A search through the IoS cuttings library unearthed a few mentions of Baxter, one of them an unexpected tribute from Andy Bell, lead singer with the pop group Erasure and another man given to wearing extravagant frocks. We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse. 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 then my impulse to pick up the trail again received further encouragement, when, out of the blue, one of the many former associates of Baxter with whom I had placed calls finally decided to ring me back. She then went to their new Glasgow flat to cook spaghetti for his supper.". Moira meanwhile, had pushed aside question marks against Stanleys sexuality, partly because she adored her boyfriend and loved his talent. STANLEY Baxter has come out as gay, revealing for the first time that his marriage was a faade. A Gannett Company. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Like his previous TV specials, it was a delirious collection of sketches and set-pieces featuring Baxter in character (his meticulously observed parodies of women like Shirley Bassey and Marlene Dietrich were a trademark), complete with spectacular sets and breathtaking changes of costume and make-up. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. And that was that. Yet there is one celebrity who has bucked the trend. Stanley reckoned his wife's place was in the home. He had also appeared alongside Baxter in many Scottish pantomimes, including the comedians last, and was prepared to talk, up to a point. Wherever he is, I wish him well. Er, or something like it. 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 . THE PRICE of fame seems to have shot through the roof; just ask Michael Barrymore or Gazza. And what does the master of disguise look like now? Free UK delivery on orders over 15. And he reads the Independent. The tracks had long been covered by this time last year, when Ian Jack, then editor of the Independent on Sunday and (being a Scot) a Stanley Baxter fan, issued his decree. To pre-empt that, he agreed to let me tell his story . . Alec Guinness and John Gielgud had both been charged with Importuning. 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. I guess I had come to really like Moira. 'She would think the television was talking to her.' However, Moira was very, very upset. And he met Moira Robertson, a 22-year-old who had worked her way up from the wardrobe department to the stage. He's willing to let the world decide for itself. We hope you've really thought about how important it is., And I said nonchalantly, Oh, not nowadays. It was a dark day. heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment. Early on she used to say, That woman's following you around like a wee dug! And she was right. I don't want to be involved in this kind of world'. He plays in Scotland to capacity every time, but thats not the point. Everythings being raked around in here ready for Christmas. contact the editor here. Nostrils flaring. In the past, the journalists job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. She would turn up at the stage door in Glasgow, unannounced. Since he was a toddler, Bessie had taken him to vaudeville shows. 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. In January, 1962, he was focused hard on his career. Hed be a bit suspicious if a tabloid or something like that was trying to turn him over. 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. Liked by Moira Robertson. But it would be wrong to imagine he has found peace. But it was a whole new experience. But she ignored the signs. The lavish, multi-layered dresses worn by classic pantomime dames are built on a bodysuit of gripping Lycra whose fierce constriction can leave the body raw and bruised by the end of each performance. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. But unknown to the world, Granny and the eponymous hero had decided to marry. The pulleys were always full of stuff., Moira was more Dora from David Copperfield than Glaswegian domestic goddess. It had been run over in the street. How would I know what he looked like? Stanleys marriage to Moira became difficult over the next few years, as she struggled with mental health issues and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He told Moira the relationship was over. For Bill this was just sexual experimentation, and he would later reject a sexual relationship with Stanley, preferring women. His last was Mother Goose, at the Kings Theatre, Glasgow, in 1991. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Moira's connections and jobs at similar companies. Yes, was the terse reply. Unknown to Stanley, Moira had ditched her medication and the demons raged again. Oh yes? Still smiling. However he changed his mind when she became very, very upset and appeared to be heartbroken. To order a copy for 17.60 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. moira@scoliosisbracing.co.za +27 76 883 9526 Virginia Way Offices 0 Hamman Street Stellenbosch What none but his closest friends realised was that Baxter was desperately unhappy, his personal life a battlefield. 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. She called him her Sonny Boy and, as his precocious talent emerged, had him perform at every family gathering. At the same time, Moira's mental health deteriorated. The showbiz world is rife with tales of heartbreak, loneliness, wasted talent and regrets. We need you! Why? You're not much fun any more. 'I could be as heterosexual as the rest of them.'. 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. So he must have felt a shiver when the waspish diaries of his late friend Kenneth Williams were published two years ago. Say sorry? I felt I had to be very careful not to allow anyone a glimpse of my predilection.. He said lots of theatrical things about how marvellous it had been to work with Baxter, with whom he still corresponded from time to time. Hes never done a chat show in his life. Moira has 3 jobs listed on their profile. He couldnt say when Baxter was expected next, but took my number to pass on. And we never really discovered who he was, other than a brilliant character actor and impersonator; as the rules of celebrity changed, he simply refused to play by them. So, no pantos either then? From beyond the grave, Williams talked about him more frankly and perhaps imaginatively than any living friend would. After all, she was with the man she adored. Again. Those who didnt want to be troubled with it could simply take it at face value. No other intimate had ever talked about him in public. Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web! Stanley asked the same question of himself but pushed the answer aside. But although the urgency had gone, the curiosity remained. almost as often as a chambermaid turns down bed sheets.'. He was the lead in one play before going off to serve with the Royal Army Service Corps in the Far East, where he was recruited for the Combined Services Entertainment unit, a drag- and-greasepaint outfit straight out of It Aint Half Hot Mum. Mit unserem einfachen Abonnement erhalten Sie Zugriff auf die besten Inhalte von Getty Images und iStock . No mention of his wife, Moira, though. A psychiatrist diagnosed schizophrenia, but she refused to take medication. It was so long ago, the production team was disbanded straight after the last show, and theres nobody left here who worked on it. You mustn't let that worry you. And as the years progressed, the medicated Moira and Stanley became close again. Carrying a plastic shopping bag. For years, they have resisted the English trend towards pop and soap stars making fools of themselves in tights, in favour of veteran panto specialists like Baxter. What would the neighbours think? But she did mention several times there was something wrong with Moira, that her emotional balance wasn't quite right. 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!. I thought she would be still be heartbroken. Fred Baxter, knowing his son was unconvincing in the role of Happy Groom, attempted a last-minute derailment. Therapy proved useless: his psychiatrist, learning that he was married, advised him simply to return to his wife. I still dont. Yes, there would be a show. Then one night she invited me for my favourite spaghetti up to her little rented flat at 65 Clouston Street and I was seduced back into bed again., The appetite sated, Stanley reckoned the only way to break off the relationship once and for all was to be entirely honest with Moira. 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Should I have taken her to Cyprus? "Thankfully Moira was very understanding. He was left with a terror of being held up to public shame. If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. 64, I said. With his telephone number and address in my notebook, I could have rung Stanley Baxter or paid him a visit months ago, instead of waiting for an answer to my letter. He has now returned with his new biography, The Real Stanley Baxter, in which he speaks candidly about his life. His agent was still stonewalling, and his old television company had forgotten him. 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. Award-winning interviewer, writer and broadcaster. Writer and broadcaster, Interviewer of the Year for the Mail, winner of Radio Academy gold with BBC Radio 4. Useless. Birth sign: Gemini. Stanley Baxter and Moira Robertson on their wedding day. Just to be with. Published by Luath Press Ltd, 20. In 1997, he decided to spend a month at the villa they owned in Cyprus. 'One wounded bird helping to look after another,' Stanley said. That would seem to indicate that there might be a return at some point, even just a one-off? Thats a difficult question. "However, Moira was very, very upset. He later recalled trying to use his scripts to hide hands encrusted with coal dust, an early indication of the self- consciousness that was to become as ingrained as the coal.Invalided out of the mines with an ear problem, Baxter joined the left- wing Unity Theatre in Glasgow. Would he like to explain why? A stage smile. Stanley confesses that he is not comfortable with his sexuality to this day. LWTs press officer had never even heard of him, but promised to investigate. But what the Daily Express didnt know was that when Stanley arrived home, with the sound of Saturday evening theatre applause still ringing in his ears, he broke down in tears. They became lovers. At a time when being gay was illegal in Britain, the actor would bring men home with his wifes knowledge. Stanley Baxter. Oh, they all varied, said the agent, suddenly sounding irritated. She would go off to our bedroom and let me take the one opposite.". Its such hard, hard work. And she never knew of the window ledge incident. His wife Moira, from whom he was separated, was tormented by mental illness and had attempted suicide by cutting her wrists in the bath. Experiences in the Far East during his concert party stint confirmed to the Scot where his heart lay. As a last shot I rang David White, who said I had been very naughty. Anyone trying to hide will be photographed from a distance or forced on to daytime television. So he decided that rather than cut his cloth down because hes not a stand-up Channel 4 comedian, is he? It was the future Carry On star Kenneth Williams, also barely out of his teens but playing an old man in a CSE production. 'And suddenly Kenny cut in, 'Yes! It was the one and only time she had ever reacted in this way. And now he felt incredibly guilty because at the very end, he wasn't there to do what? No, you might publish it. There were things he might like to say, but it wouldnt be in keeping to do so. She was in love with him and Baxter believed he was falling in love with her. Hes always quite pernickety about who hell speak to, which is why I dont want to say too much about him at the moment. '. He loved the applause 'a hundred people shouting 'Bravo' and I'm beating the adults to the prizes'. Looking up at me, expecting me to speak. 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. Editors' Code of Practice. Look, his shows cost a fortune partly because it takes them so long to change and do make-up and so on. London. 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