And, yes, the address I had was the correct one. Stanley was up for the challenge. . WHEN DOES curiosity become intrusion? Overwhelmed by the knowledge that he was making a mistake that would ruin both their lives, Baxter sat on the wedding bed and sobbed. Doesnt he do interviews at all? He went on to star in a children's series called Mr Majeika, about a schoolteacher who is actually a wizard. Perhaps it was time to forget it, let him be. 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. When his friend Kenneth Williams's diaries were published posthumously in the early Nineties, he fought a legal battle to ensure nothing about his sex life was printed. In December at the Citz, Stanley and Moira starred in the Christmas panto Red Riding Hood (Stanley played Granny McNiven, Moira played Red Riding Hood). Her reaction was dramatic. Therapy proved useless: his psychiatrist, learning that he was married, advised him simply to return to his wife. And your editor. How much had the big television specials cost to make? He had his chance to make a clean break, to move on alone. I shouldn't have done, but I did. 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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. He felt guilty for the many affairs and the new partners. Can you just tell me, finally, what city he lives in? Bill had girlfriends, but he spent almost all his spare time at the Baxter house, sitting in Stanley's bedroom and talking till the small hours about art and philosophy, 'until we fell asleep, exhausted'. Is there any likelihood of that happening? What else did I expect? And if I don't have a career, what do I have?' A nice, professional no. In a 1963 entry, Williams described Baxter as disarming, honest, charming and hilariously funny all at once. 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. Award-winning interviewer, writer and broadcaster. But it was a whole new experience. 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. Im not. They would meet for lunch every day. No. She would turn up at the stage door in Glasgow, unannounced. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please Television doesnt work like that: budgets and budgets. Stanley Baxter. A visit to the local library to see the electoral register confirmed that S stood for Stanley. It was so long ago, the production team was disbanded straight after the last show, and theres nobody left here who worked on it. And although she was a good cook, she wasn't very good at washing. 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. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Of all those stories, it is hard to imagine anything more sad than this one. Yes, there would be a show. I felt I had to be very careful not to allow anyone a glimpse of my predilection.. 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. A lot is at stake, including your children, your assets, and your financial future. Baxter was charged with soliciting for sex. 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. His relationship with Marcus deepened and continued until the younger man died of lung cancer four years ago, though the two never lived together. Moura A.J. Perhaps that is why hardly anyone noticed when, after 1985, he left the television spotlight altogether, just as the glare was getting hotter. Gay men up and down the UK lived in constant fear of having their careers and lives wrecked. 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. I guess I had come to really like Moira. To order a copy for 17.60 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. There was no answer. Just to be with. Well see what happens. Published by Luath Press Ltd, 20. Moira didn't ever leap anywhere, he says softly. Baxter had done Shakespeare, and in 1969 he appeared alongside Sir Ralph Richardson in the original cast of Joe Ortons last play, What The Butler Saw. 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. If there was one place where he could still feel at home, it was the world of Scottish pantomime. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. It said, words to the effect of, 'I'll let you off if you don't want to marry me'. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. She was far more bohemian than me.' So funny that hes disappeared. We need you! His heart raced as he rushed towards her and pulled her back. Baxter resolved to repress his sexuality when he returned to Glasgow two years later to live, as he put it, 'as a straight actor'. But Baxter's anxieties were channelled into his work, and his perfectionist instincts became overwhelming. He says: Did she carry some hope that I would get off the plane, rush round and save her again? She had thought about becoming an actress herself and was very supportive of her childrens aspirations for the stage: Baxter put aside thoughts of teaching to go into the theatre, while his sister went off to work as an actress in Australia, under the name of Alice Dale.Baxter had already begun broadcasting on the wireless at the age of 14, and continued doing so even after he was called up at 17 to help the war effort by going down the mines. His agent was still stonewalling, and his old television company had forgotten him. She's just 18 years old and has already started her astronaut training to be the first person to walk on Mars in 2033. You. 