hugged him. Other entries in the diary recall Baxter speaking of a desperate clinging to privacy and the rejection of a potentially hostile world. The book was 10 years old, but it was worth a try. . After all, he was only a comedian, not a criminal or a crooked politician. Too short-sighted for active Army service, he was afraid of being assigned to the merchant navy and the Atlantic convoys, but instead he was ordered to report to the coal pits, as a 'Bevin Boy' one of the conscripted mine workers. But it would be wrong to imagine he has found peace. He is an intelligent guy, and he likes to know who hes talking to. He had also appeared alongside Baxter in many Scottish pantomimes, including the comedians last, and was prepared to talk, up to a point. but not to publish it. Stanley was freaked out at my turning up at his house. Stanley knew he was gay. And when Stanley decided to marry Moira Robertson, Williams was the first person he told. His family remained in Glasgow during the Blitz at first, a teenage Stanley and his mother sheltering under a dining table during the bombing. And the sex was fine not rockets going off or anything.. Moira Robertson, 65, was snared with 51,000 of cash in bin bags and 24,000 of cocaine at her home on June 20, 2019. Today aged 94, he lives as he has for 25 years a virtual recluse at his flat in Highgate Village, North London. Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web! Dressed in a sailor suit, his hair tonged in waves, he did impersonations of Laurel and Hardy, and Mae West. Stanley managed to survive the threat to his career just and Moira, as expected stood by her man. His relationship with Marcus deepened and continued until the younger man died of lung cancer four years ago, though the two never lived together. It had been run over in the street. Fred Baxter, knowing his son was unconvincing in the role of Happy Groom, attempted a last-minute derailment. So he just thought: No, its all too much for me. Im not a personality, he once said. Baxter reveals he spent his entire career hiding his sexuality and discussed the impact it had on his relationship with his wife Moira Robertson, who died in 1997, LWTs press officer had never even heard of him, but promised to investigate. Kenneth Williams was among the first to be told and he couldnt believe his ears. By then, he had fallen in love for the first time. Nigel Dempsters often there, and so are Stanley Baxter and Terry Stamp. Just a couple of years later he landed a five-picture deal with Rank Films. This builders daughter and art school graduate was a clever and attractive, if rather ethereal, young woman. Stanley weighed up what this all meant. There was to be no further co-operation. He had to get on with his life. But Andy Young, who considers himself a close friend of the couple, insisted that they still lived together. He told Moira the relationship was over. Williams believed Stanley to be taking advantage of Moira and a traitor to the cause. Faye has joined us as receptionist and front of house expert on a maternity . If he was only prepared to work on the radio these days, could he be a total wreck? When co-founder Robert Thompson left to open his own business in 1860 John Baxter - a clerk within the company - became partner. tyson jost dad; sean penn parkinson's disease; mockingbirds attacking my cat 'It was real weakness on my part,' he says now. In a television era rich with comic talent, from Morecambe and Wise to Tommy Cooper, Dick Emery to Mike Yarwood, everyone agreed Stanley Baxter was king. STANLEY Baxter has come out as gay, revealing for the first time that his marriage was a faade. He was educated at Hillhead High School in Glasgow which he described as 'built like a fever hospital for the far east' and that he was quite . Moira Robertson Managing Director Alpha Events/Business Facilitator/Sales Coach London. If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. Something was happening between us but I didn't wish to acknowledge the fact. Robertson & Thompson was founded by Fife-born William Alexander Robertson as a wholesale whisky blender and agent in Glasgow in 1855. . 3mo. What else did I expect? Or just give her the only thing she had ever asked for to be with him. But he hadnt been in that afternoon. . Her co-accused Helen Wright, 67, was also caught with drugs while police raided the . No. Moira's behaviour became more alarming. hed rather not do them. But it worried me: was it right to doorstep a man who had worked so hard all his life to keep the private roped off from the public? Developed and created Craft kits for children and teens. X En poursuivant votre navigation sur ce site, vous acceptez l'utilisation de Cookies pour vous proposer des publicits cibles adapts vos centres d'intrts et raliser des statistiques de visites. Yet, I had all sorts of excuses for developing a relationship. He never replied. Hanover Public Library. I wondered if I could have a word? Stanley Baxter. They became lovers. dexter cattle for sale in missouri, vista murrieta freshman football schedule, allison dubois joe klupar, moj sop login, maria de jesus medical condition simian, paige niemann pictures, ctv news regina personalities, curiosities and oddities shop, maine bob marley