Michael Robbins

Acting

Born November 14, 1930, London, England, UK

Born in London, Robbins was a bank clerk who became an actor after appearing in amateur dramatic performances in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where he and his family lived at the time. Robbins made his television debut as the cockney soldier in Roll-on Bloomin' Death. Primarily a comedy actor, he is best remembered for the role of Arthur Rudge, the persistently sarcastic husband of Olive (Anna Karen), in the popular sitcom On the Buses (1969–73). Robbins and Karen provided the secondary comic storyline to Reg Varney's comedy capers at the bus depot. Robbins also appeared in the series film spin-offs, On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses, and Holiday on the Buses. His other comedy credits include non-recurring roles in Man About the House, Oh Brother!, The Good Life, One Foot in the Grave, The New Statesman, George and Mildred, Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord? He appeared as a rather humorously portrayed police sergeant in the TV adaptation of Brendon Chase. As well as these comic roles, he assumed various straight roles in some of the major British television shows of the 1960s and 1970s: including Minder, The Sweeney, Z-Cars, Return of the Saint, Murder Most English, The Avengers, Dixon of Dock Green, The Bill and the 1982 Doctor Who story The Visitation. Robbins's film credits included The Whisperers, Up The Junction, The Looking Glass War, Zeppelin and Blake Edwards' films The Pink Panther Strikes Again and Victor/Victoria'. He also had an extensive career as a radio actor, including a role in the soap opera Waggoner's Walk and the satirical 1970s show Life is What Yer Make It. Robbins was an indefatigable worker for charity. He was active in the Grand Order of Water Rats (being elected 'Rat of the Year' in 1978) and the Catholic Stage Guild, and received a Papal Award for his services in 1987. In one of his last television appearances, in A Little Bit of Heaven Robbins recalled his childhood visits to Norfolk and spoke of his faith and love of the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham. Michael Robbins had a brother Jack who was a head teacher at Saint Gregory's Catholic middle school in Bedford in the 1970s and early 1980s. Michael made some guest appearances at this school throughout the years and sometimes entertained the pupils with various sketches with his brother Jack Robbins In the mid-1970s he also directed a film: How Are You?

Filmography

• 2008The Ties That Bind Us — Richard Mace (archive footage)
• 1992Adam Bede — Thias Bede
• 1991One Foot in the Grave: The Man In The Long Black Coat — Mr Killick
• One Foot in the Grave
• You Rang, M'Lord? — Twelvetrees Senior
• 1988Just Ask for Diamond — The Fat Man
• The New Statesman — Mad Eddie
• Dempsey and Makepeace — Simmons
• In Sickness and in Health — Rail Worker
• 1985Lost In London — Bill
• Fairly Secret Army — Sergeant Major Throttle
• Fresh Fields — Mr. Pringle
• The Bill
• Brendon Chase — Sergeant Bunting
• 1982Doctor Who: The Visitation — Richard Mace
• Legacy of Murder — Marley
• The Bounder — Bert
• 1982The Merry Wives of Windsor — Nym
• 1982Victor/Victoria — Manager of Victoria's Hotel
• The Chinese Detective
• 1981The Great Muppet Caper — Henderson
• 1980Murder Rap — Det. Sgt. Praed
• Dick Turpin — Sgt. Bullock
• Minder — McQueen
• The Cannon & Ball Show — Police Seargent
• 1979The Saint and the Brave Goose — Beeky
• Leave it to Charlie — Mr. Sowerbutts
• Mixed Blessings — Fred Fachetti
• Return of the Saint — Beeky
• Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle — Pumphrey
• George and Mildred
• Operation Patch — George Cosserat
• 1976The Pink Panther Strikes Again — Jarvis
• Rumpole of the Bailey — Cyril Timson
• The Good Life — Mr. Bulstrode
• The Sweeney — Kevin Lee
• 1974Man About the House — Doorman
• Moody and Pegg — Len
• Thick as Thieves
• Black and Blue — Bert
• Centre Play — Swaffer
• 1973Holiday on the Buses — Arthur Rudge
• 1973No Sex Please - We're British — Car Driver
• 1973Soap Opera in Stockwell — Bert
• 1972Blinker's Spy-Spotter — Policeman
• 1972Mutiny on the Buses — Arthur Rudge
• 1972That's Your Funeral — 2nd Funeral Director
• Justice — Eddie
• 1971On the Buses — Arthur Rudge
• 1971Villain — Barzun
• 1971Zeppelin — Cockney Sergeant
• 1970All the Way Up — Taxi Driver
• 1970The Hunting of Lionel Crane — Sergeant Billings
• 1970The Looking Glass War — Truck Driver
• 1969Crossplot — Garage Attendant
• Department S — Burton
• ITV Saturday Night Theatre — Michael Vint
• Judge Dee
• On the Buses — Arthur Rudge
• The Main Chance — Gerry Baxter
• 1969Till Death Us Do Part — Fred
• 1968Horizontal Hold — TV Repairman
• 1968The Drummer and the Bloke — Jack
• 1968Up the Junction — Figgins
• Callan
• Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
• 1967The Whisperers — Mr Noonan
• You Can't Win
• 1965Dead Man's Chest — Sergeant Harris
• Gideon's Way — Smith
• Londoners — Shaw
• The Man in Room 17 — C.P.O. Bradshaw
• The Wednesday Thriller — Clerk of the Court
• Thirty-Minute Theatre — Harris
• 1964Act of Murder — Van Driver
• 1964Children of the Damned — (uncredited)
• 1964Rattle of a Simple Man — George (organiser)
• Redcap — Private Pendlebury
• Sherlock Holmes
• Story Parade — Edward Cowley
• 1964The Bargee — Bargee
• 1964The Bone Yard — Sergeant Strickland
• The Count of Monte Cristo — Caderousse
• The Four Seasons of Rosie Carr — Dave
• The Wednesday Play — Sergeant Strickland, Albert Barking, Jack, Henry Whittaker, Sergeant Billings
• Theatre 625 — Tom
• Crane — Jennings
• Doctor Who — Richard Mace
• 1963What a Crazy World — Percy
• 1962A Prize of Arms — Orford
• 1962Lunch Hour — Harris
• Studio 4 — Humphrey Place
• The Saint — Harry, Smith
• 1962You in Your Small Corner — Georgie
• Z-Cars
• 1961Danger! Men Working — Second Labourer
• The Avengers — Henry Farrow, Cavell
• Edgar Wallace Mysteries — Sergeant Harris
• No Hiding Place
• Armchair Theatre — Dave
• Dixon of Dock Green — Charlie Mills