Peter Bowles (16 October 1936 – 17 March 2022) was an English television and stage actor. He gained prominence for television dramas such as '' Callan: A Magnum for Schneider'' and ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Ro ...

''. He is however, best remembered for his roles in sitcoms and television dramadies, including: '' Rumpole of the Bailey'', '' Only When I Laugh'', '' To the Manor Born'', ''

The Bounder ''The Bounder'' is a British sitcom which ran from 16 April 1982 to 28 October 1983, made by Yorkshire Television. The series starred Peter Bowles (of ''To the Manor Born'' fame) as Howard Booth, an ex-convict who served two years in jail. He ...

'', ''

The Irish R.M. ''The Irish R.M.'' is a trilogy of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross and a 1983 television comedy-drama series based on them. They are set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century west of Ireland. Books The television serie ...

'', '' Lytton's Diary'', '' Executive Stress'' and ''

Perfect Scoundrels ''Perfect Scoundrels'' is an early-1990s British television comedy-drama following two con-men's travels while conning various people. Produced by TVS Television for the ITV network, it ran for three series between 22 April 1990 and 30 May 1 ...

''.

Early life and education

Bowles was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. His father, Herbert Reginald Bowles, was a valet-companion and chauffeur to Drogo Montagu, son of the

George Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich George Charles Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich (29 December 1874 – 15 June 1962), known as George Montagu until 1916, was a British Conservative politician. Sandwich was the son of Rear-Admiral the Hon. Victor Alexander Montagu, second son of ...

, and later butler to Montagu’s widow, a daughter of

Lord Beaverbrook William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook (25 May 1879 – 9 June 1964), generally known as Lord Beaverbrook, was a Canadian-British newspaper publisher and backstage politician who was an influential figure in British media and politics o ...

. His mother, Sarah Jane (née Harrison), was from Scotland, and served as a nanny to the family of the

Duke of Argyll Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerfu ...

, before working for Beaverbrook's family in England, which is how they met. In October 1939, the family lived in

Brackley Brackley is a market town and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, from Oxford and from Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the inter ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It ...

, moving to

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

a few months later. In Nottingham, they lived in the working-class area of Hyson Green. He attended Berridge Road Juniors and High Pavement Grammar School.

Personal life and death

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

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and honours

* RADA Scholarship (1954) *

Madge Kendal Dame Madge Kendal, (born Margaret Shafto Robertson; 15 March 1848 – 14 September 1935) was an English actress of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, best known for her roles in Shakespeare and English comedies. Together with her husband, W. ...

Prize (1955) * Male Comedy Star Award (1983) *

ITV Personality of the Year ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

(1984) * The Golden Gate Award (San Francisco International Film Festival, 1993) * Hon. Doctor of Literature, for contributions to the theatre, television drama and entertainment. (

Nottingham Trent University Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a public research university in Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, 2002)

Books

* Autobiography: ''Ask Me if I'm Happy'' (Simon & Schuster, 2010) * ''Behind the Curtain: The Job of Acting''
Date accessed: July 2014 (Oberon Masters Series, 2012)

References

External links

* *
Selected roles in Bristol University Theatre Archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowles, Peter 1936 births 2022 deaths 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Deaths from cancer in England English male stage actors English male television actors English people of Scottish descent Male actors from London People educated at Nottingham High Pavement Grammar School