Born: 8^th April 1921, Bethnal Green, London.  Died: 15^th July 1987, London.

Diminutive (even Victor Woolf towered over him) cockney character actor Alfie Bass appeared in 3 early episodes of the series as Edgar the poacher, rescued by Robin of Locksley from some foresters. Edgar later persuaded the reluctant Will Scatlock to allow Robin to join the outlaws, of which Robin would become leader on Will’s death. In Season 2 Alfie made 2 further appearances as Lepidus, who claimed to be able to turn ordinary metal into gold. Born Abraham Basalinksy to Jewish parents who fled the USSR to avoid persecution, he joined the Unity Theatre as a set builder. He later made his acting debut there in 1939, alongside Paul Robeson in ‘Plant in the Sun’. Alfie began his screen career in wartime documentaries, before going on to appear in films such as ‘The Lavender Hill Mob’ and ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. It was the role of Montague ‘Excused Boots’ Bisley (better known as Bootsie) that made him a household name. He played the character in the TV comedy series ‘The Army Game’, which spawned the film ‘I Only Arsked!’ plus TV spin-offs ‘Bootsie and Snudge’ and ‘Foreign Affairs’. Alfie Bass had a long and varied career in films, TV, theatre and radio. On stage he took over the lead role of Tevye from Topol in the musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’. He died in 1987 from a heart attack at the age of 66.

Episodes Featuring Alfie Bass: -

Series 1

The Coming of Robin Hood - Edgar

The Moneylender - Edgar

The Ordeal - Edgar

Series 2

The Goldmaker  - Lepidus

The Goldmaker's Return - Lepidus

A complete list of Alfie's film & TV credits can be found at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0060023/

Notable Film Roles: -

The Bells Go Down (1943)

Johnny Frenchman (1945) ... Corporal

Brief Encounter (1945) ... Waiter at the Royal

It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) ... Dicey Perkins

The Monkey’s Paw (1948) ... Speedway Track Manager

Man on the Run (1949) ... Bert, the Bargee’s Mate

The Hasty Heart (1949) ... Orderly

Boys in Brown (1949) ... ‘Basher’ Walker

Stage Fright (1950) ... Stage Hand with Microphone

Pool of London (1951) ... Henchman Alf

The Golden Door (1951) (TV) ... Benjamin Brownstein

The Galloping Major (1951) ... Charlie, the Newsboy

The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) ... ‘Shorty’ Fisher

High Treason (1951) ... Albert Brewer

The Monster of Killoon (1952) (TV) ... Terry O'Conlan

Derby Day (aka Four Against Fate) (1952) ... Spider Wilkes

Made in Heaven (1952) ... Mr. Jenkins

Top of the Form (1953) ... Artie Jones

The Square Ring (1953) ... Frank Forbes

The Bespoke Overcoat (1954) (TV) ... Fender

Murder by Proxy (aka Blackout) (1954) ... Ernie the Barman

The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp (1954) ... Lennox

Time Is My Enemy (1954) ... Ernie Gordon

Passing Stranger (1954) ... Harry

Svengali (1954) ... Carrell

Make Me an Offer! (1954) ... Fred Frames

A Kid for Two Farthings (1955) ... Alf, the Bird Man

It Should Happen to a Dog (1955) (TV) ... Jonah

The Girl (1955) (TV) ... Harry

Jumping for Joy (1956) ... Blagg

Behind the Headlines (1956) ... Sammy

Child in the House (1956) ... Ticket Collector

Sailor Beware (aka Panic in the Parlor) (1956) ... Church Organist

The Bespoke Overcoat (1956) ... Fender (Ghost)

