Bill Owen (actor)

2022-07-31T08:13:10Z

2A00:23C8:306:9B01:484B:43DC:6A7D:14E4: /* Personal life */

{{short description|English actor}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Bill Owen
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|commas=on|MBE}}
| image = Bill Owen.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1914|3|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Acton, London|Acton]], [[Middlesex]], England
| height =
| death_date ={{Death date and age|1999|7|12|1914|3|14|df=y}}
| death_place =[[Westminster]], [[London]], England
| resting_place =St John the Evangelist Churchyard, [[Upperthong]], [[West Yorkshire]], England
| birth_name = William John Owen Rowbotham
| occupation = Actor, songwriter
| years_active = 1941–1999
| spouse = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|Edith Stevenson|1946|1964|reason=divorced}}
*{{marriage|Kathleen O'Donoghue|1977}}}}
| children = 2, including [[Tom Owen (actor)|Tom Owen]]
}}

'''William John Owen Rowbotham''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MBE}} (14 March 1914 – 12 July 1999) was an English actor and songwriter. He was the father of actor [[Tom Owen (actor)|Tom Owen]]. He is best known for portraying [[Compo Simmonite]] in the [[Yorkshire]]-based [[BBC]] comedy series ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' for over a quarter of a century. He died on 12 July 1999, his last appearance on-screen being shown in April 2000.

==Early life and career==
Born at [[Acton Green, London]] to a working-class family (his father a staunchly left-wing tram-driver),<ref>Last of the Summer Wine: The Inside Story of the World's Longest-Running Comedy Series, Andrew Vine, Aurum Press, 2011</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/jul/13/guardianobituaries1|title=Bill Owen|first=Dennis|last=Barker|date=13 July 1999|access-date=15 July 2020|website=Theguardian.com}}</ref> Owen made his first film appearance in 1945, but did not achieve lasting fame until 1973, when he took the co-starring role of [[Compo Simmonite|William "Compo" Simmonite]] in the long-running British sitcom ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]''. Compo is a scruffy working-class pensioner, often exploited by the bossy characters played by [[Michael Bates (actor)|Michael Bates]], [[Brian Wilde]], [[Michael Aldridge]] and [[Frank Thornton]] for dirty jobs, stunts and escapades, while their indomitably docile friend [[Norman Clegg]], played by [[Peter Sallis]], follows and watches with a smirk. He wore a woollen hat and spent much of his time lusting after dowdy housewife [[Nora Batty]]. The series, starting in 1973 and finishing in 2010, is today the world's longest-running comedy series. Owen became an icon, a darling of its audience and central to its success and episodes for 26 years, right until his death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.icons.org.uk/nom/nominations/last-of-the-summer-wine-1/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004434/http://www.icons.org.uk/nom/nominations/last-of-the-summer-wine-1|url-status=dead|title=Index of /nom/nominations/last-of-the-summer-wine-1|archive-date=27 September 2007|website=Icons.org.uk|access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> The threesome of Compo, Clegg and Foggy (this third character was initially Blamire, played by Michael Bates, and when Brian Wilde's Foggy took a hiatus, replaced by Michael Aldridge's, Seymour Utterthwaite) remains the most popular group of three the show ever produced. Foggy was replaced in 1997 by Frank Thornton's character Herbert 'Truly' Truelove, who remained in the show until its final episode in 2010.

Owen served in the [[Royal Army Ordnance Corps]] during [[World War II]], where he was injured in an explosion during a battle training course.

During the 1960s, Owen had a successful second career as a songwriter, with compositions including the hit "[[Marianne (1968 song)|Marianne]]", recorded by [[Cliff Richard]]. At this time he also collaborated with songwriter Tony Russell on the musical ''[[The Matchgirls]]'' about the [[London matchgirls strike of 1888]]. He co-starred as [[Spike Milligan]]'s straight man in the West End hit ''Son of Oblomov'' in 1964. Owen also recorded a [[novelty song]] with [[Kathy Staff]] in 1983 called "Nora Batty's Stockings".

Owen was a regular in the early ''[[Carry On (film series)|Carry On]]'' films (''[[Carry On Sergeant|Sergeant]]'', ''[[Carry On Nurse|Nurse]]'', ''[[Carry On Regardless|Regardless]]'' and ''[[Carry On Cabby|Cabby]]''). He also had a cameo appearance in ''[[Brideshead Revisited (TV serial)|Brideshead Revisited]]'' as Lunt, Charles Ryder's [[bedder|scout]] during his days at the [[University of Oxford]]. He also featured in several [[Lindsay Anderson]] films including ''[[O Lucky Man!]]'' (1973) and ''[[In Celebration]]'' (1974).

== Personal life ==
Owen was a staunch socialist and supporter of the Labour Party. [[Peter Sallis]] has claimed that Owen's left-wing views contrasted so much with the right-wing opinions of [[Michael Bates (actor)|Michael Bates]] that ''Last of the Summer Wine'' was almost not made because of their arguments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8054225.stm|title=Argument 'threatened Summer Wine'|date=17 May 2009|access-date=26 October 2018|website=News.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> Owen was a founding member of the [[Keep Sunday Special]] campaign group, and president of Arts for Labour, a campaign group of performers linked to the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grant |first=Linda |date=1991-05-05 |title=Politics Reaches for the Stars |pages=86 |work=[[The Observer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105964289/politics-reaches-for-the-stars/ |access-date=2022-07-20}}</ref> He was awarded the MBE in 1977.

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1980 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] in [[Trafalgar Square]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}
[[File:Bill Owen's grave.jpg|thumb|Bill Owen's grave in the churchyard of St John's Parish Church, Upperthong Lane, [[Holmfirth]]]]

== Illness and death ==
While filming the ''Last of the Summer Wine'' French special for the millennium of 2000, Owen fell ill but insisted on continuing despite being in pain; when he got back to England, he was confirmed as having pancreatic and bowel cancer.

