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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
November 14, 1930
Died
December 11, 1992
Place of Birth
London, England, UK
Michael Robbins
0.5 Popularity
Biography
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?
Known For
0.0
Richard Mace (archive footage)
The Ties That Bind Us
2008
7.2
Thias Bede
Adam Bede
1992
0.0
Mr Killick
The Man In The Long Black Coat
1991
7.1
Twelvetrees Senior
You Rang, M'Lord?
1990
7.6
One Foot in the Grave
1990
4.3
The Fat Man
Just Ask for Diamond
1988
7.4
Mad Eddie
The New Statesman
1987
0.0
Bill
Lost In London
1985
7.8
Rail Worker
In Sickness and in Health
1985
6.4
Simmons
Dempsey and Makepeace
1985
Credits
The Ties That Bind Us
as Richard Mace (archive footage)
2008
0.0
Adam Bede
as Thias Bede
1992
7.2
The Man In The Long Black Coat
as Mr Killick
1991
0.0
You Rang, M'Lord?
as Twelvetrees Senior
1990
7.1
One Foot in the Grave
1990
7.6
Just Ask for Diamond
as The Fat Man
1988
4.3
The New Statesman
as Mad Eddie
1987
7.4
Lost In London
as Bill
1985
0.0
In Sickness and in Health
as Rail Worker
1985
7.8
Dempsey and Makepeace
as Simmons
1985
6.4
🎬
Fairly Secret Army
as Sgt. Major Throttle
1984
5.0
The Bill
1984
6.7
🎬
Fresh Fields
as Mr. Pringle
1984
6.7
The Merry Wives of Windsor
as Nym
1982
8.0
Victor/Victoria
as Manager of Victoria's Hotel
1982
7.3
The Bounder
as Bert
1982
6.3
Doctor Who: The Visitation
as Richard Mace
1982
7.7
🎬
Legacy of Murder
as Marley
1982
0.0
Brendon Chase
as Sergeant Bunting
1982
5.5
The Great Muppet Caper
as Henderson
1981
6.9
The Chinese Detective
1981
7.2
Murder Rap
as Det. Sgt. Praed
1980
0.0
Minder
as McQueen
1979
6.8
The Cannon & Ball Show
as Police Seargent
1979
0.0
🎬
How's Your Father
1979
7.0
The Saint and the Brave Goose
as Beeky
1979
0.0
Dick Turpin
as Sgt. Bullock
1979
7.5
Return of the Saint
as Beeky
1978
7.0
Mixed Blessings
as Fred Fachetti
1978
6.2
Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle
as Pumphrey
1977
5.5
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
as Jarvis
1976
6.9
George and Mildred
1976
6.8
Rumpole of the Bailey
as Cyril Timson
1975
6.9
The Good Life
as Mr. Bulstrode
1975
7.6
The Sweeney
as Kevin Lee
1975
7.8
Man About the House
as Doorman
1974
4.7
Thick As Thieves
1974
6.7
Soap Opera in Stockwell
as Bert
1973
0.0
🎬
Black and Blue
as Bert
1973
6.0
No Sex Please - We're British
as Car Driver
1973
5.0
Holiday on the Buses
as Arthur Rudge
1973
7.4
That's Your Funeral
as 2nd Funeral Director
1972
2.3
Mutiny on the Buses
as Arthur Rudge
1972
7.4
Blinker's Spy-Spotter
as Policeman
1972
0.0
Justice
as Eddie
1971
6.0
On the Buses
as Arthur Rudge
1971
6.3
Villain
as Barzun
1971
6.1
Zeppelin
as Cockney Sergeant
1971
6.0
All the Way Up
as Taxi Driver
1970
6.0
The Hunting of Lionel Crane
as Sergeant Billings
1970
0.0
The Looking Glass War
as Truck Driver
1970
5.5
Crossplot
as Garage Attendant
1969
5.4
Department S
as Burton
1969
5.0
The Main Chance
as Gerry Baxter
1969
7.7
Judge Dee
1969
5.0
On the Buses
as Arthur Rudge
1969
7.2
Till Death Us Do Part
as Fred
1969
7.2
🎬
Horizontal Hold
as TV Repairman
1968
0.0
🎬
The Drummer and the Bloke
as Jack
1968
0.0
Up the Junction
as Figgins
1968
6.1
The Whisperers
as Mr Noonan
1967
6.4
Callan
1967
7.0
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
1967
3.5
You Can't Win
1966
0.0
Adam Adamant Lives!
1966
7.5
Dead Man's Chest
as Sergeant Harris
1965
5.7
The Man in Room 17
as C.P.O. Bradshaw
1965
5.3
Londoners
as Shaw
1965
0.0
Gideon's Way
as Smith
1965
6.8
Rattle of a Simple Man
as George (organiser)
1964
5.2
Redcap
1964
6.0
The Count of Monte Cristo
as Gaspard Caderousse
1964
0.0
The Bone Yard
as Sergeant Strickland
1964
0.0
Act of Murder
as Van Driver
1964
6.0
Sherlock Holmes
1964
6.6
Theatre 625
as Tom
1964
7.2
🎬
Story Parade
as Edward Cowley
1964
8.0
The Bargee
as Bargee
1964
6.9
Children of the Damned
1964
6.1
Doctor Who
as Richard Mace
1963
7.9
What a Crazy World
as Percy
1963
6.2
🎬
Crane
as Jennings
1963
0.0
A Prize of Arms
as Orford
1962
6.5
The Saint
as Harry
1962
7.4
The Saint
as Smith
1962
7.4
You in Your Small Corner
as Georgie
1962
0.0
🎬
Studio 4
as Humphrey Place
1962
6.0
Z-Cars
1962
7.0
Lunch Hour
as Harris
1962
6.8
Danger! Men Working
as Second Labourer
1961
0.0
The Avengers
as Henry Farrow
1961
7.7
The Avengers
as Cavell
1961
7.7
No Hiding Place
1959
3.7
Dixon of Dock Green
as Charlie Mills
1955
5.3