Henry James Fowler,

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(10 December 1926 – 4 January 2012) was an English character actor in film and television. Over a career lasting more than six decades, he made nearly 200 appearances on screen.

Personal life

Fowler was born in Lambeth, South London, on 10 December 1926. As a "near illiterate newspaper boy" making eight shillings a week, he told film historian Brian McFarlane, he was invited on to radio to speak about his life in wartime London. In 1951, Fowler married actress

Joan Dowling Joan Dowling (6 January 1928 – 31 March 1954) was a British character actress. Life and career Dowling was the illegitimate daughter of Vera Dowling. A piece in ''The Laindon and District Times'', on 23 June 2015, written by her cousin Joh ...

, who committed suicide in 1954. In 1960, he married Catherine Palmer, who survived him.The Independent 9 Jan 2012
Harry Fowler: Prolific screen actor known for his 'cheerful cockney' characters Fowler died on 4 January 2012. He had no children.

Career

Fowler made his on-screen debut as Ern in the 1942 film '' Those Kids from Town'', a propaganda piece about wartime evacuee children from London. This role was given to him after film company executives heard him speaking on the radio about his experiences in wartime London. After a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

, Fowler was given the part to star alongside George Cole. His fee was 2 guineas (42 shillings) a day, compared with the 8 shillings a week he had been earning as a newspaper boy up to his audition. His early juvenile roles included ''

Hue and Cry In common law, a hue and cry is a process by which bystanders are summoned to assist in the apprehension of a criminal who has been witnessed in the act of committing a crime. History By the Statute of Winchester of 1285, 13 Edw. I statute 2. c ...

'' (1947), usually considered the first of the

Ealing comedies The Ealing comedies is an informal name for a series of comedy films produced by the London-based Ealing Studios during a ten-year period from 1947 to 1957. Often considered to reflect Britain's post-war spirit, the most celebrated films in the ...

. Fowler later married

, one of his co-stars in the Ealing film. Dowling committed suicide in 1954, aged 26. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, he served as an aircraftman in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

and played a cheerful

cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...

character with the same job in the films '' Angels One Five'' (1952), and ''

Conflict of Wings ''Conflict of Wings'' is a 1954 British comedy drama film directed by John Eldridge and starring John Gregson, Muriel Pavlow and Kieron Moore. The film is based on a novel of the same title by Don Sharp who later became a noted director. It w ...

'' (1954), a portrayal he used in other contexts, often with a humorous slant, mostly especially during his year in ''

The Army Game ''The Army Game'' is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the very first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional gro ...

'' (1959–60) TV series. He played Harry Danvers in the clerical comedy '' Our Man at St. Mark's'' (1965–66) opposite

Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was a British actor. Sinden featured in the film ''Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including ''The Cruel Sea (195 ...

and made several appearances on children's television during the 1970s, reading on '' Jackanory'' and hosting the series ''Get This'' and '' Going a Bundle'' with

Kenny Lynch Kenneth Lynch, OBE (18 March 1938 – 18 December 2019) was an English singer, songwriter, entertainer, and actor. He appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s. At the time, he was among the few black singers in British pop music. He was app ...

. He is also noted for having narrated

Bob Godfrey Roland Frederick Godfrey MBE (27 May 1921 – 21 February 2013),Great: Isambard Kingdom Brunel'' (1975), the first British cartoon to win an Academy Award. His familiar voice was regularly used for TV commercials. In 1975, Fowler took the part of Eric Lee Fung, described as "a Chinese cockney spiv", in '' The Melting Pot'', a sitcom written by

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Colonial India, where he spent his ...

and

Neil Shand Neil Hodgson Shand (3 March 1934 – 14 April 2018) was a British television comedy writer. He was born in Luton to parents from Glasgow, the son of a Vauxhall employee and a dressmaker. Neil was the eldest of three boys. Raised in a "two up tw ...

. The series was cancelled by the BBC after the first episode had been broadcast. He was awarded an MBE in 1970, as part of Harold Wilson's Resignation Honours. In his book British Film Character Actors 1982, Terence Pettigrew wrote that Fowler 'was as English as suet pudding...his characters were neither honest nor irretrievably delinquent, merely wise in the ways of the streets, surviving through a combination of wit and stealth. He had a certain arrogance, but there was an appealing vulnerability, too.'

Selected filmography

* '' Those Kids from Town'' (1942) – Ern * ''

Salute John Citizen ''Salute John Citizen'' is a 1942 black and white British drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Edward Rigby, Mabel Constanduros and Jimmy Hanley. The Bunting family face up to the fortunes of war during the Second World War. Plot T ...