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. British actress Moira Robertson and her husband, British comedian and actor Stanley Baxter, at Clerkenwell Magistrates Court in London, England, 5th March 1962. You can unsubscribe at any time. Looking up at me, expecting me to speak. Later, they decamped to an island outside the city. Early on she used to say, That woman's following you around like a wee dug! And she was right. I rang David White again the following morning. I really dont. Stanleys marriage to Moira became difficult over the next few years, as she struggled with mental health issues and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. But even today he finds it difficult to discuss the case, referring to it as 'le scandale'. . The most outrageously funny man on British television 50 years ago was Stanley Baxter. So he wouldnt talk to a newspaper, even over the phone? 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. Nobody would tell me. Should I have taken her to Cyprus? She then went to their new Glasgow flat to cook spaghetti for his supper.". "There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality, fairly happy with who they are. That counts for a lot in this part of north London, where there are more antique shops than newsagents. Optimieren Sie Ihren Workflow mit unserem erstklassigen Digitalen Asset Management System. Brian Beacom 2020. Surely his peers would wish to pay homage? Editors' Code of Practice. He is an absolute control freak, said the critic Mary Brennan. Tanned and fit-looking, straight-backed, with his broad face exactly as it was on the television years ago, eyes that were calm but curious, and slightly sparkling. 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. He adds that he only agreed not to break things off when she threatened to jump out the window of their flat. Ive been in audiences where women in their sixties would sit there and say, with absolute envy: Ooh, look at them legs. Her favourite memory is of one entrance in full rig, with craggy face underneath what looked like a mound of candyfloss. Why did Stanley agree to marry Moira? I was just ringing for you. No. His wife Moira, from whom he was separated, was tormented by mental illness and had attempted suicide by cutting her wrists in the bath. I never wanted to be gay. Stanley and Moira worked on a range of productions at the Citz together but the spring of 1949 saw the company move down to Ayr for the summer season and Stanley and Moira had lots of fun together. Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. Your Trusted Advocate. No. Stanley was bringing the values of a different time and place into a world that had changed. Er, or something like it. 'I didn't want to bring any child into the world who suffered what I suffered. Mildly discouraged, I tried another approach: Melvyn Bragg, who had been head of arts at LWT when Baxter was at his peak. It was in CSE that Baxter met openly gay men for the first time. Sometimes it can blur ones sense of right and wrong. Rushing to the window of their second storey flat, she climbed out onto the ledge and shouted, 'If I can't have you then I won't settle for anyone else. 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. And she never knew of the window ledge incident. But he hadnt been in that afternoon. No mention of his wife, Moira, though. We hope you've really thought about how important it is., And I said nonchalantly, Oh, not nowadays. Having made it big south of the border, he regularly returned to direct and star in big-budget productions. Stanley Baxter has come out as gay at the age of 94. Yes, as a 14-year-old hed had a frolic with the maid (despite living in a West End tenement Bessie Baxter insisted upon live-in help) but this was an entirely new adventure. Aug 2017 - Aug 20225 years 1 month. He probably knew the way I felt about him. People who knew you knew the shorthand and the jargon. Moiras death left Stanley bereft. He met Moira daily for lunch. Stanley was later arrested at a public toilet in north London in 1962 on suspicion of soliciting for sex. His family remained in Glasgow during the Blitz at first, a teenage Stanley and his mother sheltering under a dining table during the bombing. They moved to London and Moira gave up the theatre, to be a housewife. She became disruptive. THE PRICE of fame seems to have shot through the roof; just ask Michael Barrymore or Gazza. Baxter himself often spoke of wanting to die. 'She told me she was hearing voices,' Baxter says. There's no doubt about that. Just let me ask you one thing. Pull out the pin, and its every man for himself. No, you might publish it. There were things he might like to say, but it wouldnt be in keeping to do so. 'I got into this business to be loved. It was absolutely selfish. No. Millionen hochwertiger Bilder, Videos und Musiktracks warten auf Sie. 'I'm too afraid of what people will think of me,' he said. He never appeared as himself. They all wanted him: Aspel, Parkinson. My dad said This is a very big step you're taking, Stanley. Rather than resolve the issue, I let it slip. She may have worshipped Stanley but she never got herself worked up if her husbands white shirts were dry in the morning or not. Yes. In that moment, I thought the world had changed. It was all very selfish of me and a bit macho. And he turned it down. 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