Bill Pertwee
Bill Pertwee | |
---|---|
Born | William Desmond Anthony Pertwee 21 July 1926 Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England |
Died | 27 May 2013 | (aged 86)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1959–1997 |
Spouse |
Marion Rose
(m. 1955; died 2005) |
Children | 1 |
Relatives |
William Desmond Anthony Pertwee, MBE (21 July 1926 – 27 May 2013) was an English actor and comedian. He is best remembered for playing Chief ARP Warden Hodges in Dad's Army and P.C. Wilson in You Rang, M'Lord?.[1]
Early life
Pertwee was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on 21 July 1926.[2] Born the youngest of three boys of a Brazilian mother and an English father, James Francis Carter Pertwee, who travelled the country as a salesman until he became ill and died in 1938, when Bill Pertwee was 12. The family moved home many times during Pertwee's childhood and he lived in Hereford, Glasbury, Colnbrook, Newbury, Erith, Belvedere, Blackheath, Storrington, Westcliff-on-Sea, Wilmington and Worthing.
His education was disrupted by the moves and he attended many schools including an independent convent school, a small independent school, followed by Frensham Heights School in Surrey, Dartford Technical College and Southend College.
Pertwee left school during the
Entertainment career
Pertwee appeared in the radio comedy series
His most prominent role was that of ARP Warden Hodges in Dad's Army, which he played in both the original television series from 1968 to 1977, and the radio adaptations, as well as the radio sequel It Sticks Out Half a Mile, set after the war. Pertwee was president of the Dad's Army Appreciation Society and the author of the book Dad's Army – The Making of a Television Legend.
In July 2008 he and other surviving members of the Dad's Army cast gathered together at the
Pertwee appeared in two
On television Pertwee appeared in the final episode of It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1981) and an episode of Hi-de-Hi! (1986). He played PC Wilson in You Rang, M'Lord? (1988–1993), another creation of Jimmy Perry and David Croft.
The subject of This Is Your Life in 1999, Pertwee was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Imperial War Museum.[citation needed] In 2006, he performed in the World Cup song, "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Jurgen Klinsmann?"
In 2011 a portrait of Pertwee, painted by a local artist, was unveiled in the Dad's Army Museum, Thetford where it now resides. Pertwee was patron of the museum and of the DAAS (Dad's Army Appreciation Society) until his death.
Personal life
Pertwee married Marion Macleod, sister of John and Norman Macleod of the Maple Leaf Four, in 1955.[4] They had a son, Jonathan James Pertwee (born in 1966), who has appeared in various TV programmes.[5]
Following the death of his wife, he lived in
Pertwee died aged 86 on 27 May 2013.[8] He had been ill since the previous year and died peacefully at his home in Cornwall. Three days previously he had attended a parade in Thetford (home of the Dad's Army Museum) where spectators and museum volunteers remarked how frail he was looking. His death, and those of Pamela Cundell in 2015 and Frank Williams in 2022, left Ian Lavender (who died in 2024), who played Private Pike, as the only surviving Dad's Army cast member.
Pertwee's brother James Raymond "Jiggy" Pertwee was an
He was related to Michael Pertwee and Jon Pertwee, being a second cousin of Michael's and Jon's father, the screenwriter and actor Roland Pertwee.[10] He was godfather to one of the sons of his Dad's Army co-star Ian Lavender.
Film/TV/radio
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1970 | Carry On Loving | Barman | |
1971 | Dad's Army | ARP Warden Hodges | |
The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins | Cockney Man | (segment "Lust") | |
Carry On at Your Convenience | Manager of Whippit Inn | (scenes deleted) | |
1973 | Psychomania | Publican | |
Love Thy Neighbour | Postman | ||
Carry On Girls | Fire Chief | ||
1974 | Man About the House | Postman | |
1975 | Confessions of a Pop Performer | Husband with javelin | |
1977 | What's Up Nurse! | Flash Harry Harrison | |
1978 | What's Up Superdoc! | Woodie | |
2012 | Run for Your Wife | 1st man getting off bus | (final film role) |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1968-1977 | Dad's Army | ARP Warden Hodges | Recurring role, 60 episodes |
1969 | Two in Clover | Policeman | 5 episodes |
1971 | Bless This House | Mr Crawford | Episode: The Morning After The Night Before |
1972 | The Generation Game | Courtroom Clerk | Series 2, Episode 2 |
1973 | Sykes | Builder | Episode: Protest |
1984-1986 | Chance in a Million | Sergeant Gough | 6 episodes |
1987 | Edward and Friends | Voice | 9 episodes |
1988-1993 | You Rang, M'Lord? | P.C.Wilson | 26 episodes |
1990 | Fred The Steam Fugitive | Mr Jenkins | Time to Go TV short |
1994 | Woof! | Arthur | Episode: Getting up Steam |
Radio
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1959–64 | Beyond Our Ken | Various | 100 episodes |
1965–67 | Round the Horne | Various | 50 episodes |
1971, 1972 | The Motorway Men | Reg Ponsonby | 8 episodes + pilot |
1983-4 | It Sticks Out Half a Mile | Bert Hodges | 13 episodes |
References
- ISBN 978-1-84854-195-5.
- ^ "Dad's Army star Bill Pertwee dies aged 86", BBC News, 27 May 2013
- ^ Martin, Nicole (9 July 2008). "Dad's Army's Ian Lavender criticises falling TV standards". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
- ^ "Marion Pertwee in Memoriam 2005". Archived from the original on 30 September 2012.
- ISBN 1-85778-268-2.
- ^ "Railway Ramblers". Railway Ramblers. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ "Biography of a Water Rat". www.gowr.co.uk.
- ^ "Bill Pertwee, star of Dad's Army, dies aged 86". The Guardian. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ Reading Room Manchester. "Casualty Details". CWGC. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ "Bill Pertwee: Actor best known for his role as the curmudgeonly Warden Hodges in Dad's Army", The Independent, 28 May 2013. Accessed 28 May 2013
External links
- Bill Pertwee at IMDb
- Bill Pertwee at British Comedy Guide
- Bill Pertwee discography at Discogs