Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His career spanned over thirty years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He is best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977. He was nominated for seven BAFTAs, and became one of the most recognised faces on television.Lowe began his working life shortly before the Second World War (1939–1945) and he featured in many theatrical performances. But it wasn't until he landed the part of Leonard Swindley in the British television soap Coronation Street that he became a household name. He played the character until 1966, while continuing film work. In 1968 he took up his most famous role, in Dad's Army, written by David Croft and Jimmy Perry. His success as this character led to considerable television and theatrical work, which put pressure on his health. Lowe's final years were dominated by alcoholism and illness, and he died on 15 April 1982, aged 66.
British Academy Television Award for Best Actor, British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance
Movies
O Lucky Man!, The Ruling Class, Theatre of Blood, No Sex Please, We're British, The Bed Sitting Room, Dad's Army, The White Bus, Britannia Hospital, The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer, The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It, The Green Man, The Plank, Fragment of Fear, if...., The...
TV Shows
Dad's Army, Bless Me Father, Potter, Pardon the Expression, A.J. Wentworth, B.A., Turn Out the Lights, The Last of the Baskets, It's Murder. But Is It Art?, Laurence Olivier Presents
Star Sign
Virgo
#
Quote
1
An actor is an actor is an actor. The less personality an actor has off stage the better. A blank canvas on which to draw the characters he plays.
2
Acting must be scaled down for the screen. A drawing room is a lot smaller than a theatre auditorium.
#
Fact
1
He made his debut at the Manchester Repertory Theatre in 1945, where he was paid £5 per week for twice-nightly performances.
2
He had a clause in his contract for Dad's Army (1968) saying that he would not be filmed without his trousers on.
3
When touring at coastal theatres with his wife, Lowe used his distinctive 1885 former steam yacht Amazon as a floating base. He bought Amazon as a houseboat in 1968 but realised her potential and took her back to sea in 1971; this unique vessel is still operating in the Mediterranean. The ship had a bar with a semicircular notch cut halfway along, to enable both the portly figure of Lowe and his wife to serve behind the bar at the same time, acting as hosts during the parties they threw on board.
4
He dropped out of high school at the age of 15.
5
In December 2007, plans were unveiled for a statue of Lowe to be erected in Thetford, Norfolk, where the outside scenes for Dad's Army (1968) were filmed. The statue was unveiled on 19 June 2010, by the writers of the series, Jimmy Perry and David Croft. The star has also had two blue plaques unveiled, one at Maida Vale and one at his birthplace in Hayfield, Derbyshire.
6
In his final years, Lowe's alcoholism worsened and he was reduced to acting in pantomimes and touring theatre productions. Graham Lord's biography recalls that by 1979, Lowe was suffering from major health problems but continued to drink increasing amounts of alcohol, sometimes passing out on stage or at dinner. He was also a heavy smoker and his weight ballooned. Lowe had long suffered from narcolepsy.
7
In an interview for a Dad's Army (1968) retrospective on BBC television in 2010, Clive Dunn, described Lowe sitting at the bar in the evenings when they were filming on location, consuming a drink which Lowe named 'Amazon' after his yacht. Dunn described the drink as comprising "gin and ginger ale, with a single slice of cucumber".
8
In 2005, he was one of the first 100 to be honoured with his name set into the pavement in London's 'Avenue of the Stars' in Convent Garden.
9
In 1972, he recorded the novelty songs "How I Won The War" and "My Little Girl, My Little Boy".
10
In January 1982, Richard Burton had his private aeroplane fly Lowe to film a cameo role in the television series Wagner (1981), his last screen performance.
11
Two biographies of him have been published: Arthur Lowe - Dad's Memory by his son Stephen, which was issued in 1997; and Arthur Lowe by Graham Lord in 2002.
12
Son of Arthur Lowe ('Big Arthur') (1888-1971) and Mary Annie ('Nan') Lowe (née Ford) (1885-1981).
13
Narrated a public information film reminding motorway drivers that the right hand lane is not a "fast lane" but is for overtaking only.
14
Three weeks into the shooting of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), Alec Guinness panicked and decided he couldn't play George Smiley; he suggested Lowe as a replacement.
15
There was a memorial service for him at the Church of St Martin-in-the Fields, London on 24 May 1982.
$1 Million
