A page from an autograph album signed July 1st 1986 by Ralph Bates (1940 – 1991), the English film and television actor, known for his roles in the British sitcom Dear John and the 1975 BBC series Poldark. He also played communist Paul Vercors in the final season of the drama series Secret Army. In the early 1970s Bates had carved himself a niche in the world of horror films and played important roles or the lead in several Hammer Horror productions, such as Taste the Blood of Dracula, The Horror of Frankenstein, Lust for a Vampire, and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde. Bates was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died from the disease ten weeks later in London, at the age of 51.