We hope you've really thought about how important it is., And I said nonchalantly, Oh, not nowadays. Absolutely not? Mary Brennan sees nothing surprising about Baxter being so jealous of his privacy. 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. Alpha Events. 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. One of them might be him, I thought. There were few people he could tell of his worries. Baxter would tell the whole truth, on condition that it remained a secret. Alec Guinness and John Gielgud had both been charged with Importuning. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Waiting around outside the entrance to the flats where he lived was making me feel like a burglar casing the joint. Stanley Baxter. Stanley Baxter as panto dame May 1985:Baxter was desperately unhappy, his personal life a battlefield as he constantly lived in dread of being exposed in the press as a gay man. Doesnt he do interviews at all? In the front room of Moira Robertsons parents home in Dumbarton, Stanley slowly, cautiously, uttered the words I do. He failed to convince. The critics loved it. 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. Moira wasnt entirely unhappy with the situation. That would seem to indicate that there might be a return at some point, even just a one-off? Thats a difficult question. 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. The pair developed a closeness that meant when they weren't working they enjoyed a movie or dinner together. No. I sat on the edge of the bed and sobbed my heart out, he admits. Baxter is appearing on a charges of soliciting and public indecency. There was no answer. Hes never done a chat show in his life. Stanley Baxter was born on May 24, 1926 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. A loved one. Exasperated, his ITV television bosses told him they could no longer afford his extravaganzas. I told him of how she was slipping into little overdoses, and I would be going round to see her and reviving her. Other cuttings described him as practically a recluse. To pre-empt that, he agreed to let me tell his story . She would turn up at the stage door in Glasgow, unannounced. No, for the reason I just gave. If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. In an extract publicised by The Scotsman, Stanley said he tried to split from Moira, who died in 1997, when she wanted to get married. There was nothing like his dames, who entered in outfits sumptuous enough for Danny LaRue, but who could drop into rough Glaswegian patois at a moments notice. Say sorry? His last was Mother Goose, at the Kings Theatre, Glasgow, in 1991. I like to retreat into playing other people. And she was very good about letting them go to bed with me. But although the urgency had gone, the curiosity remained. Tragically, however, in 1997, the year Princess Diana died, Moira took her own life. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. But in joining the Citz and aiming for the stars (however small his initial parts were as an Assistant Stage Manager) the young actor realised his sexuality could prove to be his downfall. We need you! 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. 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. He is an intelligent guy, and he likes to know who hes talking to. Choosing to eliminate the obvious first, I checked the phone book. A Scottish national treasure. We like to think we can find out anything about anyone, as a matter of professional pride, and the challenge of doing so can get under your skin. You mustn't let that worry you. One diary entry, for March 1954, described Baxter as suspicious and ungenerous and said that being with him was like sitting on an oven. Anyone trying to hide will be photographed from a distance or forced on to daytime television. It was so long ago, the production team was disbanded straight after the last show, and theres nobody left here who worked on it. ' Friends suddenly shunned him, fearful of guilt by association. Getting dark. Overwhelmed by the knowledge that he was making a mistake that would ruin both their lives, Baxter sat on the wedding bed and sobbed. You. By 1999, he was fearful that an unauthorised biography might be commissioned against his wishes. I turned to walk away. But she did mention several times there was something wrong with Moira, that her emotional balance wasn't quite right. She wandered, like Ophelia through Hamlet, but she would have moved to the ends of the earth for me.. She now had to be a housewife, which she found very frustrating. but a Yorkshire accent. The truth is, I dont really want to be me.. In January 1962, he visited the public toilets in Madras Place, Holloway, hoping to pick up a man for casual sex. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. 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. And if I don't have a career, what do I have?' 'There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality,' he says. Stanley Baxter specials became vanishingly rare: one at Christmas 1976, the next at Easter 1979. His wife Moira, from whom he was separated, was tormented by mental illness and had attempted suicide by cutting her wrists in the bath. But even today he finds it difficult to discuss the case, referring to it as 'le scandale'. No. Stanley added in the book that he decided to turn down work and ended his career in showbusiness. When he sat down on a streetcar bench between a priest and a woman with a hat box on her lap, he suddenly saw another female rider in front of him lose her clothes (through a double-exposure dissolve), and then his seat-mates on his right and left turned female without clothes. but not to publish it. 