Arthur Lowe left behind a lasting legacy from his time on screen, with his performances becoming a cherished part of British TV history.
Although the late actor built up impressive TV credentials over the years, he is best known for his iconic role as Captain Mainwaring in the classic sitcom Dad’s Army.
Born on 22 September 1915, in Hayfield, Derbyshire, Lowe initially pursued a career far removed from acting, working as a railway clerk and later joining the British Army during the Second World War after leaving school at the age of 15.
However, it wasn’t until after his military service that he seriously considered acting, enrolling in the Manchester Repertory Theatre school in the late 1940s to hone his craft.
Lowe's early acting career began in theatre, where he played a wide range of roles, gaining valuable experience on stage. His first big break on screen came in the 1950s, with small parts in British films and television shows. His first notable TV role was in Coronation Street as the pompous Leonard Swindley, a character that became popular enough to earn its own spin-off, Pardon the Expression.
However, it was in 1968 that Arthur Lowe truly found his place in British television history, cast as Captain George Mainwaring in Dad’s Army.
After reading the script for his character, he was keen to get started on the show. He once said in an interview: "I think from the first script I read of Dad's Army it was obvious it was going to be good. And that one could make something from the character without trying too hard really. It was there, it was self-explanatory."
Dad’s Army ran for nine seasons, spanning from 1968 to 1977. The show became a staple of British television, with 80 episodes in total, along with a radio adaptation, a stage show, and a feature film.
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After the show ended, fans were devastated and often asked Arthur if it would ever return. His response was: "People are still asking me when it's coming back and when I say half of us are dead anyway and the other half are too old to jump over the fences anymore they look at you in surprise. TV people don't get old. They think you have some secret of immortality. That's the only reason we stopped, we lost three of our leading characters and we were all getting rather old. We stopped while the going’s still good."
His last ever role on TV was starring in the 1983 TV mini-series Wagner.
