For Bill this was just sexual experimentation, and he would later reject a sexual relationship with Stanley, preferring women. 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. Baxter resolved to repress his sexuality when he returned to Glasgow two years later to live, as he put it, 'as a straight actor'. Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web! 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. It was absolutely selfish. No. So, no pantos either then? Hes always quite pernickety about who hell speak to, which is why I dont want to say too much about him at the moment. But rejection and the stress of his double life had chewed away his confidence. We became close, without it ever being more than friendship.'. So he must have felt a shiver when the waspish diaries of his late friend Kenneth Williams were published two years ago. If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. I sloped away to look around some of them, then went for some Fishermans Bake and a pint at the local pub, feeling pretty miserable. but hes never done one. The more I got to know of her I realised she was a lovely person, a woman of enormous heart.. Anybody who has acquired that kind of carapace is not going to come on like John Inman, rushing out of a closet, shouting, Im free! They have prided themselves on conducting their life with dignity.. It was more than weakness. 'Silly boy,' the actor noted pithily in his diary. Then youve got the orchestra, and dancers. I wondered if I could have a word? And there he was, coming up the steps to the door. When he called her from the airport, on his return to the UK several weeks later, she didn't answer. He was happy to talk about the Scottish approach to pantomime, with its emphasis on storyline and tradition, but declined to talk about Baxter as a person. The truth is, I dont really want to be me.. A life without stress you cannae whack it! He said: Anybody would be insane to choose to live such a very difficult life. The star, who is best known for his self-titled comedy shows and his childrens TV series Mr Majeika, stepped away from the spotlight 25 years ago. I didn't want to know, but gradually I was falling in love.'. 'Thankfully Moira was very understanding. In a 1963 entry, Williams described Baxter as disarming, honest, charming and hilariously funny all at once. When he stopped doing TV spectaculars, we were told that everybody had an eye on the clock because the clock meant money. Facebook gives people the power. And after nearly a year of thinking about this man, after all the work I had done to find him, I had absolutely no idea what to say. Actor Stanley Baxter, 94, has bravely come out as gay and opened up about how his sexuality impacted his relationship with his wife Moira Robertson, who died in 1997. Yet there is one celebrity who has bucked the trend. There was no answer. You can unsubscribe at any time. 'He just liked the look of me, I guess,' Baxter says, 'which wasn't always the way with Kenny and people. Mary Brennan sees nothing surprising about Baxter being so jealous of his privacy. Possibly even liberation is distasteful, because it encourages people to come out and make features of themselves, whereas your social and sexual life should be, as Noel Coward had it, behind closed doors. Anxious, he took a taxi to the house. Mit unserem einfachen Abonnement erhalten Sie Zugriff auf die besten Inhalte von Getty Images und iStock . This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Stanley Baxter was born on May 24, 1926 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He is an absolute control freak, said the critic Mary Brennan. The star penned: "Anybody would be insane to choose to live such a very difficult life. The pair developed a closeness that meant when they weren't working they enjoyed a movie or dinner together. Her husband's career blossomed, with a series of cinema roles that led to star billing in films such as The Fast Lady. Birth sign: Gemini. You're not much fun any more. And the sex was fine not rockets going off or anything.. And he met Moira Robertson, a 22-year-old who had worked her way up from the wardrobe department to the stage. After all, the pair had spent endless hours discussing sexuality, preferences and honesty. As one critic wrote: The joke is not that Stanley Baxter is dressed up as a woman. Moira didn't ever leap anywhere, he says softly. 'I. Kenneth Williams certainly thought so. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to It was all very selfish of me and a bit macho. Once stardom had been achieved, he limited his television appearances and won an unusual amount of power over how they were made. Then one night she invited me for my favourite spaghetti up to her little rented flat at 65 Clouston Street and I was seduced back into bed again., The appetite sated, Stanley reckoned the only way to break off the relationship once and for all was to be entirely honest with Moira. 