Wikipedia
Peter Bowles
Peter John Bowles (16 October 1936 – 17 March 2022)[1] was an English screen and stage actor. He gained prominence for television dramas such as Callan: A Magnum for Schneider and I, Claudius. He is however, best remembered for his roles in sitcoms and television comedy dramas, including: Rumpole of the Bailey, Only When I Laugh, To the Manor Born, The Bounder, The Irish R.M., Lytton's Diary, Executive Stress and Perfect Scoundrels.
Peter Bowles | |
|---|---|
| Born | Peter John Bowles 16 October 1936 Kensington, London, England |
| Died | 17 March 2022 (aged 85) London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1956–2021 |
| Spouse | Susan Bennett (m. 1961) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life and education edit
Bowles was born in Kensington, London, England,[citation needed] but lived for a while at Boddington manor in Warwickshire, where his father Herbert Reginald Bowles, worked as a butler and chauffeur for David Margesson, 1st Viscount Margesson.[2] His father was next employed as a valet-companion and chauffeur to Drogo Montagu, son of George Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich, and later butler to Montagu's widow, a daughter of Lord Beaverbrook. His mother, Sarah Jane (née Harrison), was from Scotland, and served as a nanny to the family of the Duke of Argyll, before working for Beaverbrook's family in England, which is how they met.[3][4] In Nottingham, they lived in the working-class area of Hyson Green. He attended Berridge Road Juniors and High Pavement Grammar School.[5]
Personal life and death edit
Bowles married Susan Bennett on 8 April 1961.[6] The couple lived in Barnes, south-west London[7] and had three children together.
Bowles died aged 85, on 17 March 2022, from cancer.[8][9][10][1]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Wings of Death | Williams | Short |
| 1962 | Live Now, Pay Later | Reginald Parker | |
| 1963 | The Informers | Peter the Pole | Uncredited |
| 1965 | Three Hats for Lisa | Pepper | |
| Dead Man's Chest | Joe | Edgar Wallace Mysteries | |
| 1966 | Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World | Paris Singer | TV film |
| Blow-Up | Ron | ||
| 1968 | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Paymaster Captain Duberly | |
| 1969 | The Assassination Bureau | Jealous lover of 'La Belle Amie' | Uncredited |
| Laughter in the Dark | Paul | ||
| The Stiffkey Scandals of 1932 | Roland Oliver, KC | TV film | |
| Taste of Excitement | Guardi | ||
| 1970 | Eyewitness | Victor Grazzini | |
| 1972 | A Day in the Death of Joe Egg | Freddie | |
| Shelley | Byron | TV film | |
| Endless Night | Reuben | ||
| 1973 | The Offence | Cameron | |
| The Legend of Hell House | Hanley | ||
| Thinking Man As Hero | Frank Cordroy | TV film | |
| 1977 | For the Love of Benji | Ronald | |
| The Disappearance | Jefferies | ||
| Stigma | Peter | TV film | |
| 1988 | Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun | Lord Jack Carberry | TV film |
| 1989 | Try This One for Size | Igor | |
| 1993 | Passport to Murder | Inspector Bullion | TV film |
| 1995 | The Steal | Lord Childwell | |
| 1998 | Little White Lies | Oliver | TV film |
| 1999 | Tumbled | Mr Gilzean | Short |
| 2000 | One of the Hollywood Ten | Jack Warner | |
| 2001 | In Love and War | Melville | TV film |
| 2005 | Colour Me Kubrick | Cyril | |
| 2007 | Ballet Shoes | Sir Donald Houghton | TV film |
| 2008 | Freebird | The Chairman | |
| The Bank Job | Miles Urquart | ||
| 2011 | Love's Kitchen | Max Templeton | |
| 2014 | Lilting | Alan | |
| Peterman | Old Boy | ||
| 2015 | Meet Pursuit Delange: The Movie | Sir Edward Mead | |
| 2016 | Not Waving | Archie | Short |
| 2017 | We Are Tourists | William | |
| 2018 | Together | Philip | |
| 2021 | Off the Rails | Vicar |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Armchair Theatre | Simpson | Episode: "Underground" |
| 1959 | The Last Chronicle of Barset | Constable | Episode: "How Did He Get It?" |
| 1961 | Doctor Knock | First Countryman | Episode: "Act 2" |
| Magnolia Street | Benny Edelman | Series regular | |
| ITV Play of the Week | Lieutenant Myers | Episode: "Conflict in the Sun" | |
| 1962 | Armchair Theatre | Pete | Episode: "Thank You and Goodnight" |
| 1963 | It Happened Like This | Edwardes | Episode: "Superstitions" |
| Crane | Nikkolai Drax | Episode: "Three Days to Die" | |
| The Avengers | Neil Anstice | Episode: "Second Sight" | |
