Peter Bowles
Born(1936-10-16)16 October 1936
London, England
Died17 March 2022(2022-03-17) (aged 85)
OccupationActor
Years active1956–2021
Spouse
Susan Bennett
​
(m. 1961)​
Children3

Peter Bowles (16 October 1936 – 17 March 2022) 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.

Early life and education

Bowles was born in London, England. His father, Herbert Reginald Bowles,[1] was 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.[2][3] In Nottingham, they lived in the working-class area of Hyson Green. He attended Berridge Road Juniors and High Pavement Grammar School.[4]

Personal life and death

Bowles married Susan Bennett on 8 April 1961.[5] The couple lived in Barnes, south-west London[6] and had three children together. He died on 17 March 2022, aged 85, from cancer.[7][8][9][10]

Filmography

Film

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

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

  • RADA Scholarship (1954)[11]
  • Madge Kendal Prize (1955)
  • Male Comedy Star Award (1983)
  • ITV Personality of the Year (1984)[10]
  • 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)[10]

Books

  • Autobiography: Ask Me if I'm Happy[13] (Simon & Schuster, 2010)
  • Behind the Curtain: The Job of Acting[14] (Oberon Masters Series, 2012)

References

  1. ↑ Peter Bowles (6 May 2010). "Chapter 1; The Beginning". Ask Me if I'm Happy: An Actor's Life. ISBN 9781847377685.
  2. ↑ Grove, Valerie. "Peter Bowles leaves behind the Manor for the Browning Version & Swan Song".
  3. ↑ "SMOOTHLY TO THE MANNER MOULDED". HeraldScotland.
  4. ↑ "Peter Bowles - Honorary graduates - Your Alumni Association - Alumni - Nottingham Trent University".
  5. ↑ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 Volume Number: 5d Page Number: 701
  6. ↑ "Cover story: Barnes Bounder changes his manor" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "Peter Bowles: To The Manor Born actor dies aged 85". BBC News. 17 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "To the Manor Born star Peter Bowles dies, aged 85". The Independent. 17 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Obituaries, Telegraph (17 March 2022). "Peter Bowles, raffish actor who found fame alongside Penelope Keith in to the Manor Born – obituary". The Telegraph.
  10. 1 2 3 "Peter Bowles obituary". the Guardian. 17 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "To The Manor Born star Peter Bowles dies aged 85". The Independent. 17 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "The life and career of actor Peter Bowles, who has died aged 85". www.nationalworld.com.
  13. ↑ Date accessed: July 2014
  14. ↑ Date accessed: July 2014
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