'' (1942) – Office Boy (uncredited) * ''

Went the Day Well? ''Went the Day Well?'' is a 1942 British war film adapted from a story by Graham Greene and directed by Alberto Cavalcanti. It was produced by Michael Balcon of Ealing Studios and served as unofficial propaganda for the war effort. The film shows ...

'' (1942) – Young George * '' Get Cracking'' (1943) – (uncredited) * ''

The Demi-Paradise ''The Demi-Paradise'' (also known as ''Adventure for Two'') is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, a ...

'' (1943) – Small Boy (An Evacuee) (uncredited) * '' Bell-Bottom George'' (1944) – Boy on Bicycle (uncredited) * '' Champagne Charlie'' (1944) – 'Orace * ''

Give Us the Moon ''Give Us the Moon'' is a 1944 British comedy film directed and written by Val Guest and starring Vic Oliver, Margaret Lockwood and Peter Graves. Plot Made in 1943-44, the film is set in a future peacetime Britain, after the end of World War ...

'' (1944) – Bellboy (uncredited) * ''

Don't Take It to Heart ''Don't Take It to Heart'' is a 1944 British comedy film directed by Jeffrey Dell and starring Richard Greene, Alfred Drayton, Patricia Medina, Moore Marriott and Richard Bird. It was shot at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith with sets de ...

'' (1944) – Telegraph Boy * ''

Painted Boats ''Painted Boats'' (US titles ''The Girl on the Canal'' or ''The Girl of the Canal'') is a black-and-white British film directed by Charles Crichton and released by Ealing Studios in 1945. ''Painted Boats'', one of the lesser-known Ealing films ...

'' (1945) – His Brother Alf * ''

'' (1947) – Joe Kirby * ''Trouble in the Air'' (1948) – (uncredited) * '' A Piece of Cake'' (1948) – Head Spiv * ''

For Them That Trespass ''For Them That Trespass'' is a 1949 British crime film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and starring Richard Todd, Patricia Plunkett and Stephen Murray. It is an adaptation of the 1944 novel of the same name by Ernest Raymond. The film's main ...

'' (1949) – Dave, Rosie's friend * ''

Now Barabbas ''Now Barabbas'' is a 1949 British drama film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Richard Greene, Cedric Hardwicke and Kathleen Harrison. It is sometimes known as ''Now Barabbas Was a Robber''. It was based on a 1947 play of the same title by ...

'' (1949) – Smith * ''

Landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

'' (1949) – RAF Corporal Orderly (uncredited) * ''

Dance Hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and cities in ...

'' (1950) – Amorous Youth (uncredited) * ''

Once a Sinner Once a Sinner may refer to: * Once a Sinner (1950 film) ''Once a Sinner'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Pat Kirkwood, Jack Watling and Joy Shelton. Plot Bank clerk John Ross (Jack Watling) falls for good ...

'' (1950) – Bill James * '' Trio'' (1950) – Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) * ''

She Shall Have Murder ''She Shall Have Murder'' is a 1950 British drama film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Rosamund John, Derrick De Marney and Felix Aylmer. The screenplay concerns a law office clerk who becomes a detective. Premise A law office clerk who as ...

'' (1950) – Albert Oates * '' The Dark Man'' (1951) – 1st Reporter * '' Mister Drake's Duck'' (1951) – Corporal * '' Scarlet Thread'' (1951) – Sam * ''

There Is Another Sun ''There Is Another Sun'', released in the United States as ''Wall of Death'', is a 1951 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Maxwell Reed, Laurence Harvey and Susan Shaw. It was produced by Ernest G. Roy. The film was shot a ...

'' (1951) – Young Rider * '' Madame Louise'' (1951) – Trout's Clerk * ''

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

'' (1951) – Street Photographer (uncredited) * ''The Promise'' (1952) * ''

The Last Page ''The Last Page'', released in the United States as ''Man Bait'', is a 1952 British film noir produced by Hammer Film Productions starring George Brent, Marguerite Chapman and Diana Dors. The film is notable for being the first Hammer film dir ...

'' (1952) – Joe * ''13 East Street'' (1952) – (uncredited) * ''

I Believe in You I Believe in You may refer to: Film * ''I Believe in You'' (film), a 1952 British film starring Celia Johnson Music Albums *'' I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real.'', a 2007 album by Yacht * ''I Believe in You'' (Dolly Parton album), 2017 ...