comedian family, motorcycle accident yesterday near new york, ny, columbia grading curve, moira robertson baxter, medicine hat [] Certainly not Kenneth Williams: 'I remember sitting with him in an Italian restaurant, and telling him that I was very low. As he grew up, she was intensely jealous and would shoo away any girls who admired him: 'She started telling me about these two boys who once took a wee girl into a haunted house up the road and did terrible things to her. Baxter was charged with soliciting for sex. Once stardom had been achieved, he limited his television appearances and won an unusual amount of power over how they were made. There are 30+ professionals named "Moira Robertson", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Yet he was, and is, missed: in England, as the funniest man on television; in Scotland where they take panto very seriously as the greatest dame of the century: a master of the double entendre and the quick, stunning costume-change. Just to be with. No. After a meal with Baxter in October 1969, Williams wrote: At one point when I said to S. I sometimes feel I am so useless I just want to die. For decades he has hated to venture out: 'I didn't want to be seen as someone who was once Stanley Baxter,' he says. moira robertson baxter. If she did, she never let on. Why? 'I was in love with Bill,' Stanley says, 'but he certainly wasn't in love with me. At one point during my researches I was intrigued to meet a person in north London who had lived near the Baxters for a while in recent years, and who believed that they now lived apart, but that Stanley visited his wifes new home for lunch most days. So that was the answer: a recluse in the phone book. A search through the IoS cuttings library unearthed a few mentions of Baxter, one of them an unexpected tribute from Andy Bell, lead singer with the pop group Erasure and another man given to wearing extravagant frocks. But she ignored the signs. Its simple and has the few things I need warmth, decent light for reading, a gramophone and a TV if I wish to view. Bingo! I didn't want to know, but gradually I was falling in love.'. I don't wish that to stop. Well, it was worth a go. Instead, Baxter told Moira he could no longer live with her. Hes having a holiday with his wife, Moira. It was absolutely selfish. Then he vanished from our lives, leaving so little trace that few people even remarked on his disappearance. After 11 months of waiting, I was becoming frustrated. Moira tried to take her own life on two occasions. Television doesnt work like that: budgets and budgets. A psychiatrist diagnosed schizophrenia, but she refused to take medication. This was Angus Lennie, once the chef in Crossroads. Moira Grant: m.grant@ssc.nsw.edu.au Director of Community Relations P-12 Yvette Graniero: y.graniero@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Director of People and Culture Ann McGovern: a.mcgovern@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Head of Primary P-4 Joanne Giannini j.giannini@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Director of Mary Bailey House Jackie Baxter j.baxter@ssc.nsw.edu.au There are folk who could tell you what kind of Christmas it was by recalling that years panto. My call was answered by Mr White himself, who seemed suspicious of my reasons for ringing. This is no mean achievement. Feeling she was too ill to travel, Baxter told her she must stay in London. For good. Theres a great move afoot for them to be repeated, to have a compilation made of them for the States and Canada, and all that, but thats still being worked on. She once flew to Belfast to be "reunited with the spirit of [theatre director] Tyronne Guthrie." After switching to ITV with the promise of a colossal budget for The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, he met a 28-year-old German accountant named Marcus. But fame made his clandestine life even more risky. There had been no mystery about the retirement, said Lennie, who talked about the physical demands of changing costumes so often. She would go off to our bedroom and let me take the one opposite.'. In London, Stanley found immediate success with TV satire On The Bright Side. She was desperate for a baby, something Baxter refused to contemplate. Alpha Events. Say sorry? Fine, I said. Very boring!' This was going nowhere. I had never written anything longer than a thousand words for publication before, but Richard helped me through and opened the door to a career as a feature writer, for which I am extremely grateful. Bringing the very best to his latest film role, Crooks Anonymous, starring alongside Julie Christie and Leslie Philips. bclc lotto app not working; signs your internship will turn into a job; mary suehr schmitz. He went on to star in a children's series called Mr Majeika, about a schoolteacher who is actually a wizard. ', This year, he changed his mind. By the age of 14 when he became radio star he knew where his destiny lay. STANLEY BAXTER has come out as gay at the age of 94 in a brave statement in his new biography, The Real Stanley Baxter, as the veteran actor admitted he brought men home with his "understanding" wife's blessing. Published by Luath Press Ltd, 20. No mention of his wife, Moira, though. Ive been in audiences where women in their sixties would sit there and say, with absolute envy: Ooh, look at them legs. Her favourite memory is of one entrance in full rig, with craggy face underneath what looked like a mound of candyfloss. Yes. Actor: Crooks Anonymous. 