John Bird

John Michael Bird (22 November 1936 – 24 December 2022) was an English actor, director, writer and satirist. He performed in the television satire boom of the 1960s, appearing in That Was the Week That Was. His television work included many appearances with John Fortune. Bird had an acting career in film, television, theatre and radio for over 55 years. He appeared in films including Take A Girl Like You (1970) and Jabberwocky (1977) as well as in television shows such as Joint Account, Marmalade Atkins, El C.I.D. and Chambers. He also featured in the long-running Bremner, Bird and Fortune (1999–2010), on Channel 4, which was nominated for BAFTA TV Awards. Early life John Michael Bird was born in Bulwell, Nottingham, where his father ran a small chemist's shop. He failed his 11-plus, but his secondary modern headmaster managed to have him transferred, aged 12, to High Pavement Grammar School. In 1956 he passed the entrance exam for King’s College, Cambridge; he read English literature and stayed for postgraduate studies with a thesis entitled "European Drama 1888–1914". Acting career 1960s and 1970s While studying at Cambridge, Bird met fellow King's student John Fortune. During the television satire boom of the 1960s, Bird appeared in That Was the Week That Was (1962–1963), the title of which he had coined. The stage director Ned Sherrin intended for him to play David Frost's role in the series but Bird was committed elsewhere. He also appeared in the television programmes Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (1964–1965), and If It Moves File It (1970).