Arthur Lowe

For other people named Arthur Lowe, see Arthur Lowe (disambiguation).

Arthur Lowe
Lowe as Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army
Born(1915-09-22)22 September 1915
Hayfield, Derbyshire, England[1]
Died15 April 1982(1982-04-15) (aged 66)
Birmingham, England [2]
Resting placeSutton Coldfield Crematorium, Birmingham, England
OccupationActor
Years active1945–1982
Spouse
​
(m. 1948)​
[3]
Children1
Military career
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service / branchBritish Army Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Years of service1939–1945
RankSergeant Major
Battles / warsSecond World War

Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 37 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977, was nominated for seven BAFTAs and became one of the most recognised faces on UK television.

Lowe began acting professionally in England in 1945, after army service in the Second World War. He worked in theatre, film and television throughout the 1950s but it was not until he landed the part of Leonard Swindley in the television soap Coronation Street in 1960 that he came to national attention. He played the character until 1965, while continuing theatre and other acting work.

In 1968 he took on his role in Dad's Army, written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. The profile he gained from the role led to further character roles. Despite increasingly poor health in his final years, he maintained a busy professional schedule until his death from a stroke on 15 April 1982, aged 66.

  1. ^ GRO Register of Births: DEC 1915 7b 1413 HAYFIELD – Arthur Lowe, mmn = Ford
  2. ^ GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1982 32 0628 BIRMINGHAM – Arthur Lowe, DoB = 22 September 1915
  3. ^ GRO Register of Marriages: MAR 1948 5d 800 MARYLEBONE – Arthur Lowe = Gatehouse or Cooper