Actor. Born in Bristol, England, he was the great grand nephew of Louis Pasteur. He attended the University of Dublin and studied at the Yale Drama School. His first noticeable role was as a critically acclaimed portrayal of Caligula in the BBC production of ‘The Caesars’ in 1968. In 1970, he was chosen by Hammer Studios as one of their stable of actors for their flamboyant revival of the horror movie genre. He appeared such films as ‘Taste the Blood of Dracula,’ as Baron Frankenstein in ‘The Horror of Frankenstein’ in 1970, and in ‘Lust for a Vampire’ in 1971. In 1973, he starred as the executive officer in the BBC cult series ‘Moonbase 3’. Perhaps his most recognized role, that of the villain, George Warleggen, in the BBC costume drama ‘Poldark,’ began in 1977 and ran for two series. He spent most of the rest of his career appearing in BBC productions, concluding with the starring role in the series ‘Dear John.’ His final film appearance was in 1989’s ‘King of the Wind.’ In late 1990 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he succumbed after a short battle at age 51. The Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund was registered as a charity in January 1992. (bio by: Iola)