But he didnt tackle the issue. Whether your divorce is contested or uncontested, Tulsa Divorce Attorney Moura Robertson has the . At close range, under the cap and behind the scarf, he turned out to be an elderly woman. Anybody who has acquired that kind of carapace is not going to come on like John Inman, rushing out of a closet, shouting, Im free! They have prided themselves on conducting their life with dignity.. Baxter resolved to repress his sexuality when he returned to Glasgow two years later to live, as he put it, 'as a straight actor'. One night on his way home he was arrested after being entrapped by North London police in a toilet and charged with Importuning. ', Stanley and Moira (left and right) on their honeymoon in London in 1952. He had indeed dreamed of being a professional actor since appearing on stage as a seven-year-old at local talent contests. .Baxter was born in Glasgow in 1928, and raised in the genteel suburb of Kelvinside. This is no mean achievement. She would turn up at the stage door in Glasgow, unannounced. . She danced too in the gardens in Highgate Village, naked. He joined the Citizen's Theatre Company in the Gorbals, an idealistic group performing Ibsen and Shaw to working-class audiences. That never happened: once television began to damage theatre audiences, many serious Scottish actors were forced into variety. There was also a tiny quote from Baxter in the Times of November 1992, about how the role of Principal Boy should only be played by a woman: All those frills. Stanley's wife of over 45 years Moira Robertson died in 1997 (Picture: REX) At a time when being gay was illegal in Britain, the actor would bring men home with his wife's knowledge. My call was answered by Mr White himself, who seemed suspicious of my reasons for ringing. I felt I had to be very careful not to allow anyone a glimpse of my predilection.. IN MARCH 1952, 26-year-old Stanley Baxter, recognised as the brightest young star in the Citizens Theatre Company, made a decision that was to shock his parents, stun his close friend Kenneth Williams and even surprise himself. And I did love her deeply, in my own way.. Anyway, here it is: a piece from a time before the internet or ubiquitous mobiles, when the celebrity age was just beginning but you still had to go to the library to look at the electoral register. Oh, they all varied, said the agent, suddenly sounding irritated. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. There was an S Baxter in that area, with an address. Chic, with hooded eyes, Moira could have been Bette Davis's younger sister. The changing weather had given me a cold, so the stout went straight to my head, and the meal was tasteless. Stanley Baxter is arguably the funniest man and one of the most fetching women in Britain. So, no pantos either then? . . He said, Oh well, if you did I should just follow you. This would be NO life for you, married to someone who is essentially and primarily homosexual!, Moira's reaction was surprising, even to those who knew how liberal she was. I was just ringing for you. Do not sell or share my personal information. He met Moira daily for lunch. Perhaps that is why hardly anyone noticed when, after 1985, he left the television spotlight altogether, just as the glare was getting hotter. 'Silly boy,' the actor noted pithily in his diary. This was going nowhere. His family remained in Glasgow during the Blitz at first, a teenage Stanley and his mother sheltering under a dining table during the bombing. Can you tell me where they are? where are we up to? His father was a branch manager of Commercial Union while his mother would have liked to have been an actress, When the family agreed that acting was respectable his mother took him round halls where he gave renderings of Harry Lauder and Mae West, Schooling eventually came to a stop which disappointed his father who'd wanted him to be a doctor. Actor Stanley Baxter, 94, has bravely come out as gay and opened up about how his sexuality impacted his relationship with his wife Moira Robertson, who died in 1997. Her reaction was dramatic. . He told Moira the relationship was over. And although she was a good cook, she wasn't very good at washing. Anyone who can dress up as Judy Garland with a nose like his and get away with it, has to be a genius. Stanley had to move out, he says, for the sake of his own sanity. Who was this man, who inspired so much silence? 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. Not to the Press. 'I. If she did, she never let on. A nice, professional no. So I asked if he was aware that there had been a piece in the Sun over the summer, calling for Baxter to come back to television. One more try. If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. His biographer Brian Beacom examines why the brilliant Scots entertainer with a thousand faces refused to show his real one to the world. For good. London, England, United Kingdom. But more than that, he feared his fiercely ambitious mother. It was real weakness on my part.. And after nearly a year of thinking about this man, after all the work I had done to find him, I had absolutely no idea what to say. However, it was Moira who was determined to take the relationship to the next stage. The front door was open. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Moira Robertson & Stanley Baxter, 1962 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. So he wouldnt talk to a newspaper, even over the phone? Since our merger with Granada theres nobody higher up who would have been involved either. How? 