Felix Bowness

2023-01-13T13:37:29Z

2A00:23C4:CE04:E901:BD32:5676:5107:5A50:

{{Short description|English actor}}
{{Cleanup bare URLs|date=August 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Felix Bowness
| birthname = Felix Hervè Talbot Bowness
| birth_date = {{birth date|1922|3|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Harwell, Oxfordshire|Harwell]], [[Berkshire]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|9|13|1922|3|30|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Woodley, Berkshire|Woodley]], Berkshire, England
| occupation = Boxer, soldier, comedian, actor
| spouse = {{marriage|Mavis Dungey|1950}}<ref>https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=BMD%2FM%2F1950%2F4%2FAZ%2F000119%2F056</ref>
| children = 1
}}
'''Felix Hervè Talbot Bowness''' (30 March 1922 – 13 September 2009)<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8255264.stm|title=Hi-de-Hi actor Bowness dies at 87|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=15 September 2009|access-date=2009-09-15}}</ref> was a British comedy actor who was best remembered for his portrayal of the [[jockey]] [[Hi-de-Hi!#Main entertainment staff|Fred Quilley]] in the [[BBC]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Hi-de-Hi!]].''

==Biography==
Born in the village of [[Harwell, Oxfordshire|Harwell]], [[Berkshire]], to [[French Canadian]] parents, he became a [[bantamweight]] [[boxing]] champion.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

===Second World War===
At the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], he joined the [[Royal Berkshire Regiment]] as a [[Signalman (rank)|signalman]]. At the [[D-Day]] landings in [[Normandy]], after his [[landing craft]] was hit and sunk, he only remembered waking in a French [[convent]]. During recovery he attended a [[Vera Lynn]] concert, after which she gave him a singing lesson.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

===Performing career===
Bowness returned to Britain and started performing on the comedy circuit, undertaking two summer seasons at [[Clacton Pier|Clacton-on-Sea Pier]] in 1948 and 1949.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://peterwestwood.xanga.com/ | title=Xanga 2.0 is Here!}}</ref>

He eventually broke into films and television in the early 1960s, and supplemented his income by becoming a well used [[Warm-up comedian|warm-up]] act for television shows including ''[[Morecambe and Wise]]'', ''Home To Roost'', ''[[The Two Ronnies]]'' and, later. [[Terry Wogan|Sir Terry Wogan's]] [[chat show]] ''[[Wogan]]'' and ''[[Noel's House Party]]''. He was also the warm-up act for ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' and became the subject of it in 1985.<ref name="bbc"/>

Bowness did not come to mainstream public attention until he was picked up by the writing partnership of [[Jimmy Perry]] and [[David Croft (TV producer)|David Croft]]. He was cast as former jockey Fred Quilley in the sitcom ''Hi-de-Hi!'' and appeared in all 58 episodes. He subsequently appeared with the same ensemble cast in ''[[You Rang, M'Lord?]]'' and ''[[Oh, Doctor Beeching!]]''. During his career he also had credits in such comedy series as ''[[The Benny Hill Show]]'', ''[[The Liver Birds]]'', ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'', ''[[Dad's Army]]'', ''[[Porridge (1974 TV series)|Porridge]]'', ''[[Sykes (TV series)|Sykes]]'' Till Death Us Do Part and ''[[Are You Being Served?]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0101437/ | title=Felix Bowness| website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>

Bowness was not known for cinematic roles, but in 1979 he appeared in the soft-porn film ''[[Queen of the Blues]]'' starring [[Mary Millington]] and [[Milton Reid]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079768/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 | title=Queen of the Blues| website=[[IMDb]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba4c25353 | title=Felix Bowness}}</ref>

===Personal life and death===
Bowness and Mavis, his wife of 59 years, lived in [[Woodley, Berkshire|Woodley]], [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]]. They had a son, Robert, three grandchildren, Jonathan, David and Christopher, and two great-granddaughters, Faith and Evie. He retired from acting in 2003 after being diagnosed with dementia. He died of cancer in 2009, at the age of 87.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/felix-bowness-the-jockey-fred-quilly-in-hi-de-hi-1808438.html | title=Felix Bowness: The jockey Fred Quilly in 'Hi-de-Hi!'| website=[[Independent.co.uk]]| date=2009-10-23}}</ref>

==Television roles==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Title !! Role
|-
|1980 to 1988 || ''[[Hi-de-Hi!]]'' || Fred Quilley
|-
|1990 to 1993 || ''[[You Rang, M'Lord?]]'' || Mr Pearson
|-
|1996 to 1997 || ''[[Oh, Doctor Beeching!]]'' || Bernie Bleasdale
|-
|1991 to ???? || ''[[Noel's House Party]]'' || Himself. Warm Up Act.
|}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0101437|name=Felix Bowness}}
*[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2009/oct/04/felix-bowness-obituary Obituary in ''The Guardian'']
*[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/felix-bowness-the-jockey-fred-quilly-in-hidehi-1808438.html Obituary in ''The Independent'']

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowness, Felix}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Berkshire]]
[[Category:English people of Canadian descent]]
[[Category:English male boxers]]
[[Category:Royal Berkshire Regiment soldiers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:Actors from Reading, Berkshire]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]

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Felix Bowness