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. Whatever changes come into society, they have already learnt discretion. Their relationship was fraught with difficulty Williams called it a very shaky ship but it was underpinned by deep affection. Smiling at me. Das Getty Images Design ist eine eingetragene Marke von Getty Images. This was the defining moment of Stanleys life. It was so long ago, the production team was disbanded straight after the last show, and theres nobody left here who worked on it. Carrying a plastic shopping bag. They moved to London and Moira gave up the theatre, to be a housewife. His performance of Eager Young Husband was the worst he would give in his life. almost as often as a chambermaid turns down bed sheets.'. 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, In the book, he says he. Writer and broadcaster, Interviewer of the Year for the Mail, winner of Radio Academy gold with BBC Radio 4. The star was honest with her about being gay and told her: This would be NO life for you, married to someone who is essentially and primarily homosexual.. Early on, Stanley had hinted at his preference to Moira. LWTs press officer had never even heard of him, but promised to investigate. Could they get me an interview? Despite his success, he had, in fact, always had a certain invisibility. In the front room of Moira Robertsons parents home in Dumbarton, Stanley slowly, cautiously, uttered the words I do. He failed to convince. WHERE do you start, with only a name to go on? He suggested I contact Mentorn Films, who were recording new links for the show. 'There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality,' he says. I never wanted to be gay. 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. We are doing this to improve the experience forour loyalreaders and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. Hes having a holiday with his wife, Moira. Since graduating from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1992, Robertson has been honored with numerous awards for her work as a Tulsa Family Law attorney. Experiences in the Far East during his concert party stint confirmed to the Scot where his heart lay. 'It was real weakness on my part,' he says now. Stanley was up for the challenge. That counts for a lot in this part of north London, where there are more antique shops than newsagents. This was Angus Lennie, once the chef in Crossroads. 'I'm too afraid of what people will think of me,' he said. A public face is no longer enough if youre a public figure. Liked by Moira Robertson. Im not a personality, he once said. Baxter himself often spoke of wanting to die. I dont think I could go on then. You need a knowledgeable advisor and determined advocate. She kept calling for him and my mother wasnt too happy about this. A visit to the local library to see the electoral register confirmed that S stood for Stanley. It was all I ever dreamed of.. He saw Moira frequently, but the fractured marriage was always difficult. She would go off to our bedroom and let me take the one opposite.'. I shouldn't have done, but I did. And he met Moira Robertson, a 22-year-old who had worked her way up from the wardrobe department to the stage. Or just give her the only thing she had ever asked for to be with him. Other cuttings described him as practically a recluse. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. She punched me and my glasses flew off. She would go off to our bedroom and let me take the one opposite.. Stanley Baxter, Actor: Crooks Anonymous. Nigel Dempsters often there, and so are Stanley Baxter and Terry Stamp. 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. In that moment, I thought the world had changed. He later recalled trying to use his scripts to hide hands encrusted with coal dust, an early indication of the self- consciousness that was to become as ingrained as the coal.Invalided out of the mines with an ear problem, Baxter joined the left- wing Unity Theatre in Glasgow. Moura A.J. . Bei kommerzieller Verwendung sowie fr verkaufsfrdernde Zwecke kontaktieren Sie bitte Ihr. There was, it seemed, no prospect of an interview. 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. Could he look really old, like the man in the corner with cigarette ash all down his dark suit? Getting dark. . Many weeks later, I was browsing for biographical material on someone else when I came across an old copy of Whos Who In Television, with an entry on Baxter. HP10 9TY. Profitieren Sie von der globalen Reichweite, datengesttzten Erkenntnissen und einem Netzwerk von ber 340.000 Content-Anbietern von Getty Images, die exklusiv fr Ihre Marke Inhalte erstellen. More info. 96 Stanley naci en Glasgow, Scotland -1 pero desconocemos donde naci Moira Robertson If youve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with theMetro.co.ukentertainment team by emailing [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page wed love to hear from you. And, meanwhile, my deadline had passed, and there were other things to do. She was 69 years old. hed rather not do them. Kenneth Williams was among the first to be told and he couldnt believe his ears. Very boring!' He