Henry James Fowler, MBE (10 December 1926 – 4 January 2012) was an English

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

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 Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, 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, 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 ''Those Kids from Town'' is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy-drama propaganda film war film, directed by Lance Comfort and starring George Cole, Harry Fowler, Percy Marmont, Ronald Shiner as Mr. Bert Burns and Charles Victor as Harry, t ...

'', 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 at Elstree Studios, Fowler was given the part to star alongside George Cole. His fee was 2

guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

s (42 shillings) a day, compared with the 8

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence o ...

s a week he had been earning as a newspaper boy up to his audition. His early juvenile roles included '' Hue and Cry'' (1947), usually considered the first of the Ealing comedies. Fowler later married Joan Dowling, one of his co-stars in the Ealing film. Dowling committed suicide in 1954, aged 26. During the Second World War, he served as an

aircraftman Aircraftman (AC) or aircraftwoman (ACW) is the lowest rank in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the air forces of several other Commonwealth countries. In RAF slang, aircraftmen are sometimes called "erks". Aircraftman ranks below leading ...

in the Royal Air Force and played a cheerful cockney character with the same job in the films ''

Angels One Five ''Angels One Five'' is a 1952 British war film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, John Gregson, Cyril Raymond and Veronica Hurst. Based on the book ''What Are Your Angels Now?'' by Pelham G ...

'' (1952), and '' Conflict of Wings'' (1954), a portrayal he used in other contexts, often with a humorous slant, mostly especially during his year in '' The Army Game'' (1959–60) TV series. He played Harry Danvers in the clerical comedy ''

Our Man at St. Mark's ''Our Man at St. Mark's'' is a British comedy television series which originally aired on ITV between 1963 and 1966. Today the series is largely lost, with only four out of forty six episodes remaining in the archives. It focuses on the parish o ...

'' (1965–66) opposite Donald Sinden and made several appearances on children's television during the 1970s, reading on ''

Jackanory ''Jackanory'' is a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the first story was the fairy-t ...

'' and hosting the series ''Get This'' and ''

Going a Bundle ''Going A Bundle'' was a Southern TV children's television series hosted by Harry Fowler and Kenny Lynch shown between 1974 and 1976 . The series also featured James Villiers James Michael Hyde Villiers (29 September 1933 – 18 January 1998) ...

'' with Kenny Lynch. He is also noted for having narrated Bob Godfrey Films' '' 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 United Kingdom, the word spiv is slang for a type of petty criminal who deals in illicit, typically black market, goods. The word was particularly used during the Second World War and in the post-war period when many goods were rationed du ...

", 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 Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...

and Neil Shand. 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

* ''

'' (1942) – Ern * '' Salute John Citizen'' (1942) – Office Boy (uncredited) * '' Went the Day Well?'' (1942) – Young George * '' Get Cracking'' (1943) – (uncredited) * '' The Demi-Paradise'' (1943) – Small Boy (An Evacuee) (uncredited) * ''

Bell-Bottom George ''Bell-Bottom George'' is a 1943 black and white British comedy musical film, directed by Marcel Varnel, starring George Formby and Anne Firth. A wartime morale booster, it features the songs, "Swim Little Fish", "It Serves You Right", "If I H ...

'' (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 I ...

'' (1944) – Bellboy (uncredited) * '' Don't Take It to Heart'' (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 fil ...

'' (1945) – His Brother Alf * '' Hue and Cry'' (1947) – Joe Kirby * ''Trouble in the Air'' (1948) – (uncredited) * '' A Piece of Cake'' (1948) – Head Spiv * '' For Them That Trespass'' (1949) – Dave, Rosie's friend * '' Now Barabbas'' (1949) – Smith * '' Landfall'' (1949) – RAF Corporal Orderly (uncredited) * '' Dance Hall'' (1950) – Amorous Youth (uncredited) * '' Once a Sinner'' (1950) – Bill James * '' Trio'' (1950) – Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) * '' She Shall Have Murder'' (1950) – Albert Oates * ''

The Dark Man ''The Dark Man'' may refer to: * ''The Dark Man'' (film), directed by Jeffrey Dell (1951) * ''The Dark Man'' (poem), by Stephen King * Randall Flagg Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by American author Stephen King, who has appear ...

'' (1951) – 1st Reporter * ''

Mister Drake's Duck ''Misterr Drake's Duck'' is a 1951 British science fiction film, science-fiction comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Yolande Donlan, Jon Pertwee, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Reginald Beckwith. The screenplay concerns ...

'' (1951) – Corporal * ''

Scarlet Thread ''Scarlet Thread'' is a 1951 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and produced by Ernest G. Roy. Plot Two criminals plan a jewellery robbery. The robbery goes wrong and an innocent man is shot. Cast * Kathleen Byron as Josephine * Laur ...

'' (1951) – Sam * '' There Is Another Sun'' (1951) – Young Rider * ''

Madame Louise ''Madame Louise'' (also titled "The Madame Gambles"), is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and produced by Ernest G. Roy and starring Richard Hearne, Petula Clark, Garry Marsh and Richard Gale. It is loosely based on the 1945 ...

