Noel Howlett (22 December 1902 – 26 October 1984) was an English actor, principally remembered as the incompetent headmaster, Morris Cromwell, in the ITV 1970s cult television programme ''

Please Sir! ''Please Sir!'' is a British television sitcom created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featuring actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Penny Spencer, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies. Produced by London Weeke ...

'' He was the subject of infatuation by Deputy Head Doris Ewell, played by

Joan Sanderson Joan Sanderson (24 November 1912 – 24 May 1992) was an English actress. During a long career on stage and screen, her tall and commanding disposition led to her playing mostly dowagers, spinsters and matrons, as well as intense Shakespearean ...

. Howlett was born in

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

, Kent, and began his career as Richard Greatham in

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...

''. At Northampton Repertory Theatre in 1930 he played

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

. He also appeared as Mr Williams in the 1948 film ''

The Winslow Boy ''The Winslow Boy'' is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an incident involving George Archer-Shee in the Edwardian era. The incident took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Background Set against the strict cod ...

'', starring

Robert Donat Friedrich Robert Donat ( ; 18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. Making his breakthrough film role in Alexander Korda's ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933), today he is best remembered for his roles in ''The Count of Monte C ...

. At

Stratford-on-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-west of ...

in 1953, he played Old Gobbo (father to

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

's Launcelot Gobbo) in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'', Edward IV (brother to

Marius Goring Marius Re Goring (23 May 191230 September 1998) was an English stage and screen actor. He is best remembered for the four films he made with Powell and Pressburger, Powell & Pressburger, particularly as Conductor 71 in ''A Matter of Life and D ...

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

), Baptista in ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' and Gloucester in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

''. An early TV role was portraying a

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

in the 1958/59 BBC series ''

Quatermass and the Pit ''Quatermass and the Pit'' is a British television science-fiction serial transmitted live by BBC Television in December 1958 and January 1959. It was the third and last of the BBC's ''Quatermass'' serials, although the chief character, Prof ...

''. He appeared as Professor Rushton in a one-off 1967 edition ("Mission Highly Improbable") of '' The Avengers'' and as the Reverend Simon Blanding in a one-off 1967 edition ("Dead Man's Shoes") of ''

Man in a Suitcase ''Man in a Suitcase'' is a British television private eye thriller series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It originally aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV from 27 September 1967 to 17 April 1968. American Broadcast ...

''. Other screen appearances include the 1960s TV shows '' Softly, Softly'' and ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

''. He also appeared in one 1976 episode (" I Talk to the Trees") of the BBC situation comedy '' The Good Life'' as slightly eccentric allotment gardener Mr Wakeley. He also frequently broadcast and did a spell for the BBC as a member of their Drama Repertory Company (now the Radio Drama Company), one of his appearances being as Inspector Walter Neider in the 1965

Paul Temple Paul Temple is a fictional character created by English writer Francis Durbridge. Temple is a professional author of crime fiction and an amateur private detective. With his wife Louise, affectionately known as 'Steve' in reference to her jo ...

radio episode, "Paul Temple and the Geneva Mystery".

Selected filmography

* ''

Men Are Not Gods ''Men Are Not Gods'' is a 1936 British film starring Miriam Hopkins and co-starring Gertrude Lawrence, Sebastian Shaw and Rex Harrison. It was a success in the UK when released largely due to the popularity of the two female stars Hopkins and ...

'' (1936) – Cashier (uncredited) * ''

A Yank at Oxford ''A Yank at Oxford'' is a 1938 comedy-drama film directed by Jack Conway and starring Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh and Edmund Gwenn. The screenplay was written by John Monk Saunders and Leon Gordon. ...

'' (1938) – Tom Craddock * ''

The Proud Valley ''The Proud Valley'' is a 1940 Ealing Studios film starring Paul Robeson. Filmed in the South Wales coalfield, the principal Welsh coal mining area, the film is about an African American seaman who joins a mining community. It includes their ...

'' (1940) – Company Clerk (uncredited) * '' George and Margaret'' (1940) – Malcolm * '' Jassy'' (1947) – Court Usher (uncredited) * '' The White Unicorn'' (1947) – Sir Humphrey Webster (uncredited) * '' When the Bough Breaks'' (1947) – Judge * '' The Mark of Cain'' (1947) – Judge (uncredited) * '' This Was a Woman'' (1948) – Chief Surgeon Barclay * ''

Corridor of Mirrors ''Corridor of Mirrors'' is Prometheus's ( Benji Vaughan) second album. Track listing # Arcadia Magik (8:51) # One Cell Short of a Brain (6:50) # Drug Sock (7:37) # The Logic of the Polyphonic (8:19) # 9th (The Man Who Swam Through a Speaker) ...

