Ron Bain Born: March 12, 1945; Died: August 5, 2024 Ron Bain, who has died aged 79, was an actor and a theatre and television director. But more importantly he was an almost unique person in showbusiness in that he was universally loved. Taggart star Alex Norton recalls a tale which highlights his friend Ron Bain’s character.
“I’d known of Ron for some time even before I came into the business , he was already so well established. But I worked with him for the first time when he directed me in a (dark comedy) BBC series called Bad Boys. And one scene called for my character to be threatened by this big gorilla gangster, played by Jimmy Cosmo, who comes storming into my snooker hall.
“Anyway, as the gorilla battered his way in, I moved back, fell onto a chair and the sheer terror in me sent the chair backwards. It was a funny scene, but I thought it could be funnier if I played out the rest of the scene with me on the floor, too terrified to get back up again. Ron initially said no, but I nudged him, and he came round to the idea and said we could have a go.
“And it worked. It was really funny, and Ron acknowledged the idea was great. But the point is, a lot of directors wouldn’t have listened in the first place.
They often seem to know best. That wasn’t Ron at all. He was a lovely man, a real professional who was prepared to listen.
” Norton adds; “And I think being an actor really helped. He understood the process.” Read more Obituary: 'I was pushing my ab.