was married for 46 years, but beneath his cheerful exterior lies a man tortured by the fact he is gay. In 1959, Stanley realised the writing was on the wall for variety theatre in Scotland and moved to London. He went. I never wanted to be gay. ', To pacify her, Baxter promised they would marry, if she would consent to wait a year. I called his office, who promised to ring back with a comment, but didnt. Today aged 94, he lives as he has for 25 years a virtual recluse at his flat in Highgate Village, North London. In London, Stanley found immediate success with TV satire On The Bright Side. Face full of character. This wasnt unrestrained hyperbole. Hes offered stage plays and everything all the time, but he doesnt want to lock himself into eight performances a week for six months, you know? Comments have been closed on this article. He had to get on with his life. Say sorry? There was no reply from the intercom buzzer. She became disruptive. Certified Fellow since 2006. The tracks had long been covered by this time last year, when Ian Jack, then editor of the Independent on Sunday and (being a Scot) a Stanley Baxter fan, issued his decree. 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. The honeymoon night predictably was a disaster. If it doesn't work out, you just get divorced and you move on. And my father replied with a very heavy voice, No, it's not as easy as that., The following Monday, the Scottish Daily Express wrote of the 'quiet' wedding. (Later in my quest, I rang the clubs charming PR woman. And he said dismissively, 'Oh yes, I've had all my friends'.'. Autumn turning to winter before my eyes, and Stanley Baxter was not at home. We hope you've really thought about how important it is., And I said nonchalantly, Oh, not nowadays. Would it have happened anyway? Just to be with. Stanley went on to claim Moira became very emotional and threatened to jump out of a window following his revelation, so he opted to continue the relationship and get married. Wait and see, was the answer. The rest was silence. Afterwards, I gasped, 'Have you done this before?' There was a sort of obsession.. 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. Meanwhile, Moira had landed part-time work with a milliner but it didnt seem to hold her interest. MORE : Inside the love life and Strictly Come Dancing romances of Giovanni Pernice, MORE : Saira Khan claims lockdown does not work during heated clash with Loose Women co-stars, Brendan Fraser didnt speak to Dwayne The Rock Johnson on set of The Mummy Returns for pretty good reason, Kate Moss talks proudly about nickname she earned in Ireland unaware its actually an insult, Did we hear that right? A tabloid, of course, would not be interested in the finer nuances of relationships, and one can understand why Baxter might have preferred to keep such matters to himself. He told Kenneth Williams as much. The showbiz world is rife with tales of heartbreak, loneliness, wasted talent and regrets. Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Gay men up and down the UK lived in constant fear of having their careers and lives wrecked. Why did Stanley agree to marry Moira? No, you might publish it. There were things he might like to say, but it wouldnt be in keeping to do so. ' Friends suddenly shunned him, fearful of guilt by association. Im going to cut you short. Mildly discouraged, I tried another approach: Melvyn Bragg, who had been head of arts at LWT when Baxter was at his peak. By 1999, he was fearful that an unauthorised biography might be commissioned against his wishes. . And she was very good about letting them go to bed with me. Stanley Baxter is one of my all-time favourites, he said. We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. What could he do? I didn't think that she was ever going to make it very big and I suggested she give it up. British actress Moira Robertson (year of birth unknown-1997) and her husband, British comedian and actor Stanley Baxter, at Clerkenwell Magistrates Court in London, England, 5th March 1962. Stanley confesses that he is not comfortable with his sexuality to this day. A wee'un would surely have grown up with problems and taken drugs.'. He is an intelligent guy, and he likes to know who hes talking to. So funny that hes disappeared. What none but his closest friends realised was that Baxter was desperately unhappy, his personal life a battlefield. Perhaps uniquely, Stanley Baxter has succeeded in making himself invisible. Yes. And then my impulse to pick up the trail again received further encouragement, when, out of the blue, one of the many former associates of Baxter with whom I had placed calls finally decided to ring me back. But fame made his clandestine life even more risky. Since our merger with Granada theres nobody higher up who would have been involved either. But Andy Young, who considers himself a close friend of the couple, insisted that they still lived together. He probably knew the way I felt about him. He couldnt say when Baxter was expected next, but took my number to pass on. This builders daughter and art school graduate was a clever and attractive, if rather ethereal, young woman. 