'' (1952) – Hooker * '' Angels One Five'' (1952) – Airman * ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...

'' (1952) – Sam Weller * '' Top of the Form'' (1953) – Albert * '' A Day to Remember'' (1953) – Stan Harvey * '' Don't Blame the Stork'' (1954) – Harry Fenn * ''

'' (1954) – Leading Aircraftman 'Buster' * ''

Up to His Neck ''Up to His Neck'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Ronald Shiner as Jack Carter, Hattie Jacques as Rakiki and Anthony Newley as Tommy. It was shot at Pinewood Studios near London with sets designed by ...

'' (1954) – Smudge * ''

Stock Car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

'' (1955) – Monty Albright * '' The Blue Peter'' (1955) – Charlie Barton * ''

Fire Maidens from Outer Space ''Fire Maidens from Outer Space'' (US: ''Fire Maidens of Outer Space'') is a 1956 British independent black-and-white science fiction feature film. It was written, produced and directed by American filmmaker Cy Roth as a collaboration between ...

'' (1956) – Sydney Stanhope * '' Behind the Headlines'' (1956) – Alfie * '' Home and Away'' (1956) – Syd Jarvis * ''

Town on Trial ''Town on Trial'' is a 1957 British mystery film directed by John Guillermin and starring John Mills, Charles Coburn, Barbara Bates and Derek Farr. A whole town comes under suspicion when two grisly murders are carried out—particularly membe ...

'' (1957) – Leslie (Bandleader) * ''

West of Suez ''West of Suez'', released in the United States as ''The Fighting Wildcats'', is a 1957 British drama film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Keefe Brasselle, Kay Callard and Karel Stepanek. Premise An adventurer is hired to assassinate t ...

'' (1957) – Tommy * ''Booby Trap'' (1957) – Sammy * ''

Lucky Jim ''Lucky Jim'' is a novel by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1954 by Victor Gollancz. It was Amis's first novel and won the 1955 Somerset Maugham Award for fiction. The novel follows the exploits of the eponymous James (Jim) Dixon, a reluctan ...

'' (1957) – Cab Driver (uncredited) * ''

The Birthday Present ''The Birthday Present'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Pat Jackson. The film also featured Thorley Walters and Ian Bannen in small roles. Plot Simon Scott, a top toy salesman, returns from a business trip to Germany with a watch hidd ...

'' (1957) – Charlie * ''The Supreme Secret'' (1958) – Bluey * ''Soapbox Derby'' (1958) – Barrow Boy * ''

The Diplomatic Corpse ''The Diplomatic Corpse'' is a 1958 British comedy thriller film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Robin Bailey, Susan Shaw and Liam Redmond. It was produced as a second feature by ACT Films. The film's sets were designed by the art dire ...

'' (1958) – Knocker Parsons * '' I Was Monty's Double'' (1958) – Civilian (End Scene) * ''

Idol on Parade ''Idol on Parade'' is a 1959 British comedy movie produced by Warwick Films, directed by John Gilling and featuring William Bendix, Anthony Newley, Sid James and Lionel Jeffries. It was based on John Antrobus' first screenplay. p. 44 The movie ...

'' (1959) – Ron * ''

The Heart of a Man ''The Heart of a Man'' is a 1959 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Frankie Vaughan, Anne Heywood and Tony Britton. Its plot concerns a millionaire in disguise who gives a young man money to help him pursue his singing c ...

'' (1959) – Razor * ''The Dawn Killer'' (1959) – Bert Iron * ''

Don't Panic Chaps! ''Don't Panic Chaps!'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring Dennis Price, George Cole, Thorley Walters and Terence Alexander. The film was produced by Teddy Baird for ACT Films. Originally called ''Carry On Cha ...

'' (1959) – Ackroyd * ''

Crooks Anonymous ''Crooks Anonymous'' is a British comedy film from 1962. Directed by Ken Annakin, it stars Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter and is notably the feature film debut of Julie Christie. Plot Captain "Dandy Forsdyke" (Leslie Phillips) is a habitua ...

'' (1962) – Woods * '' Flight from Singapore'' (1962) – Sgt. Brooks * '' The Longest Day'' (1962) – British Paratrooper (uncredited) * ''

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...

'' (1962) – William Potter (uncredited) * ''

Tomorrow at Ten ''Tomorrow at Ten'' is a 1962 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring John Gregson, Robert Shaw and Kenneth Cope. Plot A man calling himself Marlow kidnaps Jonathan Chester, the young son of wealthy industrialist Anthony C ...

