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IMDbPro

Arthur Lowe(1915-1982)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Arthur Lowe
Bless Me Father: A Legend Comes To Stay
Play trailer1:54
Bless Me, Father (1978–1981)
28 Videos
35 Photos
Lowe, rotund and professionally indefatigable, rightly gained acclaim as an accomplished comedy character actor; fondly remembered as the irascible "Captain Mainwaring" in the Home Guard comedy series Dad's Army (1968-1977), and as Coronation Street (1960)'s "Leonard Swindley". The only child of a Derbyshire railworker, Lowe gained valuable experience by organising shows for a British army field entertainment unit, in the Middle East, during World War Two, before commencing his professional acting career, at the age of 30, in 1945, upon joining the "Manchester Repertory Theatre Company".

In between endless tours for repertory and in major stage performances, Lowe utilised his character actor status - which writers identify as being aided by his bald head - in bit-parts for films including: the inspired "Ealing" black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) and The Green Man (1956). Later, whilst gathering fame - with the reputedly observational realist soap opera Coronation Street (1960) - he cemented a professional relationship with maverick film director Lindsay Anderson; using left-wing sensibilities for some of his films: including If.... (1968) and several characters in the avant-garde O Lucky Man! (1973) (the latter earning Lowe an SFTA Award, for best supporting performance).

As his son, and biographer, Stephen Lowe, intimated, finances governed and perpetuated his career, in the final stages of his life, in the 1970s; appearing in over 100, and possibly very lucrative, television advertisements and, not surprisingly, a surfeit of comedies including the sit-com Potter (1979) (1979-1983), the ribald film No Sex Please - We're British (1973) and to rave reviews for his stage performance as "Stephano", in "The Tempest" (1974), at the "National Theatre". Although Lowe received excellent notices for straight roles and appearances in plays such as John Osborne's "Inadmissible Evidence" (1963) at the "Royal Court", Dad's Army (1968) assured Lowe enduring appeal, as his character acting skills seamlessly compliment the show's comfortable sit-com structure.
BornSeptember 22, 1915
DiedApril 15, 1982(66)
BornSeptember 22, 1915
DiedApril 15, 1982(66)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Won 1 BAFTA Award

Photos35

Arthur Lowe in This Sporting Life (1963)
Alan Badel, Arthur Lowe, and Harry Markham in This Sporting Life (1963)
Daniel Abineri and Arthur Lowe in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Daniel Abineri and Arthur Lowe in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Arthur Lowe in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Arthur Lowe and Patrick McAlinney in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Daniel Abineri, Arthur Lowe, and Patrick McAlinney in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Arthur Lowe and Cyril Shaps in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Arthur Lowe in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Daniel Abineri and Arthur Lowe in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Daniel Abineri, Gabrielle Daye, Arthur Lowe, and Patrick McAlinney in Bless Me, Father (1978)
Daniel Abineri and Arthur Lowe in Bless Me, Father (1978)

Known for

Dad's Army (1968)
Dad's Army
8.1
TV Series
  • Capt. George Mainwaring
  • Barry Mainwaring
  • Sergeant Ironside
Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Kind Hearts and Coronets
8.0
  • The Reporter
  • 1949
Peter O'Toole in The Ruling Class (1972)
The Ruling Class
7.3
  • Tucker
  • 1972
Dad's Army (1971)
Dad's Army
6.9
  • Capt. Mainwaring
  • 1971

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Richard Burton, Vanessa Redgrave, László Gálffi, Marthe Keller, and Ekkehard Schall in Wagner (1983)
    Wagner
  • Harry Andrews and Arthur Lowe in A.J. Wentworth, B.A. (1982)
    A.J. Wentworth, B.A.
  • Britannia Hospital (1982)
    Britannia Hospital
  • Bless Me, Father (1978)
    Bless Me, Father
  • Comedy Tonight
  • Sweet William (1980)
    Sweet William
  • Arthur Lowe in Potter (1979)
    Potter
  • The Plank (1979)
    The Plank
  • Elliott Gould, Angela Lansbury, Cybill Shepherd, Herbert Lom, Jean Anderson, Ian Carmichael, Gerald Harper, Arthur Lowe, and Jenny Runacre in The Lady Vanishes (1979)
    The Lady Vanishes
  • Simon Adams, Leslie Phillips, Beth Porter, Victor Spinetti, Rachel Warren, Reg Williams, Susan Sokol, and Lisa Moss in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1979)
    The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
    • (US version, voice)
  • Daphne Laureola (1978)
    Daphne Laureola
  • Emu's Christmas Adventure
  • The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968)
    The Morecambe & Wise Show
  • Dad's Army (1968)
    Dad's Army
  • The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977)
    The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It

Soundtrack

  • Bless Me, Father (1978)
    Bless Me, Father
  • Nationwide (1969)
    Nationwide
    • (uncredited)
  • Peter O'Toole in The Ruling Class (1972)
    The Ruling Class
    • ("The Internationale", uncredited)
  • The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968)
    The Morecambe & Wise Show
    • ("Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr. Hitler?", uncredited)
  • The Coward Revue
  • Arthur Lowe in Pardon the Expression (1965)
    Pardon the Expression
    • (uncredited)

Videos28

Trailer
Trailer 2:52
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:15
Trailer
O Lucky Man!
Trailer 3:30
O Lucky Man!
Bless Me Father: A Legend Comes To Stay
Trailer 1:54
Bless Me Father: A Legend Comes To Stay
Bless Me Father: The Heart Of A Curate
Trailer 2:00
Bless Me Father: The Heart Of A Curate
Bless Me Father: The Tennis Match
Trailer 2:00
Bless Me Father: The Tennis Match
Bless Me Father: Porgy And Bess
Trailer 1:58
Bless Me Father: Porgy And Bess
Bless Me Father: Season 3
Trailer 0:51
Bless Me Father: Season 3
Bless Me Father: Father And Mother
Trailer 2:00
Bless Me Father: Father And Mother
Bless Me Father: Fatal Lady
Trailer 1:57
Bless Me Father: Fatal Lady
Bless Me Father: The Seal Of Confession
Trailer 1:59
Bless Me Father: The Seal Of Confession
Bless Me Father: Baptism Of Fire
Trailer 1:56
Bless Me Father: Baptism Of Fire

Personal details

Edit
    • September 22, 1915
    • Hayfield, Derbyshire, England, UK
    • April 15, 1982
    • Birmingham, England, UK(following a stroke)
    • Joan CooperJanuary 10, 1948 - April 15, 1982 (his death, 1 child)
  • Other works
    In 1976 he appeared in television commercials for Pascall's Hanky Panky sweet snacks.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 1 Interview
    • 6 Articles
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was interviewed live on BBC TV's lunchtime magazine programme 'Pebble Mill at One' on the day of his death.
  • Quotes
    Acting must be scaled down for the screen. A drawing room is a lot smaller than a theatre auditorium.

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