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. One last piece for the Independent on Sunday, The Invisible Man: Searching for the Reclusive Stanley Baxter. 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). A stage smile. . He kept phoning all the time, telling me there was something special between us. 64, I said. He revealed he was worried his career would be over because of the incident before his lawyer got the charge dropped. 'It was partly a feeling of, 'I'll show them,' he admits. I don't wish that to stop. Absolutely not? 'One wounded bird helping to look after another,' Stanley said. Oh yes? Still smiling. Finally, I realised that I would have to let Stanley Baxter rest in peace. He says: Did she carry some hope that I would get off the plane, rush round and save her again? 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. Just to talk to a faithful hand that takes all the chaff and grain together, keeps whats worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blows the rest away. No. The show featured interviews about his life alongside new comedy material including a skit about the Queen's Christmas speech. My mother didnt think any woman was good enough for me [Bessie Baxters principal purpose in life was to grow a showbiz star] but there was more to her criticism of Moira. . And as the years progressed, the medicated Moira and Stanley became close again. Stanley would indeed come to regret it for the rest of his life. They procrastinated for several weeks, then passed me on to Channel 4s press office. And I did love her deeply, in my own way.. Exclusively representing clients who are going through a divorce and . THE LEAVES on the pavement were being sucked upwards by the cold wind, or turned to mush by rain. The veteran Glaswegian actor reveals in his new biography The Real Stanley Baxter, written with his approval by Brian Beacom, that his wife of 45 years Moira Robertson knew about his sexuality and he brought men home with her blessing. . 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. Im not entirely sure who I am. It was time, I decided, to find him myself, face-to-face, in the hope that he might talk. Eccentric. Useless. Exasperated, his ITV television bosses told him they could no longer afford his extravaganzas. He felt guilty when he moved out, unable to share a home with her any longer. Free UK delivery on orders over 15. There was to be no further co-operation. Newspaper interviews were very rare; he never appeared on a chat show. Their new home, a large ground-floor flat, at 73 Clouston Street, was just a few doors along from Moiras previous flat. Television doesnt work like that: budgets and budgets. contact the editor here. Overwhelmed by the knowledge that he was making a mistake that would ruin both their lives, Baxter sat on the wedding bed and sobbed. He was left with a terror of being held up to public shame. Ill be calmer tomorrow. Editors' Code of Practice. Sometimes that provides the extra spurt of energy or imagination needed to unearth a story. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can If I wanted a closer look at him it would have to be on my television on 4 January. My call was answered by Mr White himself, who seemed suspicious of my reasons for ringing. Is it possible that we can have a chat with him? It wasnt like theatres of today, which are heavily populated with gay people. Not Stanleys fee, particularly, but you have to pay the Musicians Union, youve got to pay all the dancers, Equity and so on. I hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think. If he was only prepared to work on the radio these days, could he be a total wreck? Stanley added in the book that he decided to turn down work and ended his career in showbusiness. There was no biography, and no memoir; just a few intriguing references to be found in the published diaries of his close friend Kenneth Williams. Moira was dead on her bed from an overdose. Then, in early autumn, I heard that Channel 4 was working on a compilation of the best of Baxters television shows, to be screened this Christmas. On December 23, 1950, Williams made another note in his diary: 'Stanley wrote to say he is going to marry Moira. Moira asked me what was wrong and I said something about the emotion of it all. His family remained in Glasgow during the Blitz at first, a teenage Stanley and his mother sheltering under a dining table during the bombing. Look, do you mind? 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. Get to know more about our different teams and meet the people behind the business. Organisieren, kontrollieren, verteilen und messen Sie alle Ihre digitalen Inhalte. She's just 18 years old and has already started her astronaut training to be the first person to walk on Mars in 2033. I still dont.". Stanley was later arrested at a public toilet in north London in 1962 on suspicion of soliciting for sex.

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