Born in London, Robbins was a bank clerk who became an actor after appearing in amateur dramatic performances in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where he and his family lived at the time. Robbins made his television debut as the cockney soldier in Roll-on Bloomin' Death. Primarily a comedy actor, he is best remembered for the role of Arthur Rudge, the persistently sarcastic husband of Olive (Anna Karen), in the popular sitcom On the Buses (1969–73). Robbins and Karen provided the secondary comic storyline to Reg Varney's comedy capers at the bus depot. Robbins also appeared in the series film spin-offs, On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses, and Holiday on the Buses. His other comedy credits include non-recurring roles in Man About the House, Oh Brother!, The Good Life, One Foot in the Grave, The New Statesman, George and Mildred, Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord? He appeared as a rather humorously portrayed police sergeant in the TV adaptation of Brendon Chase.
Born in London, Robbins was a bank clerk who became an actor after appearing in amateur dramatic performances in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where he and his family lived at the time. Robbins made his television debut as the cockney soldier in Roll-on Bloomin' Death. Primarily a comedy actor, he is best remembered for the role of Arthur Rudge, the persistently sarcastic husband of Olive (Anna Karen), in the popular sitcom On the Buses (1969–73). Robbins and Karen provided the secondary comic storyline to Reg Varney's comedy capers at the bus depot. Robbins also appeared in the series film spin-offs, On the Buses, Mutiny on the Buses, and Holiday on the Buses. His other comedy credits include non-recurring roles in Man About the House, Oh Brother!, The Good Life, One Foot in the Grave, The New Statesman, George and Mildred, Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord? He appeared as a rather humorously portrayed police sergeant in the TV adaptation of Brendon Chase.
As well as these comic roles, he assumed various straight roles in some of the major British television shows of the 1960s and 1970s: including Minder, The Sweeney, Z-Cars, Return of the Saint, Murder Most English, The Avengers, Dixon of Dock Green, The Bill and the 1982 Doctor Who story The Visitation.
Robbins's film credits included The Whisperers, Up The Junction, The Looking Glass War, Zeppelin and Blake Edwards' films The Pink Panther Strikes Again and Victor/Victoria'. He also had an extensive career as a radio actor, including a role in the soap opera Waggoner's Walk and the satirical 1970s show Life is What Yer Make It.
Robbins was an indefatigable worker for charity. He was active in the Grand Order of Water Rats (being elected 'Rat of the Year' in 1978) and the Catholic Stage Guild, and received a Papal Award for his services in 1987. In one of his last television appearances, in A Little Bit of Heaven Robbins recalled his childhood visits to Norfolk and spoke of his faith and love of the Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham. Michael Robbins had a brother Jack who was a head teacher at Saint Gregory's Catholic middle school in Bedford in the 1970s and early 1980s. Michael made some guest appearances at this school throughout the years and sometimes entertained the pupils with various sketches with his brother Jack Robbins
In the mid-1970s he also directed a film: How Are You?
