Editing John Bird (actor) (section)

===1960s and 1970s===
While studying at Cambridge, Bird met fellow King's student [[John Fortune]]. During the television satire boom of the 1960s, Bird appeared in ''[[That Was the Week That Was]]'' (1962–1963), the title of which he had coined. The stage director [[Ned Sherrin]] intended for him to play [[David Frost]]'s role in the series but Bird was committed elsewhere. He also appeared in the television programmes ''[[Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life]]'' (1964–1965), and ''If It Moves File It'' (1970).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/if_it_moves_file_it/cast_crew/|title=If It Moves, File It Cast and Crew Credits|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>

Bird acted in straight and comic roles in several television series and in films including ''[[My Father Knew Lloyd George (TV programme)|My Father Knew Lloyd George]]'' (1965), ''[[Red, White and Zero|Red and Blue]]'' (1967), ''[[A Dandy in Aspic]]'' (1968), ''[[30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia]]'' (1968), ''[[A Promise of Bed|This, That and the Other]]'' (1969), ''[[Take a Girl Like You (film)|Take A Girl Like You]]'' (1970), ''[[The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (film)|The Seven-Per-Cent Solution]]'' (1976) and ''[[Jabberwocky (film)|Jabberwocky]]'' (1977).<ref name="bfi">{{cite web |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9efd8637 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425225630/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9efd8637 |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 April 2018 |title=John Bird |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=31 December 2022}}</ref> Bird also became an active stage director writer and actor, directing ''The Naming of Murderers’ Rock'' in 1960 at the [[Royal Court Theatre]] in London.<ref name="auto6">{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/efj/the-naming-of-murderers-rock/production/xbv|title=Production of The Naming of Murderers' Rock &#124; Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> He toured with the production ''[[One Over The Eight]]'' in 1961<ref name="auto5">{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/hy8/one-over-the-eight/production/18np|title=Production of One Over the Eight &#124; Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> and appeared in ''Alice in Wonderland'', directed by [[Jonathan Miller]] in 1966.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/155/alice-in-wonderland/production/a5f|title=Production of Alice in Wonderland &#124; Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> His stage career continued into the 1970s, with his writing of the adaptation of ''Council Of Love'' in 1970,<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/7tt/council-of-love/production/15d9|title=Production of Council Of Love &#124; Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> which was shown at the [[Criterion Theatre]] in London, his appearance in ''Who’s Who?'' in 1972 in Guildford and Southsea<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/g58/whos-who/production/11gv|title=Production of Who's Who? &#124; Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref> and in ''[[Habeas Corpus (play)|Habeas Corpus]]'' by [[Alan Bennett]] at the [[Oxford Playhouse]] in 1973, as well as at the [[Lyric Theatre, London|Lyric Theatre]] from 1973 to 1974.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://theatricalia.com/play/4yx/habeas-corpus/production/k8r|title=Production of Habeas Corpus &#124; Theatricalia|website=theatricalia.com}}</ref>

During the 1970s, while [[Idi Amin]] was at the height of his infamy, Bird starred on the album ''[[The Collected Broadcasts of Idi Amin]]'', with lyrics based on [[Alan Coren]]'s anti-Amin ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' columns.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-collected-broadcasts-of-idi-amin-mw0000333589 |title=The Collected Broadcasts of Idi Amin |publisher=allmusic.com |access-date=30 December 2022}}</ref> In 1975 the single "Amazin' Man", from the album, was released on the [[Transatlantic Records|Transatlantic]] label.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} The record stayed for 12 weeks in the [[Australian Singles Chart]], peaking at number 26. In 1975, Bird took the part of Mr Rembrandt in ''[[The Melting Pot (television programme)|The Melting Pot]]'', a sitcom written by [[Spike Milligan]] and [[Neil Shand]]. Milligan played Mr. Van Gogh (in [[Racial brownface|brownface]]) alongside Bird as Mr. Rembrandt, father and son illegal Asian immigrants who are first seen being rowed ashore in England, having been told that the beach is in fact [[Piccadilly Circus]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Mark |last=Duguid |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1108234/index.html |title=Race and the Sitcom |publisher= BFI screenonline |date=2003–14 |access-date=1 January 2022}}</ref> It was cancelled by the BBC after one episode had been broadcast.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Milligan |first1=Spike |author-link1=Spike Milligan |last2=Shand |first2=Neil |author-link2=Neil Shand |title=The Melting Pot |year=1983 |publisher=[[Robson Books]] |location=London |isbn=0-86051-195-2 |at=introductory pages }}</ref> In 1979, Bird played an African chieftain in a cinema commercial for [[Silk Cut]] cigarettes.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=It was Alright in the... |medium=Television production |year=2015 |publisher=[[Objective Productions]], [[Channel 4]] |series=Series 2 Episode 6 "1970s" |url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/it-was-alright-in-the/on-demand/61558-006?intcmp=video_link:bip_ondemand:episodes |via=[[All 4]] |url-access=registration  |location=United Kingdom |editor-last=McLean |editor-first=Adam}}</ref> He played Raymond, a nervous boy who stuttered, in [[Dennis Potter]]'s play ''[[Blue Remembered Hills]]'' which was also broadcast in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6f6bbd73|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023062102/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6f6bbd73|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 October 2020|title=Blue Remembered Hills (1979)|website=BFI}}</ref>