Chubby Oates
{{Short description|British comedian (1942–2006)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Chubby Oates
| birth_name = Arthur John Oates
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|12|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = Bermondsey, London, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2006|11|10|1942|12|23|df=y}}
| death_place = Deal, Kent, England
| occupation = Actor
}}
Arthur ("Chubby") Oates (23 December 1942 – 10 November 2006) was a Cockney clubland comic and character actor.
Life
Born in Bermondsey, South London Oates started out as a reporter for the South London Observer, he shared an office with future editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie.
In the evenings Oates began to perform as a comic and by the early sixties he'd turned professional. He was also a noted pantomime performer usually appearing as the dame. In this capacity he played "Mum" to some of the biggest and best names in showbusiness. He also claimed the record for the heaviest Ugly Sisters when his co-star in a production of "Cinderella" at Yeovil's Octagon Theatre was Steve King. Their combined weight was in excess of 30 stone!
In 1973-74 he co-starred with Fiona Richmond in Pyjama Tops, a long-running Paul Raymond comedy at the Whitehall Theatre. As a character actor Oates appeared in shows such as Doctor Who and Dixon of Dock Green, and also played the coach driver in the cult horror film Killer's Moon (1978). He played a common soldier, providing a monologue in the BBC drama The Devil's Crown also in 1978.
He died in Deal in Kent{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1035847/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t20|title = Chubby Oates| website=IMDb }} on 10 November 2006 aged 63 from diabetic complications and a heart attack after giving a performance at a showbusiness luncheon. Appropriately, one of the last pictures taken of Chubby showed veteran comedy legends Roy Hudd and June Whitfield laughing at a joke Chubby had just cracked.
Filmography
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 1973-1975
| Terry/Man with Dog | 2 episodes |
| 1974
| Policeman | Episode: Planet of the Spiders |
| 1976
| Cyril | 4 episodes |
| rowspan=3|1978
| Common Soldier | Miniseries |
| The Famous Five
| Alfredo | Episode: Five Have a Wonderful Time |
| Killer's Moon
| Bus Driver | |
| 1980
| Cribb | Chairman | Episode: Abracadaver |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=1035847}}
- [https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/chubby-oates-8f5hjwvfxj5 Times obituary].
- [https://theatricalia.com/person/39vm/chubby-oates Chubby Oates] at Theatricalia
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oates, Chubby}}
Category:Actors from the London Borough of Southwark
Category:English male comedians
Category:20th-century English comedians
Category:Comedians from the London Borough of Southwark
Category:Male actors from London
Category:People from Bermondsey
{{UK-comedian-stub}}