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0730425
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2171085
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Filmography (Movies)
The Ties That Bind Us
Character:Richard Mace (archive footage)
Release Date:03/03/2008
Adam Bede
Character:Thias Bede
Release Date:01/03/1992
The Man In The Long Black Coat
Character:Mr Killick
Release Date:30/12/1991
Just Ask for Diamond
Character:The Fat Man
Release Date:01/09/1988
Lost In London
Character:Bill
Release Date:20/11/1985
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Character:Nym
Release Date:28/12/1982
Victor/Victoria
Character:Manager of Victoria's Hotel
Release Date:25/04/1982
Doctor Who: The Visitation
Character:Richard Mace
Release Date:23/02/1982
The Great Muppet Caper
Character:Henderson
Release Date:26/06/1981
Murder Rap
Character:Det. Sgt. Praed
Release Date:31/01/1980
The Saint and the Brave Goose
Character:Beeky
Release Date:07/01/1979
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
Character:Jarvis
Release Date:16/09/1976
Man About the House
Character:Doorman
Release Date:22/12/1974
Soap Opera in Stockwell
Character:Bert
Release Date:11/09/1973
No Sex Please - We're British
Character:Car Driver
Release Date:25/07/1973
Holiday on the Buses
Character:Arthur Rudge
Release Date:19/05/1973
That's Your Funeral
Character:2nd Funeral Director
Release Date:01/12/1972
Mutiny on the Buses
Character:Arthur Rudge
Release Date:02/06/1972
Blinker's Spy-Spotter
Character:Policeman
Release Date:01/01/1972
On the Buses
Character:Arthur Rudge
Release Date:09/07/1971
Villain
Character:Barzun
Release Date:26/05/1971
Zeppelin
Character:Cockney Sergeant
Release Date:08/04/1971
All the Way Up
Character:Taxi Driver
Release Date:01/06/1970
The Hunting of Lionel Crane
Character:Sergeant Billings
Release Date:21/01/1970
The Looking Glass War
Character:Truck Driver
Release Date:02/01/1970
Crossplot
Character:Garage Attendant
Release Date:25/11/1969
Till Death Us Do Part
Character:Fred
Release Date:01/01/1969
Horizontal Hold
Character:TV Repairman
Release Date:27/05/1968
The Drummer and the Bloke
Character:Jack
Release Date:31/01/1968
Up the Junction
Character:Figgins
Release Date:25/01/1968
The Whisperers
Character:Mr Noonan
Release Date:18/07/1967
Dead Man's Chest
Character:Sergeant Harris
Release Date:27/10/1965
Rattle of a Simple Man
Character:George (organiser)
Release Date:20/12/1964
The Count of Monte Cristo
Character:Gaspard Caderousse
Release Date:04/10/1964
The Bone Yard
Character:Sergeant Strickland
Release Date:30/09/1964
Act of Murder
Character:Van Driver
Release Date:01/09/1964
The Bargee
Character:Bargee
Release Date:23/04/1964
Children of the Damned
Character:
Release Date:10/01/1964
What a Crazy World
Character:Percy
Release Date:02/07/1963
A Prize of Arms
Character:Orford
Release Date:11/12/1962
You in Your Small Corner
Character:Georgie
Release Date:05/06/1962
Lunch Hour
Character:Harris
Release Date:01/01/1962
Danger! Men Working
Character:Second Labourer
Release Date:07/05/1961
Television Appearances
You Rang, M'Lord?
Character:Twelvetrees Senior
One Foot in the Grave
Character:
The New Statesman
Character:Mad Eddie
In Sickness and in Health
Character:Rail Worker
Dempsey and Makepeace
Character:Simmons
Fairly Secret Army
Character:Sgt. Major Throttle
The Bill
Character:
Fresh Fields
Character:Mr. Pringle
The Bounder
Character:Bert
Legacy of Murder
Character:Marley
Brendon Chase
Character:Sergeant Bunting
The Chinese Detective
Character:
Minder
Character:McQueen
The Cannon & Ball Show
Character:Police Seargent
How's Your Father
Character:
Dick Turpin
Character:Sgt. Bullock
Return of the Saint
Character:Beeky
Mixed Blessings
Character:Fred Fachetti
Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle
Character:Pumphrey
George and Mildred
Character:
Rumpole of the Bailey
Character:Cyril Timson
The Good Life
Character:Mr. Bulstrode
The Sweeney
Character:Kevin Lee
Thick As Thieves
Character:
Black and Blue
Character:Bert
Justice
Character:Eddie
Department S
Character:Burton
The Main Chance
Character:Gerry Baxter
Judge Dee
Character:
On the Buses
Character:Arthur Rudge
Callan
Character:
Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width
Character:
You Can't Win
Character:
Adam Adamant Lives!
Character:
The Man in Room 17
Character:C.P.O. Bradshaw
Londoners
Character:Shaw
Gideon's Way
Character:Smith
Redcap
Character:
Sherlock Holmes
Character:
Theatre 625
Character:Tom
Story Parade
Character:Edward Cowley
Doctor Who
Character:Richard Mace
Crane
Character:Jennings
The Saint
Character:Harry
The Saint
Character:Smith
Studio 4
Character:Humphrey Place
Z-Cars
Character:
The Avengers
Character:Henry Farrow
The Avengers
Character:Cavell
No Hiding Place
Character:
Dixon of Dock Green
Character:Charlie Mills
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