Arthur Lowe
Updated: 12/11/2025, 10:12:25 AM Wikipedia source
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. He won his only BAFTA, the Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, for his performance in O Lucky Man! (1973). 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.
Infobox
Born
(1915-09-22)22 September 1915Hayfield, Derbyshire, England
Died
15 April 1982(1982-04-15) (aged 66)Birmingham, England
Resting place
Sutton Coldfield Crematorium, Birmingham, England
Occupation
Actor
Years active
1945–1982
Known for
Coronation StreetDad's Army
Spouse
mw- Joan Cooper (m. 1948)
Children
1
Allegiance
United Kingdom
Branch
British Army Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Years of service
1939–1945
Rank
Sergeant Major
Battles / wars
Second World War
Service years
1939–1945
Tables
· Filmography › Television
1958
Murder Bag
Notes
2 episodes
1958-1963
Role(s)
ITV Television Playhouse
Notes
Various
1958-1964
Role(s)
ITV Play of the Week
1959
All Aboard
Role(s)
Sydney Barker
Notes
26 episodes
1960–65
Role(s)
Coronation Street
Notes
Leonard Swindley
1965–66
Role(s)
Pardon the Expression
Notes
37 episodes
1967
Role(s)
6 episodes
1968–77
Role(s)
Dad's Army
Notes
Captain Mainwaring
1970
Role(s)
Harold Twine
Role(s)
Edwin Stoatt
1971
1971–72
Role(s)
The Last of the Baskets
Notes
Redvers Bodkin
1972
It's Murder, But Is It Art?
Role(s)
Phineas Drake
1974
Microbes and Men
Role(s)
Louis Pasteur
Notes
3 episodes
1974–75
Role(s)
David Copperfield
Notes
Wilkins Micawber
1974–76
Role(s)
Mr Men
Notes
Narrator and character voices
1977
The Galton & Simpson Playhouse
Role(s)
Henry Duckworth
Notes
Episode: "Car Along the Pass"
1978–81
Role(s)
Bless Me, Father
Notes
Father Charles Clement Duddleswell
1982
1983
Wagner
Role(s)
Meser
Notes
2 episodes; broadcast posthumously
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1958 | Murder Bag | 2 episodes | |
| Time Out for Peggy | |||
| Leave It to Todhunter | Gunsmith | 2 episodes | |
| 1958-1963 | ITV Television Playhouse | Various | 4 episodes |
| 1958-1964 | ITV Play of the Week | ||
| 1959 | All Aboard | Sydney Barker | 26 episodes |
| Dial 999 | Samuel Finch(uncredited) | Episode: "The Mechanical Watchman" | |
| 1960–65 | Coronation Street | Leonard Swindley | 197 episodes |
| 1965–66 | Pardon the Expression | 37 episodes | |
| 1967 | Turn Out the Lights | 6 episodes | |
| The Avengers | Sir George Benstead | Episode: "Dead Man's Treasure" | |
| 1968–77 | Dad's Army | Captain Mainwaring | 80 episodes |
| 1968 | The Wednesday Play | Colonel Harrup | Episode: "A Night with Mrs. Da Tanka" |
| 1969 | ITV Playhouse | Mr. Cakebread | Episode: "The Wicked Stage" |
| 1970 | The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens | John Dickens | TV film |
| Jackanory | Storyteller | Episode: "The Emperor's Oblong Pancake" | |
| Rookery Nook | Harold Twine | ||
| Turkey Time | Edwin Stoatt | ||
| 1971 | Doctor at Large | Dr Maxwell | 5 episodes |
| 1971–72 | The Last of the Baskets | Redvers Bodkin | 13 episodes |
| 1972 | It's Murder, But Is It Art? | Phineas Drake | |
| 1974 | Microbes and Men | Louis Pasteur | 3 episodes |
| 1974–75 | David Copperfield | Wilkins Micawber | 5 episodes |
| 1974–76 | Mr Men | Narrator and character voices | 28 episodes |
| 1975 | Churchill's People | Epillicus, the butler | Episode: "The Lost Island" |
| 1977 | The Galton & Simpson Playhouse | Henry Duckworth | Episode: "Car Along the Pass" |
| The Morecambe & Wise Show | Captain Mainwaring | Christmas Special | |
| 1978–81 | Bless Me, Father | Father Charles Clement Duddleswell | 21 episodes |
| 1979 | The Plank | Smaller workman | TV film |
| 1979–80 | Potter | Redvers Potter | 13 episodes |
| 1982 | Wentworth, BA | Arthur James Wentworth, B.A. | 6 episodes; broadcast posthumously |
| 1983 | Wagner | Meser | 2 episodes; broadcast posthumously |
· Filmography › Films
1949
Role(s)
Pianist
Role(s)
Archibald
Role(s)
The Reporter
Role(s)
Town Clerk
Gilbert Harding Speaking of Murder
Role(s)
3rd Drama critic
1955
Role(s)
Mr. Fogarty
Role(s)
