Peter Bowles, star of the TV sitcom To the Manor Born, dies at age 85 | Television

Actor Peter Bowles, who starred in To the Manor Born, has died at the age of 85 from cancer.

In a career over 60 years, Bowles has appeared in hundreds of productions in film, TV and theater. But he was best known for his role as Richard DeVere in the BBC sitcom, which aired from 1979 to 1981, starring Lady Penelope Keith, with the couple performing their roles in a 2007 special.

A statement from the PA news agency said: “The actor Peter Bowles has unfortunately died at the age of 85 from cancer.

He has consistently worked on stage and on screen, and has become a household name on television as the archetypal English Gent and To the Manor Born, Only When I Laugh, The Bounder and Lytton’s Diary, which he developed himself.

“He leaves his wife of over 60 years, Sue, and their three children, Guy, Adam and Sasha.”

To the Manor Born catapults Bowles to fame, with the series attracting the regular TV audience of 20 million. He played the nouveau-rich businessman DeVere, a wholesale food magnate of Czech descent, who bought a large English mansion from its original owner, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton (Keith), who was forced to sell her beloved Grantleigh property into a small one. Gîte rural on the spot, from where she disapproves of DeVere’s activities. The couple married in the last episode. The chemistry and comedy that Bowles generated with Keith made the show one of the most watched shows of the 1970s.

In 2013, Bowles told the Guardian in an interview on the sitcom: “The show cut across all classes and was watched by its 20 million viewers at its peak. The day after the first episode, I went out to get my morning paper and people stopped me on the street; when I went on stage that night, there was a huge round of applause. Suddenly, people wanted to talk to me.

Bowles’ famous fans include Robin Ince, who described his tour as Archie Rice in The Entertainer as “very great” and cited him as the force behind the production of Gangster No 1 – a game that Bowles would play and that would continue. and converted into a film by Paul McGuigan.

The Vikings: Valhalla actor David Oakes, who appeared with Bowles in the ITV series Victoria, said: “He was a real gentleman to work with, and took the right class with him wherever he went.”

Born in London in 1936, Bowles grew up in Nottingham and won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) before cutting his teeth on stage with the Old Vic Company in 1956, eventually in 45 Theater productions, came to an end. at age 81 at The Exorcist at the Phoenix Theater.

He has starred in several TV series, including The Avengers and The Saint. His role as DeVere came in his 40s, after he had previously refused a part in The Good Life, in which Keith also starred.

I have not worked in theater for more than a decade. In desperation, I went to church and prayed for a role, “he told the Guardian.” The next day, I was sent scripts for two plays and a sitcom called The Good Life, in which I played the role of Jerry. Leadbetter, Penelope Keith’s husband wanted to play. I chose one of the pieces and canceled the sitcom.

When he was offered a second chance to play Keith’s onscreen partner, he made sure he took the chance – his agent must have exceeded, who initially refused the role due to a clash with his appearances on ITV Series Rumpole of the Bailey. “I was determined not to give her a second chance to play her husband,” he said after personally convincing TV people that he could do both TV jobs.

Eventually, he would become so successful as a comic actor that it began to influence his theatrical work. Speaking of his success at Sitcoms in 2010, he said: “When you’ve had a huge popular television success, especially in comedy, people do not think you can act on stage.

“People thought I was just a sitcom actor and the BBC told me I would never work in drama again. I did not realize it was two worlds. It was new to me. I found it very strange. and found frustrating.

Growing up, his parents were servants of the nobility – his father was a valet and driver for one of the sons of the Earl of Sandwich, his mother a nanny employed by the heir of the Duke of Argyll in Scotland.

During World War II, his father worked as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and when the Bowles were six, the family moved to one of the poorest working class neighborhoods of Nottingham. Her house had an outside toilet and no bathroom.

“We were in a Coronation Street environment, but everyone was extremely friendly and there were a lot of kids. It was awesome,” he said.

After appearing in amateur games in Nottingham while winning his Rada scholarship, he was thrown into a melting pot of talent with colleagues including Alan Bates, Peter O’Toole and Siân Phillips, and shared an apartment with his colleague Albert Finney. .

He was reunited with Keith in a 2010 regional tour of Richard Sheridan’s The Rivals, directed by Sir Peter Hall.

During his career he has appeared in many films, including 1970s Eyewitness, 1995’s The Steal, 2005’s Color Me Kubrick, and 2008’s The Bank Job.

He also starred in the 2016 BBC Two Series Murder, which involved the psyche of everyone involved in a murder case by giving evidence directly to the camera of each character.

He most recently starred alongside Jenna Coleman in Victoria, playing the role of the Duke of Wellington.

Bowles was married to actor Susan Bennett.