He continued working right up to his death from pancreatic cancer in [[Westminster]], London,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|title=Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006|website=Findmypast.com|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> on 12 July 1999,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/jul/13/guardianobituaries1|title=Bill Owen|website=The Guardian|access-date=27 December 2018|author=Dennis Barker|date=13 July 1999}}</ref> coincidentally, the birthday of co-star [[Kathy Staff]], who played his love interest Nora Batty on ''Last of the Summer Wine''. Owen is buried in the churchyard of St John's Parish Church, [[Upperthong]], near his beloved town of [[Holmfirth]] in [[Yorkshire]], the home of ''Last of the Summer Wine''. His co-star Peter Sallis was buried next to him after his death aged 96 in June 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/last-summer-wine-star-peter-14103261 |title=Last of the Summer Wine star Peter Sallis is laid to rest next to co-star Bill Owen in Holmfirth |newspaper=[[Huddersfield Examiner]] |publisher=Trinity Mirror Group |date=2 January 2018 |access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref>

== Selected television roles ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1963 to 1964 || ''[[Taxi! (British TV series)|Taxi!]]'' || Fred Cuddell ||
|-
|1971 || ''Coppers End'' || Sergeant Sam Short ||
|-
|1973 to 1974 || ''[[Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?]]'' || George Chambers ||
|-
|1973 to 2000 || ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' || [[Compo Simmonite]] || 185 episodes
|-
|1982 || ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]'' || Meakins || "The Moles" S5 E6
|-
|}

==Selected filmography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''Breathing Space'' (1943) - Songwriter (Uncredited)
* ''[[The Way to the Stars]]'' (1945) – 'Nobby' Clarke (as Bill Rowbotham)
* ''[[Perfect Strangers (1945 film)|Perfect Strangers]]'' (1945) – (uncredited)
* ''[[School for Secrets]]'' (1946) – Paratroop Sergeant (as Bill Rowbotham)
* ''[[Dancing with Crime]]'' (1947) – Dave Robinson (as Bill Rowbotham)
* ''[[Holiday Camp (film)|Holiday Camp]]'' (1947) – Bit Role (uncredited)
* ''[[When the Bough Breaks (1947 film)|When the Bough Breaks]]'' (1947) – Bill Collins
* ''[[Easy Money (1948 film)|Easy Money]]'' (1948) – Mr. Lee
* ''[[Daybreak (1948 film)|Daybreak]]'' (1948) – Ron
* ''[[My Brother's Keeper (film)|My Brother's Keeper]]'' (1948) – Syd Evans
* ''[[The Weaker Sex]]'' (1948) – Soldier with Chicken
* ''[[Once a Jolly Swagman]]'' (1949) – Lag Gibbon
* ''[[Trottie True]]'' (1949) – Joe Jugg
* ''[[Diamond City (film)|Diamond City]]'' (1949) – Pinto
* ''[[The Girl Who Couldn't Quite]]'' (1950) – Tim
* ''[[The Astonished Heart (film)|The Astonished Heart]]'' (1950) – Mr. Burton (uncredited)
* ''[[Hotel Sahara]]'' (1951) – Private Binns
* ''[[The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men]]'' (1952) – Stutely
* ''[[The Square Ring]]'' (1953) – Happy Burns
* ''[[There Was a Young Lady]]'' (1953) – Joe
* ''[[A Day to Remember (1953 film)|A Day to Remember]]'' (1953) – Shorty Sharpe
* ''[[The Rainbow Jacket]]'' (1954) – Sam
* ''[[The Ship That Died of Shame]]'' (1955) – Birdie
* ''[[Not So Dusty (1956 film)|Not So Dusty]]'' (1956) – Dusty Grey
* ''[[Davy (film)|Davy]]'' (1958) – Eric
* ''[[Carve Her Name with Pride]]'' (1958) – N.C.O. Instructor
* ''[[Carry On Sergeant]]'' (1958) – Corporal Bill Copping
* ''[[Carry On Nurse]]'' (1959) – Percy 'Perc' Hickson
* ''[[The Shakedown (1959 film)|The Shakedown]]'' (1960) – David Spettigue
* ''[[The Hellfire Club (film)|The Hellfire Club]]'' (1961) – Martin
* ''[[Carry On Regardless]]'' (1961) – Mike Weston
* ''[[On the Fiddle]]'' (1961) – Corporal Gittens
* ''[[Carry On Cabby]]'' (1963) – Smiley Sims
* ''[[The Masque of the Red Death (1964 film)|The Masque of the Red Death]]'' (1964) – Male Dancer (uncredited)
* ''[[The Secret of Blood Island]]'' (1964) – Bludgin
* ''[[Georgy Girl]]'' (1966) – Ted
* ''[[The Fighting Prince of Donegal]]'' (1966) – Officer Powell
* ''[[Headline Hunters (1968 film)|Headline Hunters]]'' (1968) – Henry
* ''[[O Lucky Man!]]'' (1973) – Supt. Barlow / Insp. Carding
* ''[[In Celebration]]'' (1975) – Mr. Shaw
* ''[[The Comeback (1978 film)|The Comeback]]'' (1978) – Mr. B
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|0654089|Bill Owen}}
* {{Discogs artist|Bill Owen (2)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Bill}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English songwriters]]
[[Category:British novelty song performers]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Royal Army Ordnance Corps soldiers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:British male comedy actors]]
[[Category:People from Acton, London]]

The Goon Show Depository - User contributions [en]

Bill Owen (actor)