| 1964 | The Saint | Maurice Kerr | Episode: "Lida" |
| Drama 61-67 | Captain Buckley | Episode: "The Crunch" | |
| The Protectors | Dr Fothergill | Episode: "The Bottle Shop" | |
| The Great War | Winston Churchill | Episode: "So Sleep Easy in Your Beds" | |
| ITV Play of the Week | Razumikhin | Episode: "Crime and Punishment" | |
| Danger Man | Gamal | Episode: "Fish on the Hook" | |
| Armchair Theatre | Morgan | Episode: "The Pretty English Girls" | |
| Dermot Llewelyn | Episode: "A Certain Kind of Silence" | ||
| No Hiding Place | Joe Bask | Episode: "Real Class" | |
| 1965 | Machin | Episode: "A Fistful of Trouble" | |
| Public Eye | Freddy | Episode: "A Harsh World for Zealots" | |
| Love Story | Jack Everett | Episode: "Never Sup at Home" | |
| Crane | Vincent Morrow | Episode: "A Cargo of Cornflour" | |
| Edgar Wallace Mysteries | Joe | Episode: "Dead Man's Chest" | |
| Jury Room | Detective-Inspector | Episode: "The Side of Mercy" | |
| Six of the Best | Tom Brown | Episode: "Me and My Big Mouth" | |
| Famous Gossips | Garçon de café | Episode: "Oscar Wilde: Monsieur Sebastian Melmoth" | |
| Out of the Unknown | Policeman | Episode: "Some Lapse of Time" | |
| The Avengers | John Harvey | Episode: "Dial a Deadly Number" | |
| 1966 | Emergency Ward 10 | Philip Royston | Recurring role |
| Sunday Night | Melville | Episode: "The Quarry: Portrait of a Man as a Paralysed Artist" | |
| Redcap | Butros | Episode: "Buckingham Palace" | |
| The Informer | Jack Hart | 2 episodes | |
| The Baron | Jim Gaynor | Episode: "You Can't Win Them All" | |
| Armchair Theatre | Sergeant Howlett | Episode: "Don't Utter a Note" | |
| 1967 | The Avengers | Thyssen | Episode: "Escape in Time" |
| The Saint | Serge | Episode: "The Art Collectors" | |
| Armchair Theatre | Toby Meres | Episode: "A Magnum for Schneider" (Pilot of "Callan" series) | |
| Adam Adamant Lives! | D.K. Davies | Episode: "Another Little Drink" | |
| The Troubleshooters | Abbas Ramzi | Episode: "My Daughter Knows Her Way Around" | |
| Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | Harvey Deacon | Episode: "Playing with Fire" | |
| The Prisoner | 'A' | Episode: "A. B. and C." | |
| 1968 | Dr. Finlay's Casebook | Professor Baxter | Episode: "The Dynamizer" |
| The Avengers | Ezdorf | Episode: "Get-A-Way!" | |
| Champion House | Degnos | Episode: "The Golden Fleece" | |
| Love Story | Brian | Episode: "The Egg on the Face of the Tiger" | |
| Sherlock Holmes | Joseph Harrison | Episode: "The Naval Treaty" | |
| 1969 | Happy Ever After | Tony Bulstrode | Episode: "The Party Piece" |
| Department S | Borowitsch | Episode: "Six Days" | |
| W. Somerset Maugham | Robert Crosbie | Episode: "The Letter" | |
| The Gold Robbers | Stockbroker | Mini-series | |
| Softly, Softly | Conn | Episode: "One Thing Leads to Another" | |
| Take Three Girls | Jeremy Mandl-Fry | 2 episodes | |
| 1970 | Ryan International | Alain | Episode: "The Dead Live Longer" |
| The Main Chance | Roger Lamb | Episode: "The Best Legal System in the World" | |
| Happy Ever After | Michael | Episode: "The Ambassador" | |
| 1971 | Hadleigh | Robert Charlton | Episode: "Breakdown" |
| The Ten Commandments | Tommy Radd | Episode: "Black Eye on Sunday" | |
| Brett | William Saxby | Series regular | |
| The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | Inspector Saunders | Episode: "The Woman in the Big Hat" | |
| The Persuaders! | Mitchell | Episode: "Element of Risk" | |
| ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Jack Campbell-Barnes | Episode: "Who Killed Santa Claus" | |
| 1972 | The Shadow of the Tower | Bernard de Vignolles | Episode: "A Fly in the Ointment" |
| Alexander the Greatest | Paul Clutton-Browne | Episode: "Renata's Secret Affair" | |
| Harriet's Back in Town | Jack | 2 episodes | |
| The Protectors | Gregor Kofax | Episode: "Triple Cross" | |
| 1973 | The Adventures of Black Beauty | Mr Duffield | Episode: "Wild Justice" |
| Crown Court | Gerald Somerville | 3 episodes | |
| Cheri | Patron | 2 episodes | |
| Arthur of the Britons | Hecla | Episode: "Rowena" | |
| Omnibus | Oscar | Episode: "The Runaway" | |
| Murder Must Advertise | Major Todd Milligan | Mini-series | |
| 1974 | Napoleon and Love | Captain Murat | Mini-series |
| Special Branch | Igor | Episode: "Downwind of Angels" | |
| Good Girl | Colin Peale | Series regular | |
| 1975 | Public Eye | Croxley | Episode: "They All Sound Simple at First" |
