Michael Howard (4 March 1916 – 18 February 1988) was a British actor and comedian. His parents were the Scottish

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

minister, psychologist and academic

John Grant McKenzie John Grant McKenzie (1882–1963) was a Scottish Congregational minister, psychologist and academic. McKenzie was born in Aberdeen on 5 February 1882

and Margaret Ann née Murray."Dr. J. G. McKenzie", ''The Times'' (London), 20 May 1963, p. 16. He trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

and performed at various theatres in Britain and America. He became a resident comic at the

Windmill Theatre The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude ''tableaux vivants'', which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians of t ...

in London in 1941. He wrote and starred in a number of comedy shows for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

including ''For the Love of Mike'', ''Leave it to the Boys'', ''The Michael Howard Show'' and ''Here's Howard''. The last was adapted for

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

and was transmitted from 14 March to 20 June 1951. He married Betty Kelly in 1938, with whom he had one child, Harriet. They later divorced and in 1949 he married the actress

Peggy Evans Peggy Evans (10 January 1921 – 26 July 2015) was an English actress. She trained at the Rank Organisation's The Company of Youth (a "charm school"). Early years One of four children, Evans was born in Sheffield but grew up in Ealing, west Lo ...

, with whom he had two children, Annabelle Howard and Ian Howard. The 1956 'Picture Show Who's Who on the Screen' Annual gives, on Page 71, the following titles of Howard's then most recent "Films": ''

I See a Dark Stranger ''I See a Dark Stranger'' – released as ''The Adventuress'' in the United States – is a 1946 British World War II spy film with touches of light comedy, by the team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and starring Deborah Kerr and ...

''; ''

It Always Rains on Sunday ''It Always Rains on Sunday'' is a 1947 British film adaptation of Arthur La Bern's novel by the same name, directed by Robert Hamer. The film has been compared with the poetic realism movement in the French cinema of a few years earlier by the ...

''; '' A Sister to Assist 'Er''; ''

Front Page Story ''Front Page Story'' is a 1954 British drama film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Jack Hawkins, Elizabeth Allan and Eva Bartok. It was shot in black-and-white at Shepperton Studios with some location shooting in London. The film's sets we ...

''; and, ''

Out of the Clouds ''Out of the Clouds'' is a 1955 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Anthony Steel, Robert Beatty and James Robertson Justice. An Ealing Studios production, the film is composed of small stories dealing with the passenger ...

''.

Partial filmography

* ''

A Canterbury Tale ''A Canterbury Tale'' is a 1944 British film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring Eric Portman, Sheila Sim, Dennis Price and Sgt. John Sweet; Esmond Knight provided narration and played two small roles. For the post-war American ...

'' (1944) *''

'' (1946) * ''

'' (1947) * '' A Sister to Assist 'Er'' (1948) * ''

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1955) * ''

The Baby and the Battleship ''The Baby and the Battleship'' is a colour 1956 British comedy film directed by Jay Lewis and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough and André Morell. It is based on the 1956 novel by Anthony Thorne with a screenplay by Richard De Roy, ...

'' (1956) * ''

Golden Rendezvous ''Golden Rendezvous'' is a 1977 South African action thriller film directed by Ashley Lazarus and starring Richard Harris, Ann Turkel and David Janssen. It was based on the 1962 novel ''The Golden Rendezvous'' by Alistair MacLean. Plot The ''C ...

'' (1977)

References

External links

Mark Lewisohn, BBC Comedy Guide
* 1916 births 1988 deaths British male comedians 20th-century British comedians English male stage actors English male film actors {{UK-actor-stub