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. London. It was partly a feeling of I'll show them, that I could be as heterosexual as the rest of them.. Millions were scandalised and breathless with laughter. I still dont. If I wanted a closer look at him it would have to be on my television on 4 January. He had his chance to make a clean break, to move on alone. Moura A.J. But unknown to the world, Granny and the eponymous hero had decided to marry. And I said Well, it does worry me. 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.. And your editor. How much had the big television specials cost to make? The pulleys were always full of stuff., Moira was more Dora from David Copperfield than Glaswegian domestic goddess. From beyond the grave, Williams talked about him more frankly and perhaps imaginatively than any living friend would. .Baxter was born in Glasgow in 1928, and raised in the genteel suburb of Kelvinside. I felt I had to be very careful not to allow anyone a glimpse of my predilection.. Can I call you tomorrow, then, to see if youve changed your mind? There had been no mystery about the retirement, said Lennie, who talked about the physical demands of changing costumes so often. Everythings being raked around in here ready for Christmas. 'She probably felt if she praised me I'd try less hard. But she ignored the signs. Could they get me an interview? Is there any likelihood of that happening? 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. He relished the opportunity to live in pristine order, with a housekeeper to keep the place spotless. He loved the applause 'a hundred people shouting 'Bravo' and I'm beating the adults to the prizes'. I thought she would be still be heartbroken. Recluse. He went on: Thankfully Moira was very understanding. The Real Stanley Baxter by Brian Beacom is published by Luath Press Ltd, 20. Jacobs convinced the court that Baxter could not have been 'soliciting' when he was arrested because, apart from two policemen, there was no one else in the lavatories. Beaten with sticks.'. He rang back the next day, but the news was bad. The most outrageously funny man on British television 50 years ago was Stanley Baxter. In January, 1962, he was focused hard on his career. Well see what happens. He was left with a terror of being held up to public shame. That was that. He had recorded a radio version of Compton Mackenzies book, Whisky Galore! 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. Retirement, at the relatively early age of 63, was total. In London, Stanley found immediate success with TV satire On The Bright Side. It was becoming obvious that the real Stanley Baxter was as studiously hidden as his Lycra supports. Scots who never visit a theatre for the rest of the year still find their way to the panto, where the scenarios and jokes have the familiarity of ritual. So he decided that rather than cut his cloth down because hes not a stand-up Channel 4 comedian, is he? And it worked. And although she was a good cook, she wasn't very good at washing. She was far more bohemian than me.' Vergrern Sie die Reichweite Ihrer Marke authentisch und teilen Sie Markeninhalte mit Kreativen im Internet. There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality, fairly happy with who they are. What had happened to Stanley Baxter? Baxter appeared alongside Jimmy Logan and Rikki Fulton in extravagantly-produced shows with Ziegfeld-scale sets and dancing girls, but also made his first BBC television appearance in 1951. Club gossip suggested that he preferred the bigger and busier squash changing- rooms to those by the poolside, and was a bit of a loner.) After the couple tied the knot, Stanley said they had a pact which permitted him to bring men to the house they shared. I still dont.". The changing weather had given me a cold, so the stout went straight to my head, and the meal was tasteless. Brian Beacom 2020. Once stardom had been achieved, he limited his television appearances and won an unusual amount of power over how they were made. He had to get on with his life. She may have worshipped Stanley but she never got herself worked up if her husbands white shirts were dry in the morning or not. And there he was, coming up the steps to the door. Finally, I realised that I would have to let Stanley Baxter rest in peace. Hes having a holiday with his wife, Moira. But fame made his clandestine life even more risky. As his mother Bessie, a blacksmith's daughter, accompanied him on the piano, the boy belted out saucy music hall numbers with titles such as I'm One Of The Lads Of Valencia: 'You can't beat a Spaniard for kissing, Oh ladies, just think what you're missing!' Dunoon, Scotland, United Kingdom. Then youve got the orchestra, and dancers. Clerical Office Worker. I guess I had come to really like Moira. 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. How? Having worked using SpineCor Scoliosis bracing for the past 10 years in combination with other treatment options the results have been positive. But Baxter's anxieties were channelled into his work, and his perfectionist instincts became overwhelming. His agent advised him to engage the celebrity barrister David Jacobs, who had recently won a libel case for Liberace when a newspaper implied the flamboyant entertainer was gay. She was 69 years old. 