'' (1948) – Psychiatrist (uncredited) * '' The Calendar'' (1948) – Lawyer * ''

Good-Time Girl ''Good-Time Girl'' is a 1948 British film noir-crime drama film directed by David MacDonald and starring Jean Kent, Dennis Price and Herbert Lom. A homeless girl is asked to explain her bad behaviour in the juvenile court, and says she's run a ...

'' (1948) – Clerk * ''

'' (1948) – Mr. Williams (uncredited) * ''

Saraband for Dead Lovers ''Saraband for Dead Lovers'' (released in the United States as ''Saraband'') is a 1948 British adventure historical drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Stewart Granger and Joan Greenwood. It is based on the 1935 novel by Helen Si ...

'' (1948) – Count Platen * '' The Blind Goddess'' (1948) – Court Usher * '' Scott of the Antarctic'' (1948) – First Questioner * '' Once Upon a Dream'' (1949) – Solicitor * '' The Perfect Woman'' (1949) – Scientist * '' Your Witness'' (1950) – Martin Foxglove K.C. – Sam's Barrister * '' The Reluctant Widow'' (1950) * ''

Laughter in Paradise ''Laughter in Paradise'' is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi, starring Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton. It was written by Jack Davies and Michael Pertwee. The film was remade as '' Some Will, S ...

'' (1951) – Clerk of the Court * ''

Cloudburst Cloudburst in New Orleans A cloudburst is an enormous amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. Cloudbursts can quickly dump large amounts of wat ...

'' (1951) – Johnson * '' Scrooge'' (1951) – First Collector * ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective. He is featured in 53 short stories by English author G. K. Chesterton, published between 1910 and 1936. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuition and ...

'' (1954) – Auctioneer * '' One Good Turn'' (1955) – Jeweller * ''Handcuffs, London'' (1955) – Jeremiah Rugeley * '' Lust for Life'' (1956) – Commissioner Van Den Berghe * '' Nowhere to Go'' (1958) – Uncle Tom Howard (uncredited) * '' Serious Charge'' (1959) – Mr. Peters * ''

The Scapegoat A scapegoat is a goat used in a religious ritual or the victim of scapegoating, the singling out of a party for unmerited blame. Scapegoat or The Scapegoat may also refer to: Places * Scapegoat Wilderness, a Wilderness Area in Montana ** Scapego ...

'' (1959) – Dr. Aloin * '' The Battle of the Sexes'' (1960) – Mr. White * '' Mary Had a Little...'' (1961) – Pottle * ''

Victim Victim(s) or The Victim may refer to: People * Crime victim * Victim, in psychotherapy, a posited role in the Karpman drama triangle model of transactional analysis * Casualty (person), the victim of an event Films and television * ''The Victim ...

'' (1961) – Patterson * '' Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962) – Vicar at St. Paul's (uncredited) * ''

Tomorrow at Ten Tomorrow may refer to: * Tomorrow (time), the day after today * The future, that which occurs after the present Periodicals * ''To-Morrow'' (Chicago magazine), a magazine from 1903 to 1909 * ''Tomorrow'' (New Zealand magazine), a left-wing ma ...

'' (1962) – Brain Specialist * '' Murder at the Gallop'' (1963) – Mr. Trundell * ''

The Kiss of the Vampire ''Kiss of the Vampire'' (also known as ''Kiss of Evil'' on American television) is a 1963 British vampire film directed by Don Sharp and starring Edward de Souza and Jennifer Daniel. It was written by producer Anthony Hinds (as John ...

'' (1963) – Father Xavier * ''

Woman of Straw ''Woman of Straw'' is a 1964 British crime thriller directed by Basil Dearden and starring Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery. It was written by Robert Muller (screenwriter), Robert Muller and Stanley Mann, adapted from the 1954 novel ''La Femme ...

'' (1964) – Assistant Solicitor * '' The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders'' (1965) – Bishop * ''

'' (1967) – Abbey Librarian * '' The Bushbaby'' (1969) – Rev. Barlow * ''

Some Will, Some Won't ''Some Will, Some Won't'' is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Duncan Wood, starring an ensemble British cast including Michael Hordern, Ronnie Corbett, Dennis Price, Leslie Phillips and Arthur Lowe. It is a remake of ''Laughter in Paradise ...

'' (1970) – Endicott * ''

'' (1971) – Mr. Cromwell * ''Mr. Selkie'' (1979) – Grandpa Ross * '' John Wycliffe: The Morning Star'' (1984) – Archbishop Sudbury

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howlett, Noel 1902 births 1984 deaths Actors from the London Borough of Bexley English male television actors Male actors from Kent 20th-century English male actors People from Bexley