'Anybody else would have gotten rid of me but she was devoted. It was partly a feeling of I'll show them, that I could be as heterosexual as the rest of them.. Exclusively representing clients who are going through a divorce and . Baxter began his career as a child actor on BBC Scotland and later became known for his British television comedy shows The Stanley Baxter Show, The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, The Stanley Baxter Series and Mr Majeika . If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. If there was one place where he could still feel at home, it was the world of Scottish pantomime. 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. Fine, but not much help to me. "Stanley Baxter and his wife Moira were secretly married in the drawing room of the bride's house in Dumbarton. She's just 18 years old and has already started her astronaut training to be the first person to walk on Mars in 2033. ', Stanley was terrified. On December 23, 1950, Williams made another note in his diary: 'Stanley wrote to say he is going to marry Moira. Since he was a toddler, Bessie had taken him to vaudeville shows. Nobody would tell me. So funny that hes disappeared. As a last shot I rang David White, who said I had been very naughty. But she did mention several times there was something wrong with Moira, that her emotional balance wasn't quite right. Vergrern Sie die Reichweite Ihrer Marke authentisch und teilen Sie Markeninhalte mit Kreativen im Internet. He adds that he only agreed not to break things off when she threatened to jump out the window of their flat. But there was no chance of a reconciliation. But it was a whole new experience. I wrote to Stanley Baxter at his home, requesting an interview. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. He soon gave up any pretence of being faithful, or heterosexual. 'It was then she physically attacked me. Stanley Baxter as the Pantomime Dame in "Jack and the Beanstalk" at the King's Theatre, Glasgow. When he stopped doing TV spectaculars, we were told that everybody had an eye on the clock because the clock meant money. . Managing Director. Brian Beacom 2020. 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. She may have worshipped Stanley but she never got herself worked up if her husbands white shirts were dry in the morning or not. Having made it big south of the border, he regularly returned to direct and star in big-budget productions. Recluse. 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. No. Kenneth asked Stanley what future he could expect if he married Moira Robertson. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images I told her my preference and said, Thats why I am breaking off the relationship. . And she was very good about letting them go to bed with me. There are 30+ professionals named "Moira Robertson", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. She would go off to our bedroom and let me take the one opposite.'. I felt vulnerable. I explained a great part of the problem was Moira. He moved to London eight years later. It was the one and only time she had ever reacted in this way. There are folk who could tell you what kind of Christmas it was by recalling that years panto. The more I got to know of her I realised she was a lovely person, a woman of enormous heart.. After the couple tied the knot, Stanley said they had a pact which permitted him to bring men to the house they shared. But it worried me: was it right to doorstep a man who had worked so hard all his life to keep the private roped off from the public? When he returned, he decided to seek medical treatment for his sexual urges. Stanley Baxter as panto dame May 1985:Baxter was desperately unhappy, his personal life a battlefield as he constantly lived in dread of being exposed in the press as a gay man. Stanley walked through the doors of the Gorbals theatre and into theatre heaven, loving this avant-garde world populated by the likes of Sybil Thorndyke and Duncan Macrae. A porter at the club confirmed that the comedian did swim in the pool most days. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. She wandered, like Ophelia through Hamlet, but she would have moved to the ends of the earth for me.. Too short-sighted for active Army service, he was afraid of being assigned to the merchant navy and the Atlantic convoys, but instead he was ordered to report to the coal pits, as a 'Bevin Boy' one of the conscripted mine workers. Writer and broadcaster, Interviewer of the Year for the Mail, winner of Radio Academy gold with BBC Radio 4. He reckoned it would at least a few years before the couple arrived at Wedding Central. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. He suggested I contact Mentorn Films, who were recording new links for the show. THE PRICE of fame seems to have shot through the roof; just ask Michael Barrymore or Gazza. . Join Facebook to connect with Moira Robertson and others you may know. Baxter is appearing on a charges of. Stanley came out of retirement in 2008 to record a retrospective special about his life for ITV. His relationship with Marcus deepened and continued until the younger man died of lung cancer four years ago, though the two never lived together. This is it, I thought, suddenly breathless. However, Moira was very, very upset. They all wanted him: Aspel, Parkinson. Her husband's career blossomed, with a series of cinema roles that led to star billing in films such as The Fast Lady. I don't want to be involved in this kind of world'. Baxter reveals he spent his entire career hiding his sexuality and discussed the impact it had on his relationship with