A Touch of the Sun (1956) ... May, Northern Backer

No Road Back (1957) ... Rudge Harvey

Carry on Admiral (aka The Ship Was Loaded) (1957) ... Orderly

Hell Drivers (aka Hard Drivers) (1957) ... Tinker, Truck Driver

The Army Game (1957-60) (TV Series) ... Pvt. ‘Bootsie’ Bisley

A Tale of Two Cities (1958) ... Jerry Cruncher

I Was Monty’s Double (1958) ... Small Man on Train

I Only Arsked! (1958) ... ‘Excused Boots’ Bisley

The Millionairess (1960) ... Fish Curer

Bootsie and Snudge (1960-63, 1974) (TV Series) ... ‘Bootsie’ Bisley

Foreign Affairs (1964) (TV Series) ... ‘Bootsie’ Bisley

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1964) (TV) ... Flute

Mr. Scrooge (1964) (TV) ... Bob Cratchett

Help! (1965) ... Doorman at RestaurantThe Sandwich Man (aka That Swinging City) (1966) ... Model Yachtsman

Doctor in Clover (aka Carnaby, M.D.) (1966) ... Fleming

Alfie (1966) ... Harry Clamacraft

Bindle (One of Them Days) (1966) ... Joseph Bindle

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) ... Gatekeeper

Dance of the Vampires (aka The Fearless Vampire Killers) (1967) ... Shagal, the Inn-Keeper

Vacant Lot (1967) (TV Series) ... Alf Grimble

A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967) ... The Pie Merchant

Up the Junction (1968) ... Charlie

The Fixer (1968) ... Potseikin

The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) ... Mr. Spencer

Till Death Us Do Part (1975) (TV Series) ... Bert Reed

Our Mutual Friend (1976) (TV Series) ... Silas Wegg

Come Play with Me (1977) ... Kelly

A Roof Over My Head (1977) (TV Series) ... Flamewell

Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) ... Fernet

Dick Turpin (1979-82) (TV Series) ... Isaac Rag

Moonraker (1979) ... Consumptive Venice Coffin Spotter

Are You Being Served? (1979) ... Mr. Harry Goldberg

Notable TV Guest Appearances: -

Wednesday Theatre - ‘Curtain Down’ (1953) ... Rigoletto, the Stage Manager

Tales from Soho - ‘The Fiddle’ (1956) ... Bela

The Scarlet Pimpernel - ‘Lady in Distress’ (1956) ... Citizen

Play of the Week - ‘Come Read Me a Riddle’ (1956) ... Jo Bosco

The Buccaneers - ‘Blackbeard’ (1956) ... Sawney

Theatre Royal (aka Lilli Palmer Theatre) - ‘Mr. Betts Runs Away’ (1956) ... Mr. James

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot - ‘Theft of Excalibur’ (1956) ... Barney Brandygore

Tuesday Play - ‘Jane Clegg’ (1957) ... Mance

Z Cars - ‘Bring Back the Cat’ (1964) ... George Hasty

Gideon’s Way - ‘State Visit’ (1965) ... Max Fischer

Armchair Theatre - ‘Daughter of the House’ (1966) ... Bert

Sanctuary - ‘The Cheapest Tailor in London’ (1967) ... Juggy Simpkin

This Is Your Life - ‘Alfie Bass’ (1970) ... Himself - Subject

Budgie - ’24,000 Ball Point Pens’ (1972) ... Dickie Silver

Arthur of the Britons - ‘The Swordsman’ (1973) ... Trader

The Goodies - ‘Camelot’ (1973) ... Town Planner

The Goodies - ‘The Goodies and the Beanstalk’ (1973) ... The Giant

The Adventures of Black Beauty - ‘Where’s Jonah?’ (1974) ... Wilf

Star Maidens - ‘Nightmare Cannon’ (1976) ... Gatekeeper

The Howerd Confessions (1976) ... Chalky White

Mr. Big - ‘The Hit Man’ (1977) ... Clement Clark

ITV Playhouse - ‘The Bass Player and the Blonde’ (1977)

Return of the Saint - ‘Tower Bridge Is Falling Down’ (1978) ... Sammy

Enid Blyton’s Famous Five - ‘Five Are Together Again’ (1978) ... Mr. Tapper

Danger UXB - ‘Just Like a Woman’ (1979) ... Reg Preston

Minder - ‘The Son Also Rises’ (1982) ... Morrie Levin