Sam
1956
Role(s)
Bit Part
Role(s)
Mitchell
Role(s)
Radio Salesman
Notes
Uncredited
1960
Role(s)
Auctioneer
1969
Role(s)
Father
1970
Role(s)
Mr. Aspinall
Role(s)
Police Sergeant
Role(s)
John Dickens
Role(s)
Mr. Nugent
Role(s)
Ferret
1972
Role(s)
Daniel Tucker
Role(s)
Major Drysdale
1973
Role(s)
Horace Sprout
Role(s)
Mr. Duff / Charlie Johnson / Dr. Munda
Role(s)
Mr. Bromley
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1948 | London Belongs to Me | Commuter on Train | Uncredited |
| 1949 | Floodtide | Pianist | |
| Stop Press Girl | Archibald | ||
| Kind Hearts and Coronets | The Reporter | ||
| Poet's Pub | Coach Guide | Uncredited | |
| The Spider and the Fly | Town Clerk | ||
| Cage of Gold | Short Man | Uncredited | |
| Gilbert Harding Speaking of Murder | 3rd Drama critic | ||
| 1954 | Final Appointment | Mr. Barrett | |
| 1955 | Reluctant Bride | Mr. Fogarty | |
| The Woman for Joe | George's Agent | Uncredited | |
| One Way Out | Sam | ||
| Murder Anonymous | Fingerprint Expert | Uncredited | |
| Windfall | |||
| 1956 | Who Done It? | Bit Part | |
| Breakaway | Mitchell | ||
| The Green Man | Radio Salesman | ||
| High Terrace | Uncredited | ||
| 1957 | Hour of Decision | Calligraphy Expert | |
| Stranger in Town | Jeweller | ||
| 1958 | Blind Spot | Garage Mechanic | Uncredited |
| Stormy Crossing | Garage Owner | ||
| 1959 | The Boy and the Bridge | Bridge Mechanic | |
| 1960 | The Day They Robbed the Bank of England | Bank Official | Uncredited |
| Follow That Horse | Auctioneer | ||
| 1962 | Go to Blazes | Warder | |
| 1963 | This Sporting Life | Charles Slomer | |
| 1965 | You Must Be Joking! | Husband | |
| 1967 | The White Bus | Mayor | |
| 1968 | If.... | Mr. Kemp: Staff | |
| 1969 | It All Goes to Show | Councillor Henry Parker | Short |
| The Bed Sitting Room | Father | ||
| 1970 | Spring and Port Wine | Mr. Aspinall | |
| Some Will, Some Won't | Police Sergeant | ||
| The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens | John Dickens | ||
| Fragment of Fear | Mr. Nugent | ||
| The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer | Ferret | ||
| 1971 | A Hole Lot of Trouble | Whitehouse | |
| Dad's Army | Captain Mainwaring | ||
| 1972 | The Ruling Class | Daniel Tucker | |
| Adolf Hitler – My Part in His Downfall | Major Drysdale | ||
| 1973 | Theatre of Blood | Horace Sprout | |
| O Lucky Man! | Mr. Duff / Charlie Johnson / Dr. Munda | ||
| No Sex Please, We're British | Mr. Bromley | ||
| 1974 | Man About the House | Spiros | |
| 1976 | The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones | Dr. Thwackum | |
| 1977 | The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It | Dr. William Watson, M.D. | |
| 1979 | The Lady Vanishes | Charters | |
| 1980 | Sweet William | Captain Walton |
· Filmography › Radio
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1971–73 | Parsley Sidings | Horace Hepplewhite | 21 episodes |
| 1974–76 | Dad's Army | Captain Mainwaring | 67 episodes |
| 1981 | It Sticks Out Half a Mile | 1 episode |
· Awards › BAFTAs
1974
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
| 1969 | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Actor | Dad's Army | Nominated |
| 1970 | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Dad's Army | Nominated |
| 1972 | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Dad's Army | Nominated |
| 1973 | BAFTA Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | O Lucky Man! | Won |
| 1974 | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Dad's Army | Nominated |
| BAFTA TV Awards | Best Actor | Microbes and Men and David Copperfield | Nominated | |
| 1977 | BAFTA TV Awards | Best Light Entertainment Performance | Dad's Army | Nominated |
References
- GRO Register of Births: DEC 1915 7b 1413 HAYFIELD – Arthur Lowe, mmn = Ford
- GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1982 32 0628 BIRMINGHAM – Arthur Lowe, DoB = 22 September 1915
- GRO Register of Marriages: MAR 1948 5d 800 MARYLEBONE – Arthur Lowe = Gatehouse or Cooper
- Lord (2002), p. 3.