'I'm too afraid of what people will think of me,' he said. (Later in my quest, I rang the clubs charming PR woman. Nostrils flaring. Meanwhile, if you think about it, if you changed out of your pyjamas if you wear any into your clothes, then got to the theatre and for the rest of the afternoon you had 32 dress changes to make, then you go out for a cup of tea and change again, then you do 32 in the evening. His sketch shows were months in the making and the talk of the nation spectacular, controversial, unlike anything ever seen. 'She told me she was hearing voices,' Baxter says. 32 others named Moira Robertson are on LinkedIn See others named Moira Robertson. He was working out in a gym and swimming several lengths of the RAC pool every day. By that time, I had so many tender feelings for her, he explains. Posted on 24 februari 2023 by. The Real Stanley Baxter, by Brian Beacom. Thinking about that took me back to my first major feature for the IOS, commissioned as an act of reckless faith by the editor Ian Jack and Richard Askwith, who ran the Review magazine and remains one of the finest copy editors I have ever come across. Used Buffer and WordPress to advertise programming. Yet there is one celebrity who has bucked the trend. I really dont. contact the editor here. Hello, Mr Baxter. I explained a great part of the problem was Moira. So he wouldnt talk to a newspaper, even over the phone? As I approached the flats, a figure bundled up in odd layers of clothing and a heavy overcoat came towards me, and turned towards the gate. His father was apparently a solid, reliable type who worked in insurance; it was his mother who encouraged the young Stanleys gift for mimicry, accompanying him on the piano while he did Harry Lauder impressions for friends and relatives. 'Marcus took me completely by surprise. View more posts, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), It was 20 years ago todayish. covid vaccine causing ovarian cyst. When he first came to fame in the Fifties, his identity was largely irrelevant: we were content to let stars glitter from afar. The Citz was a heterosexual theatre company. Young was cagey, preferring to ring Baxter before he would talk to me. And why shouldn't he? Another professional acquaintance was prepared to talk anonymously, but only about his retirement (Nureyev kept going until he was censured and taken apart at the seams for coming on stage when he was obviously dying. He moved to London eight years later. . It was in CSE that Baxter met openly gay men for the first time. May 2021 - Present1 year 9 months. One last piece for the Independent on Sunday, The Invisible Man: Searching for the Reclusive Stanley Baxter. It was all I ever dreamed of.. Stanley was up for the challenge. And since that time he hasnt been able to surrender the thought had he not married the fragile, vulnerable woman she may have lived more of a happy life. How? Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) Footnote from the present day: Stanley came out of retirement the following year, returning to our screens for a short while before slipping away again. There was also a tiny quote from Baxter in the Times of November 1992, about how the role of Principal Boy should only be played by a woman: All those frills. Mildly discouraged, I tried another approach: Melvyn Bragg, who had been head of arts at LWT when Baxter was at his peak. The pair developed a closeness that meant when they weren't working they enjoyed a movie or dinner together. ', Stanley was terrified. Then youve got the orchestra, and dancers. Millions were scandalised and breathless with laughter. Anyone who can dress up as Judy Garland with a nose like his and get away with it, has to be a genius. But just weeks later he realised he had boarded a runaway train. They would meet for lunch every day. Identifying clients needs and developing solutions for both existing and new to Bank clients. There was some communication, through Andy Young, who had been authorised to tell me that Baxter was refusing all work except voice-overs and radio. Would he like to explain why? For Bill this was just sexual experimentation, and he would later reject a sexual relationship with Stanley, preferring women. Kenny thought I was making a terrible mistake, says Stanley. His last was Mother Goose, at the Kings Theatre, Glasgow, in 1991. THE LEAVES on the pavement were being sucked upwards by the cold wind, or turned to mush by rain. 'I turned down too many parts . Moira Robertson, 65, was snared with 51,000 of cash and 24,000 of cocaine at her home on June 20, 2019. He took her passport, to prevent her from trying to follow him. There was an S Baxter in that area, with an address. Their relationship was fraught with difficulty Williams called it a very shaky ship but it was underpinned by deep affection. He stood facing the audience for a moment and then said, in a vampish voice: I call this my hand grenade dress.
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