'' (1951) – Trout's Clerk * '' High Treason'' (1951) – Street Photographer (uncredited) * ''The Promise'' (1952) * '' The Last Page'' (1952) – Joe * ''13 East Street'' (1952) – (uncredited) * '' I Believe in You'' (1952) – Hooker * ''

'' (1952) – Airman * '' The Pickwick Papers'' (1952) – Sam Weller * '' Top of the Form'' (1953) – Albert * ''

A Day to Remember A Day to Remember (often abbreviated ADTR, and previously known as End of an Era) is an American rock band from Ocala, Florida, founded in 2003 by guitarist Tom Denney and drummer Bobby Scruggs. They are known for their amalgamation of meta ...

'' (1953) – Stan Harvey * ''

Don't Blame the Stork ''Don't Blame the Stork'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ákos Ráthonyi and starring Veronica Hurst, Ian Hunter, Reginald Beckwith, and Patricia Laffan. The movie was adapted from an earlier German comedy film. It was shot at Walton ...

'' (1954) – Harry Fenn * '' Conflict of Wings'' (1954) – Leading Aircraftman 'Buster' * '' Up to His Neck'' (1954) – Smudge * '' Stock Car'' (1955) – Monty Albright * '' The Blue Peter'' (1955) – Charlie Barton * '' Fire Maidens from Outer Space'' (1956) – Sydney Stanhope * '' Behind the Headlines'' (1956) – Alfie * ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

'' (1956) – Syd Jarvis * '' Town on Trial'' (1957) – Leslie (Bandleader) * '' West of Suez'' (1957) – Tommy * ''Booby Trap'' (1957) – Sammy * '' Lucky Jim'' (1957) – Cab Driver (uncredited) * '' The Birthday Present'' (1957) – Charlie * ''The Supreme Secret'' (1958) – Bluey * ''Soapbox Derby'' (1958) – Barrow Boy * '' The Diplomatic Corpse'' (1958) – Knocker Parsons * ''

I Was Monty's Double ''I Was Monty's Double'' (released in the US as ''The Counterfeit General Montgomery''Idol on Parade'' (1959) – Ron * '' The Heart of a Man'' (1959) – Razor * ''The Dawn Killer'' (1959) – Bert Iron * '' Don't Panic Chaps!'' (1959) – Ackroyd * '' Crooks Anonymous'' (1962) – Woods * ''

Flight from Singapore ''Flight from Singapore'' is a 1962 British drama film directed by Dudley Birch and starring Patrick Allen, Patrick Holt and William Abney. Plot Two ex-RAF pilots set-up an airline between Singapore and Hong Kong. They run into trouble when the ...

'' (1962) – Sgt. Brooks * '' The Longest Day'' (1962) – British Paratrooper (uncredited) * '' Lawrence of Arabia'' (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 Antho ...

'' (1962) – Smiley * '' Ladies Who Do'' (1963) – Drill Operator * ''Seventy Deadly Pills'' (1964) – Covent Garden porter * ''

Father Came Too! ''Father Came Too!'' is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Peter Graham Scott and starring James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter. It is a loose sequel to ''The Fast Lady''. It was produced by the Independent Artists com ...

'' (1964) * '' Clash by Night'' (1964) – Doug Roberts * '' The Nanny'' (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 and in the US by Houghton Mifflin & Co. in 1962. It continues the story of the life and difficulties of Joe Lampton, an am ...

'' (1965) – Magic Beans Man * '' Doctor in Clover'' (1966) – Grafton * '' Secrets of a Windmill Girl'' (1966) – Harry * ''

Start the Revolution Without Me ''Start the Revolution Without Me'' is a 1970 British-French-American period drama, period comedy film directed by Bud Yorkin and starring Gene Wilder, Donald Sutherland, Hugh Griffith, Jack MacGowran, Billie Whitelaw, Orson Welles (playing himse ...

'' (1970) – Marcel * '' Crossed Swords'' (1977) – Nipper * ''High Rise Donkey'' (1980) – Crook * '' Sir Henry at Rawlinson End'' (1980) – Buller Bullethead * '' George and Mildred'' (1980) – Fisher * '' Fanny Hill'' (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, ...

'' (1990) – Morry

Selected TV appearances

*'' Dial 999 (TV series)'' (1959) - ('Barge Burglars', episode) - Sandy Gordon *'' The Army Game'' (1959–1960) – Cpl. 'Flogger' Hoskins *'' Dixon of Dock Green'' (1963–1970) – Duncan / Billy Reynolds / Alf Stubbings / Handbag Wilson *'' Z-Cars'' (1963–1972) – Billy Carrick / Tony / Toff *''

'' (1969–1971) – Storyteller *''

Going A Bundle ''Going A Bundle'' was a Southern TV children's television series hosted by Harry Fowler and Kenny Lynch shown between 1974 and 1976 . The series also featured James Villiers James Michael Hyde Villiers (29 September 1933 – 18 January 1998) ...

'' (1976) – Himself *'' Minder'' (1982) – Monty Wiseman *'' In Sickness and in Health'' (1985–1992) – Harry / Milkman *'' Casualty'' (1986–1992) – George / Terry *'' Super Gran'' (1987) – Sid Scoundrel *''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

: Remembrance of the Daleks'' (1988) – Harry *'' The Bill'' (1989–1992) – Alfred Sheldon / Pat Fitzgerald *''

The Impressionable Jon Culshaw ''The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' is a satire sketch show starring the impressionist Jon Culshaw, made by Ronin Entertainment. A deal with ITV enabled Culshaw to make this while simultaneously starring in BBC Two's '' Dead Ringers''. He also sta ...

'' (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