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- John Oliver "Lowe, Arthur (1915–1982)", BFI Screenonlinehttp://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/523136/index.html
- Lord (2002), p. 36.
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- Lord (2002), p. 49.
- Lord (2002), p. 50.
- "Arthur Lowe – The Proud Father", TV Times, 14–20 October 1978
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- Daily Expresshttps://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1459031/Dads-Army-Frank-Williams-comedy-vicar-captain-mainwaring-corporal-jones
- East Anglian Daily Timeshttps://www.eadt.co.uk/things-to-do/scriptwriter-david-croft-talks-about-the-birth-of-dad-s-2466678
- The Independenthttps://web.archive.org/web/20100308123940/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/dads-army-the-story-of-a-classic-television-show-by-graham-mccann-747678.html
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- "Mr Men to return in new TV series", BBC News, 15 April 2007.https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6557177.stm
- Discogshttps://www.discogs.com/Arthur-Lowe-with-Mike-Sammes-Singers-How-I-Won-The-War-My-Little-Girl-My-Little-Boy/master/862981
- World ship trusthttps://web.archive.org/web/20110913170409/http://www.worldshiptrust.org/memberslinks.htm
- The Independenthttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/dads-navy-as-captain-mainwaring-he-entertained-millions-with-his-pomposity-and-his-delusions-of-grandeur-but-the-real-arthur-lowe-fancied-himself-as-a-different-sort-of-captain-1445756.html
- Makemeacocktail.comhttps://makemeacocktail.com/recipes/s/?s=amazon
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- Lowe (1997), p. 188.
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- Lord (2002), p. 264.
- Lord (2002), pp. 244–446.
- Lowe (1997), p. 154.
- Lowe (1997), p. 246.
- "Ian Lavender on Arthur Lowe: "He fell asleep in the middle of the soup""https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p032r0cj
- Lord (2002), p. 267.
- Lord (2002), p. 269.
- "Arthur Lowe – Pebble Mill at One – BBC – 1982 Last interview Complete"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOdJrZ9uS30
- Lowe (1997), p. 191.
- Lord (2002), p. 274.
- Lord (2002), p. 275.
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- The Telegraphhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11736402/arthur-lowe-son-dads-army.html
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- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/apr/16/dads-army-arthur-lowe-jimmy-perry
- Hughes (1976), p. 138.
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- Lord (2002), p. 239.
- Steven Nolan Show BBC Radio 5 Live, 1 December 2007
- BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10359953
- "Anglia News – Dad's Army Statue Unveiling"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UrobbTXW7Q
- Openplaques.orghttp://openplaques.org/plaques/2198
- Derbyshire.gov.ukhttp://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/blue_plaques/default.asp
- BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-14717464
- "Roy Smiles – Dear Arthur, Love John"https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01h6463
- "We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story!"https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06t3m7t
- Bringing Madness to the Masses since 1998https://massmovement.co.uk/geek-o-rama-meets-nev-fountain-and-stuart-douglas/