| Thriller | Superintendent Lucas | Episode: "The Double Kill" | |
| Survivors | David Grant | Episode: "The Fourth Horseman" | |
| Churchill's People | Thistlewood | Episode: "Death of Liberty" | |
| Comedy Playhouse | Patrick | Episode: "Only on Sundays" | |
| Space: 1999 | Balor | Episode: "End of Eternity" | |
| 1976 | The Crezz | Ken Green | Series regular |
| I, Claudius | Caractacus | Mini-series | |
| 1977 | A Roof Over My Head | Jack Askew | Episode: "A Roof Over My Head" |
| Rising Damp | Hilary | Episode: "Stage Struck" | |
| 1978 | BBC Play of the Month | Inspector Hounslow | Episode: "Flint" |
| Pennies from Heaven | Prosecuting Counsel | Episode: "Says My Heart" | |
| The Sunday Drama | Prince Borodski | Episode: "The Marrying Kind" | |
| Bless Me, Father | Fred Bowlby | Episode: "The Doomsday Chair" | |
| 1978–1992 | Rumpole of the Bailey | Guthrie Featherstone | Series regular |
| 1979 | Tales of the Unexpected | Major Haddock | Episode: "Neck" |
| Turtle's Progress | Superintendent Percy Weston | 1 episode | |
| 1979–1982 | Only When I Laugh | Archie Glover | Series regular |
| 1979–2007 | To the Manor Born | Richard DeVere | Series regular |
| 1980 | Nanny Knows Best | Billy Benson | |
| 1981 | Vice Versa | Paul Bultitude | Series regular |
| 1982–1983 | The Bounder | Howard Booth | Series regular |
| 1983 | Storyboard | Neville Lytton | Episode: "Lytton's Diary" |
| 1983–1985 | The Irish R.M. | Major Sinclair Yeates | Series regular |
| 1985–1986 | Lytton's Diary | Neville Lytton | Series regular |
| 1987–1988 | Executive Stress | Donald Fairchild | Series regular |
| 1990–1992 | Perfect Scoundrels | Guy Buchanan | Series regular |
| 1992 | Screen One | George Grant | Episode: "Running Late" |
| 2000 | Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Captain Graves | Episode: "The Best Years of Your Death |
| 2003 | Holby City | Bernie Farraday | Episode: "Love Nor Money" |
| 2005 | Jericho | Fleming | Mini-series |
| 2008 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Sir Roderick Horsfield | Episode: "Third Girl" |
| 2010 | Masterpiece Mystery | Episode: "Hercule Poirot, Series X: Third Girl" | |
| 2011 | The Sarah Jane Adventures | Lionel Carson | Episode: "The Man Who Never Was" |
| 2015 | Citizen Khan | Lord Anstruther | Episode: "Farley Manor" |
| 2016 | The Life of Rock with Brian Pern | Brian Pern's Father | Episode: "The Thotch Reunion" |
| Murder | Greville Cotterall | Mini-series | |
| 2016–2019 | Victoria | Duke of Wellington | Series regular |
Awards and honours edit
- RADA Scholarship (1954)[11]
- Madge Kendal Prize (1955)[citation needed]
- Male Comedy Star Award (1983)[citation needed]
- ITV Personality of the Year (1984)[1]
- The Golden Gate Award (San Francisco International Film Festival, 1993)[12]
- Hon. Doctor of Literature, for contributions to the theatre, television drama and entertainment. (Nottingham Trent University, 2002)[1]
Books edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Peter Bowles obituary". the Guardian. 17 March 2022.
- ^ Peter Bowles (6 May 2010). "Chapter 1; The Beginning". Ask Me if I'm Happy: An Actor's Life. ISBN 9781847377685.
- ^ Grove, Valerie. "Peter Bowles leaves behind the Manor for the Browning Version & Swan Song".
- ^ "SMOOTHLY TO THE MANNER MOULDED". HeraldScotland.
- ^ "Peter Bowles - Honorary graduates - Your Alumni Association - Alumni - Nottingham Trent University".
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 Volume Number: 5d Page Number: 701
- ^ "Cover story: Barnes Bounder changes his manor" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ "Peter Bowles: To The Manor Born actor dies aged 85". BBC News. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "To the Manor Born star Peter Bowles dies, aged 85". The Independent. 17 March 2022.
- ^ Obituaries, Telegraph (17 March 2022). "Peter Bowles, raffish actor who found fame alongside Penelope Keith in to the Manor Born – obituary". The Telegraph.
- ^ "To The Manor Born star Peter Bowles dies aged 85". The Independent. 17 March 2022.
- ^ "The life and career of actor Peter Bowles, who has died aged 85". www.nationalworld.com.
- ^ [1] Date accessed: July 2014
- ^ [2] Date accessed: July 2014
External links edit
- Peter Bowles at IMDb
- Peter Bowles biography at the BFI's Screenonline
- Selected roles in Bristol University Theatre Archive
- Peter Bowles discography at Discogs