Peter Bowles

Actor played Richard DeVere in BBC comedy series alongside Penelope Keith from 1979 to 1981.

I chose one of the plays and turned the sitcom down.”When he was offered a second opportunity to play Keith’s onscreen spouse, he made sure he took the chance – having to overrule his agent, who’d initially turned down the role due to a clash with his appearances in ITV series Rumpole of the Bailey. “I was determined not to pass up a second chance of playing her husband”, he said, after having to personally convince TV executives that he could do both TV jobs.Eventually, he would become so successful as a comic actor that it started to impact on his theatre work. Tribute was also paid by Vikings: Valhalla star David Oakes, who appeared with Bowles in ITV series Victoria, saying: “He was a true gentleman to work with, and took real class with him wherever he trod.”Very sorry to hear of the passing of Peter Bowles. As well as having the best title for any autobiography, he was a true gentlemen to work with, and took real class with him wherever he trod. Born in London in 1936, he 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 going on to star in 45 theatrical productions, ending at the age of 81 in The Exorcist at the Phoenix theatre.He played villains in several TV series, including The Avengers and The Saint, but it was with a moustache in To the Manor Born, co-starring Keith and commanding audiences of 20 million, that he was most well known for.His role as DeVere came in his 40s, having previously turned down a role in The Good Life, in which Keith also starred.“I hadn’t worked in the theatre for over a decade. It was terrific,” he said.After appearing in amateur plays in Nottingham, when he won his Rada scholarship, he lost his northern accent and was thrown into a melting pot of talent with peers including Alan Bates, Peter O’Toole and Siân Phillips, and he shared a flat with fellow student Albert Finney.He was reunited with Keith in a regional tour of Richard Sheridan’s The Rivals, directed by Sir Peter Hall, in 2010.Throughout his career, he featured in many films including 1970’s Eyewitness, 1995’s The Steal, 2005’s Colour Me Kubrick, and 2008’s The Bank Job.He also starred in BBC Two series Murder in 2016, which delved into the psyches of everyone involved in a murder case through testimony delivered straight to camera by each character.He recently starred alongside Jenna Coleman in the popular ITV series Victoria, playing the role of the Duke of Wellington.Bowles was married to actor Susan Bennett and the couple had three children. Peter Bowles, star of TV sitcom To the Manor Born, dies at 85Actor played Richard DeVere in BBC comedy series alongside Penelope Keith from 1979 to 1981 Peter Bowles with co-star Penelope Keith on location at Cricket House, Cricket St Thomas, Somerset, during filming of To the Manor Born in 1981. I found it very odd and frustrating.”Growing up, his parents were servants of nobility – his father was a valet and chauffeur to one of the sons of the Earl of Sandwich, his mother a nanny employed by the heir of the Duke of Argyll in Scotland.Peter Bowles in a production of Terence Rattigan’s play The Browning Version at the Theatre Royal in Bath. Photograph: Robbie Jack/Corbis/Getty ImagesDuring the second world war his father worked as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and when Bowles was six the family moved to one of the poorest working-class districts of Nottingham. Their house had an outside toilet and no bath.“We were in a Coronation Street environment but everyone was extremely friendly and there were lots of kids. 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 was wanted to play the role of Jerry Leadbetter, Penelope Keith’s husband. He also played an important part in the original production of Gangster No.1 - on and off stage.— Robin Ince 💙 (@robinince) March 17, 2022 Speaking about his success in sitcoms in 2010, he said: “If you have a great popular TV success, particularly in comedy, people don’t think you can act on stage.“People thought I was just a sitcom actor and the BBC told me I’d never work in drama again. Photograph: PAPeter Bowles with co-star Penelope Keith on location at Cricket House, Cricket St Thomas, Somerset, during filming of To the Manor Born in 1981. He was best known for his role as Richard DeVere in the BBC sitcom, which aired from 1979 to 1981, starring alongside Dame Penelope Keith, with the pair reprising their roles in a 2007 special.A statement to the PA news agency said: “The actor Peter Bowles has sadly passed away at the age of 85 from cancer.“He worked consistently on stage and screen, becoming a household name on TV as the archetypal English gent in To the Manor Born, Only When I Laugh, The Bounder and Lytton’s Diary, which he devised himself.“He leaves his wife of over 60 years, Sue, and their three children Guy, Adam and Sasha.”Bowles’ role in To the Manor Born is what catapulted him to fame, with the series regularly attracting TV audiences of 20 million. Photograph: PATo the Manor Born star Peter Bowles has died from cancer at the age of 85.