Bill Owen

Acting

Bill Owen

Born March 14, 1914 · Acton, London, England, UK

Died July 12, 1999 · aged 85

British born actor known for playing working class characters on film and TV. Born William Rowbotham, the son of a tram driver and laundress, he started playing drums in London nightclubs and toured music halls with his own cabaret act to pay for acting classes. He entertained at Butlin's holiday camps and performed in repertory, joining the Unity Theatre where he attained respect as a stage pro…

Known For

The Fighting Prince of DonegalThe Fighting Prince of Donegal · 1966
The Fighting Prince of Donegal
★ 5.61966
MovieActionAdventure
Ireland 1587. Hugh O'Donnell inherits the title of The O'Donnell, the prince of Donegal, and tries to unite Ireland to make war on England. But then Hugh is kidnapped and imprisoned by the Viceroy of Ireland and held ransom for the Clans' good behavior. Hugh must escape prison and the Viceroy's villainous henchman, Captain Leeds, before he can fight.
O Lucky Man!O Lucky Man! · 1973
O Lucky Man!
★ 6.81973
MovieComedyMusic
An ambitious coffee salesman has a series of improbable and ironic adventures seemingly designed to challenge his naive idealism.
On the FiddleOn the Fiddle · 1961
On the Fiddle
★ 5.71961
MovieComedy
Tricked into joining the RAF by a wily judge, wide boy Horace Pope sets his sights on the main chance, teams with slow-witted, good-hearted gypsy Pedlar Pascoe, and works up a lucrative racket in conning both his colleagues and the RAF. By means of various devious schemes Pope and Pascoe manage to avoid the front lines until they are sent to France - where they find themselves making unexpected and uncomfortably close contact with the enemy.
Georgy GirlGeorgy Girl · 1966
Georgy Girl
★ 6.21966
MovieComedyDrama
A homely but vivacious young woman dodges the amorous attentions of her father's middle-aged employer while attempting to please her glamorously stuck-up roommate Meredith.
Carry On SergeantCarry On Sergeant · 1958
Carry On Sergeant
★ 6.41958
MovieComedyWar
Sergeant Grimshawe wants to retire in the flush of success by winning the Star Squad prize with his very last platoon of newly called-up National Servicemen. But a motley bunch they turn out to be, and it's up to Grimshawe to put the no-hopers through their paces.
Once a Jolly SwagmanOnce a Jolly Swagman · 1949
Once a Jolly Swagman
★ 5.81949
MovieRomanceDrama
A factory worker quits his job to become a motorcycle racer.
The EntertainerThe Entertainer · 1993
The Entertainer
★ 7.01993
MovieDramaTV Movie
Michael Gambon stars in John Osborne's play, set in 1950s Britain, following Archie Rice, a drunken, lecherous, egotistical vaudevillian, whose act is on the downward slope.
That's Carry On!That's Carry On! · 1977
That's Carry On!
★ 5.81977
MovieComedy
Celebrating twenty years of classic Carry On films, two of the films’ best-loved stars, Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor return to Pinewood film studios to unwrap some rib-tickling moments from the series. From the original, military mayhem of Carry On Sergeant, through to the really ancient archaeological gags of Carry On Behind, our saucy hosts get their titters out for this laugh-a-second gallop through the most successful series of British comedy films ever made.

Filmography

Sort
Noel's House PartyNoel's House Party · 1991
Noel's House Party
★ 7.41991
Series
Noel's House Party is a BBC television light entertainment show hosted by Noel Edmonds that was broadcast live on Saturday evenings throughout the 1990s. It was set in a large house in the fictional village of Crinkley Bottom, leading to much innuendo. The show was broadcast during the autumn-spring season. It was the successor show to Noel's Saturday Roadshow, and carried over some of its regular features such as the Gunge Tank, the Gotcha Oscar and Wait 'Till I Get You Home. In 2010, Noel's House Party was voted the best Saturday night TV show of all time. The show had many regular guests posing as fictional villagers, including Frank Thornton and Vicki Michelle. The show gave birth to Mr. Blobby in the Gotcha segment. The character became well known, ruining the premise of the segment, but Blobby still made appearances. There was also a contrived rivalry between Noel and Tony Blackburn. In addition, many episodes featured one-off guest stars, including Michael Crawford as Frank Spencer, who came in to find the whole audience dressed as Frank after Fantastic Stuart Henderson from Troon had performed as Frank singing The Beatles song "I Saw Her Standing There", and Ken Dodd in a highwayman's outfit - 'Going cheap at the Maxwell sale' - as Noel's long lost 'twin', Berasent.

Compo

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? · 1973
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?
★ 7.71973
SeriesComedy
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is a British sitcom which was broadcast between 9 January 1973 and 9 April 1974 on BBC1. It was the colour sequel to the mid-1960s hit The Likely Lads. It was created and written, as was its predecessor, by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. There were 26 television episodes over two series; and a subsequent 45-minute Christmas special was aired on 24 December 1974. The cast were reunited in 1975 for a BBC radio adaptation of series 1, transmitted on Radio 4 from July to October that year. In 1976, a feature film spin-off was made. Around the time of its release, however, Rodney Bewes and James Bolam fell out over a misunderstanding involving the press and have not spoken since. This long-suspected situation was finally confirmed by Bewes while promoting his autobiography in 2005. Unlike Bewes, Bolam is consistently reluctant to talk about the show, and has vetoed any attempt to revive his character.

George Chambers