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. But rejection and the stress of his double life had chewed away his confidence. Writer and broadcaster, Interviewer of the Year for the Mail, winner of Radio Academy gold with BBC Radio 4. The spotlight was his. Birth sign: Gemini. It was more than weakness. hed rather not do them. After 11 months of waiting, I was becoming frustrated. What Williams didnt know, however, was the pressure Stanley had been under. But there was no chance of a reconciliation. He told Moira the relationship was over. heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment. Bringing businesses together in the emerging, disruptive technology space across; FinTech, Quantum Technologies and Quantitative Trading Technologies through face to face and virtual meetings and events. View Moira Robertson's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. He was married for 46 years, but beneath his cheerful exterior lies a man tortured by the fact he is gay. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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.. If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. Their new home, a large ground-floor flat, at 73 Clouston Street, was just a few doors along from Moiras previous flat. If he was only prepared to work on the radio these days, could he be a total wreck? Having made it big south of the border, he regularly returned to direct and star in big-budget productions. Managing a portfolio of SME clients across a range of sectors and complexities. What none but his closest friends realised was that Baxter was desperately unhappy, his personal life a battlefield. Wait and see, was the answer. This would be NO life for you, married to someone who is essentially and primarily homosexual!, Moira's reaction was surprising, even to those who knew how liberal she was. And she never knew of the window ledge incident. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. Especially when youre in high heels, do you know what I mean? Experiences in the Far East during his concert party stint confirmed to the Scot where his heart lay. Stanley was freaked out at my turning up at his house. 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. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. What it did entail was years of loneliness, beginning on their honeymoon night. Well, I spoke to your television company, and they said you might be doing some soon. Express. I think it was probably fashionable at the time to get married even if there were undercurrents of other things that people didnt realise about, said Mr Young. But not a complete no: perhaps, hed said, perhaps yours will be the one. But he did not understand what he was feeling till he met Bill Henry, a schoolmate with blond hair and a taste for intellectual books. One of Scotland's greatest comedians has come out as gay but admitted: "I never wanted to be, I still don't." Stanley Baxter, 94, said that he and his wife, Moira Robertson, knew that he was. where are we up to? Managing Director. Instead, Baxter told Moira he could no longer live with her. 'I'm not. She called him her Sonny Boy and, as his precocious talent emerged, had him perform at every family gathering. Moira tried to take her own life on two occasions. OK. Goodbye. 'One wounded bird helping to look after another,' Stanley said. I don't wish that to stop. But it was because I knew I'd made the biggest mistake of my life.. 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. Fine, I said. 64, I said. He returned to the BBC but, after a one-off in 1986 in which he played 37 roles (including Mae West, whom he first impersonated aged six), that contract also ended. Im not. As one critic wrote: The joke is not that Stanley Baxter is dressed up as a woman. Yet my interest had been rekindled, my hopes raised, before being dashed against the same old stonewalling. WHERE do you start, with only a name to go on? 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. 'Silly boy,' the actor noted pithily in his diary. 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. And what does the master of disguise look like now? Moira Robertson was the wife of actor Stanley Baxter. One night on his way home he was arrested after being entrapped by North London police in a toilet and charged with Importuning. I explained a great part of the problem was Moira. And I did love her deeply, in my own way.. 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. He took an immediate shine to Baxter. Surely his peers would wish to pay homage? "Thankfully Moira was very understanding. Its just prohibitive, you know, because they were such big specials. This was going nowhere. . I rang David White again the following morning. He probably knew the way I felt about him. His agent was still stonewalling, and his old television company had forgotten him. In 1970, with The Stanley Baxter Show a huge BBC hit, he moved out of their house and took the apartment in Highgate Village that would be his refuge for the rest of his life. Moiras role, however, was reduced from Actress to Wife. There was an S Baxter in that area, with an address. Baxter is appearing on a charges of. Award-winning interviewer, writer and broadcaster. How could it happen? Sharing his guilt at the time, the veteran actor wrote: "I couldn't entertain such a thought [marriage] and I felt the relationship simply had to stop, so I broke it off. 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. 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