his wife Moira Robertson, who died in 1997, In the book, he says he. Its a long season in Scotland, it runs from November through to February. ', To pacify her, Baxter promised they would marry, if she would consent to wait a year. Especially when youre in high heels, do you know what I mean? Actor Stanley Baxter, 94, has bravely come out as gay and opened up about how his sexuality impacted his relationship with his wife Moira Robertson, who died in 1997. You know, the same sort of thing as Kenneth Williams. Shall we say affinity, I asked? After all, he was only a comedian, not a criminal or a crooked politician. You need a knowledgeable advisor and determined advocate. By then, he had fallen in love for the first time. Divorce can be one of the most difficult times in your life. The decriminalisation of gay sex between consenting adults was still five years away. He adds, his voice dark: 'The truth is, I don't really want to be me.'. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Offer price valid until 06/11/2020. In 1970, with The Stanley Baxter Show a huge BBC hit, he moved out of their house and took the apartment in Highgate Village that would be his refuge for the rest of his life. She looked up at me, shrugged and said Oh, I don't care about that at all. 'I'm not. At Robertson Baxter, our clients are looked after by a full team of experts, including their adviser, we are consultants, confidantes, life coaches, jargon-busters, family friends - the list goes on!. He is an absolute control freak, said the critic Mary Brennan. Aug 2017 - Aug 20225 years 1 month. A visit to the local library to see the electoral register confirmed that S stood for Stanley. The critics loved it. Tragically, however, in 1997, the year Princess Diana died, Moira took her own life. He directed shows himself, calling extra rehearsals if things were getting even a little sloppy mid-run, and coming down hard on anyone who attempted to ad lib. One of Scotland's greatest comedians has come out as gay but admitted: "I never wanted to be, I still don't." Stanley Baxter, 94, said that he and his wife, Moira Robertson, knew that he was. If he was only prepared to work on the radio these days, could he be a total wreck? I thought, I really hate this. Marcus was a constant support. If youve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with theMetro.co.ukentertainment team by emailing uscelebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page wed love to hear from you. He's willing to let the world decide for itself. Moira tried to take her own life on two occasions. I had felt the relationship simply had to stop, so I broke it off. Footnote from the present day: Stanley came out of retirement the following year, returning to our screens for a short while before slipping away again. The Citz was a heterosexual theatre company. Some of it I knew from later editions: Hobbies: swimming, cycling, reading. With silk gloves up to his armpits and a tiara, he announced himself as the Duchess of Brendagh and delivered a Christmas message that talked of the Queen Mum as a priceless antique. Its such hard, hard work. She became disruptive. A life without stress you cannae whack it! 'I didn't want to bring any child into the world who suffered what I suffered. More info. 'He just liked the look of me, I guess,' Baxter says, 'which wasn't always the way with Kenny and people. Im not being naughty, but no. Another professional acquaintance was prepared to talk anonymously, but only about his retirement (Nureyev kept going until he was censured and taken apart at the seams for coming on stage when he was obviously dying. His last was Mother Goose, at the Kings Theatre, Glasgow, in 1991. But unknown to the world, Granny and the eponymous hero had decided to marry. She was in love with him and Baxter believed he was falling in love with her. But had Moira truly leapt at the idea of leaving Glasgow and friends and family behind? 'I was going to top myself,' he says. There were few people he could tell of his worries. Now that personal publicists are de rigueur for everyone from ministers mistresses to rugby players wives, we may even catch ourselves feeling faintly disapproving at the thought that he might want to do without the oxygen of publicity. Nostrils flaring. Two years into the marriage, relations with Moira were "fine", but the sex was dwindling. Perhaps uniquely, Stanley Baxter has succeeded in making himself invisible. I dont know if you got it? For a journalist, it can be difficult to tell. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. In the past, the journalists job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. And that was that. Moira didn't ever leap anywhere, he says softly. It was absolutely selfish. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . I dont see Stanley ever leaving himself that vulnerable hes too self- obsessed a cookie), not about Baxter the human being. This was Angus Lennie, once the chef in Crossroads. Me, said David White. Just when it was looking hopeless, I discovered a quote from Don Black, the lyricist of Sunset Boulevard, about keeping himself fit at the RAC Club: I take a Turkish bath at the club every Saturday. She called him her Sonny Boy and, as his precocious talent emerged, had him perform at every family gathering. Whatever changes come into society, they have already learnt discretion. In a 1963 entry, Williams described Baxter as disarming, honest, charming and hilariously funny all at once. Er, or something like it. Just let me ask you one thing. 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