Harry Towb

Harry Towb
Born	(1925-07-27)27 July 1925 Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Died	24 July 2009(2009-07-24) (aged 83) London, England
Occupation(s)	Stage, film and TV actor
Years active	1950–2009
Spouse	Diana Hoddinott ​ (m. 1965)​
Children	3

Harry Towb (27 July 1925 – 24 July 2009) was an actor from Northern Ireland.

Early life and career

Towb was born in Larne, County Antrim, to a Russian-Jewish father and an Irish-Jewish mother; he once claimed he was the only Jew ever born in Larne. After his parents divorced, he moved with his mother and sister to north Belfast, where he attended the Finiston School and Technical College. He enlisted in the British Army during World War II and managed a military canteen, but was discharged once it emerged that he had lied about his age. He then appeared on stage with a touring theatre company in Ireland, in repertory theatre in England and in London's West End, where he had a role in the musical adaptation of Bar Mitzvah Boy. He also appeared in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the National Theatre in 2004.

He made numerous appearances on UK television including popular UK TV series Callan, the Ronald Howard led Sherlock Holmes, The Avengers, Home James!, Casualty, The Bill, Minder, Doctor Who and Heartbeat. His film appearances include Above Us the Waves (1955), The Blue Max (1966), Prudence and the Pill (1968), Patton (1970) and Lamb (1985). In 1959 he appeared in a radio episode of Hancock's Half Hour, "Fred's Pie Stall". In December 2008, Towb appeared in two episodes of the BBC soap opera EastEnders as David, Janine Butcher's fiancé. He also appeared on the long-running BBC music hall show, The Good Old Days.

Harry Towb was also a regular presenter on the BBC Schools' programme You and Me featuring with Cosmo and Dibs. In the late 1970s, Towb appeared in a series of TV commercials advertising Younger's Tartan Special beer, which were shown on very heavy rotation in Scotland.

He appeared in the 1983 London production of the hit stage musical Little Shop of Horrors, starring the original American lead Ellen Greene, based on Roger Corman's low-budget horror movie.

Personal life

Harry Towb was married to the actress Diana Hoddinott, with whom he had three children. He died at his home in London from complications due to cancer. As his obituary in The Times said, "Asked, once, why he had become an actor, Harry Towb said it was because he had always wanted to be someone else." His "being fascinated by others... made him one of the finest character actors of his day", The Times continued. Towb, said one critic, "can be relied upon to add distinction to any production". Towb continued to identify with his Jewish background, and in 1983 recorded a documentary, Odd Men In, about Belfast's Jewish community. He would describe his interview with Belfast-born Chaim Herzog for this documentary as his proudest moment.

Selected filmography

• The Quiet Woman (1951) – Jim Cranshaw
• Gift Horse (1952) – Minor Role (uncredited)
• 13 East Street (1952) – Ray
• Escape Route (1952) – Immigration Officer (uncredited)
• Escape by Night (1953) – Reporter (uncredited)
• Knave of Hearts (1954) – Stewart (uncredited)
• John Wesley (1954) – Michael O'Rory
• The Sleeping Tiger (1954) – Harry, second criminal
• A Prize of Gold (1955) – Benny
• Above Us the Waves (1955) – McCleery
• The Time of His Life (1955) – Steele
• Doublecross (1956) – Publican
• The March Hare (1956) – P.C. Dooney (uncredited)
• Eyewitness (1956) – Sugdon
• Circus Friends (1956) – Larry
• Stranger in Town (1957) – Café Attendant
• The End of the Line (1957) – Vince
• Murder at Site 3 (1958) – Kenney
• Dial 999 (TV series) - ('Rolling Racketeers', episode) - Harry
• The 39 Steps (1959) – Harold (uncredited)
• Crossroads to Crime (1960) – Paddy
• All Night Long (1962) – Phales
• The Scarlet Blade (1963) – Cobb (uncredited)
• The Blue Max (1966) – Kettering
• 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968) – Mr. Woolley
• Prudence and the Pill (1968) – Racetrack Official
• The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (1968) – Doctor
• All Neat in Black Stockings (1968) – Issur
• The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder, (Tv. episode) - (1969–1971) – Lew Kassio
• Patton (1970) – American GI Cook (uncredited)
• Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) – Doctor in Film
• Some Kind of Hero (1972) – Mannie Greenbaum
• Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973) – Ringmaster
• The Girl from Petrovka (1974) – American Reporter
• Sex Play (1974) – Four Star General
• Barry Lyndon (1975) – Innkeeper
• Rosie Dixon – Night Nurse (1978) – Mr. Phillips
• Lassiter (1984) – Roger Boardman
• Lamb (1985) – Priest
• Stowaways on the Ark (1988) – Noah
• Moll Flanders (1996) – Magistrate
• The Most Fertile Man in Ireland (2000) – Uncle Eugene
• Conspiracy of Silence (2003) – Father Doherty
• Cheeky (2003) – Mr. Oates

External links

• Harry Towb at IMDb
• National Theatre
• Harry Towb Obituary in The Guardian