'' (1962) – Smiley * ''

Ladies Who Do ''Ladies Who Do'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards and starring Peggy Mount, Robert Morley and Harry H. Corbett. Plot Mrs. Cragg (Peggy Mount) works as a charwoman (part-time domestic servant) for retired C ...

'' (1963) – Drill Operator * ''Seventy Deadly Pills'' (1964) – Covent Garden porter * '' Father Came Too!'' (1964) * ''

Clash by Night ''Clash by Night'' is a 1952 American film noir drama directed by Fritz Lang and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe and Keith Andes. The film is based on the 1941 play by Clifford Odets, adapted for the scre ...

'' (1964) – Doug Roberts * ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...

'' (1965) – Milkman * ''

Life at the Top ''Life At The Top'' is the third novel by the English author John Braine, first published in the UK by Eyre & Spottiswoode Eyre & Spottiswoode was the London-based printing firm that was the King's Printer, and subsequently, a publisher prior ...

'' (1965) – Magic Beans Man * ''

Doctor in Clover ''Doctor in Clover'' is a British comedy film released in 1966, starring Leslie Phillips. The film is based on the novel of the same title by Richard Gordon. It is the sixth of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. The film was released i ...

'' (1966) – Grafton * ''

Secrets of a Windmill Girl ''Secrets of a Windmill Girl'' is a 1966 British exploitation film directed by Arnold L. Miller. It recounts the road to ruin of a young woman (Pauline Collins) who becomes involved with the striptease scene after becoming a dancer at the Windmill ...

'' (1966) – Harry * '' Start the Revolution Without Me'' (1970) – Marcel * '' Crossed Swords'' (1977) – Nipper * ''High Rise Donkey'' (1980) – Crook * '' Sir Henry at Rawlinson End'' (1980) – Buller Bullethead * ''

George and Mildred ''George and Mildred'' is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television and first aired between 1976 and 1979. It is a spin-off from '' Man About the House'', and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as constantly-sparring married couple ...

'' (1980) – Fisher * ''

Fanny Hill ''Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure''—popularly known as ''Fanny Hill''—is an erotic novel by English novelist John Cleland first published in London in 1748. Written while the author was in debtors' prison in London,Wagner, "Introduction" ...

'' (1983) – Beggar (uncredited) * '' Body Contact'' (1987) – Herbert * ''

Chicago Joe and the Showgirl ''Chicago Joe and the Showgirl'' is a 1990 British crime drama film directed by Bernard Rose and written by David Yallop, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Emily Lloyd. The film was inspired by the real-life Hulten/Jones murder case of 1944, ot ...

'' (1990) – Morry

Selected TV appearances

*''

Dial 999 (TV series) ''Dial 999'' is a British television series that ran for one series of 38 episodes from 1958 to 1959. The series was a co-production between ITV contractor ABC Weekend TV, and American television producer Ziv Television Programs. It stars Robe ...

'' (1959) - ('Barge Burglars', episode) - Sandy Gordon *''

'' (1959–1960) – Cpl. 'Flogger' Hoskins *''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

'' (1963–1970) – Duncan / Billy Reynolds / Alf Stubbings / Handbag Wilson *''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...

'' (1963–1972) – Billy Carrick / Tony / Toff *'' Jackanory'' (1969–1971) – Storyteller *'' Going A Bundle'' (1976) – Himself *''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' (1982) – Monty Wiseman *''

In Sickness and in Health ''In Sickness and in Health'' is a BBC television sitcom that ran between 1 September 1985 and 3 April 1992. It is a sequel to the successful '' Till Death Us Do Part'', which ran between 1966 and 1975, and '' Till Death...'', which ran for on ...

'' (1985–1992) – Harry / Milkman *''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' (1986–1992) – George / Terry *''

Super Gran ''Super Gran'' is a fictional series about a grandmother with super powers. Initially a series of books written by Forrest Wilson, a children's television show was adapted by Jenny McDade and produced by Tyne Tees Television for Children's ITV. ...

'' (1987) – Sid Scoundrel *'' Doctor Who:

Remembrance of the Daleks ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 25th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. The serial was first broadcast in four weekly episodes from 5 to 26 October 1988. It was written by Ben Aaronovi ...

'' (1988) – Harry *''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...

'' (1989–1992) – Alfred Sheldon / Pat Fitzgerald *'' The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' (2004) – Customer (final appearance)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Harry 1926 births 2012 deaths English male film actors English male television actors Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Lambeth Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force airmen