Peter Bowles

Peter Bowles (born 16 October 1936) is an English actor.

His best known role was , inTo the Manor Born, in which he co-starred with Penelope Keith (1979�81, 2007), playing the apparently aristocratic (but in fact self-made immigrant) businessman Richard DeVere. 

He played "Lionel Carson" in the Doctor Who Spin-Off, The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane (n�e Harrison) and Herbert Reginald Bowles. His father was a chauffeur and butler at a stately home in Warwickshire; but, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was seconded to work as an engineer at Rolls-Royceand moved the family to Nottingham. Young Peter attended Nottingham High Pavement Grammar School and then trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he is still an Associate.

Bowles had a long apprenticeship, beginning in the era of live television, including an episode of Armchair Theatre (Underground, 1958) during which another actor suffered a fatal heart attack. Having appeared in three episodes of The Avengers in the 1960s, he eventually became well known for portraying upper class characters typically caught in hilarious situations. 

His career now took off and he starred in television comedies including Only When I Laugh, The Irish R.M., The Bounder, and Perfect Scoundrels. Bowles also appeared as a regular in the first few series of Rumpole of the Bailey as Guthrie Featherstone, QC, MP, Horace Rumpole's social-climbing head of chambers. In later seasons, Guthrie became a judge and left Rumpole's chambers; but a disgruntled Rumpole still found himself appearing occasionally before Mr Justice Featherstone, usually once per season. In 1966, he co-starred with Vivian Pickles in the BBC TV film Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World directed by Ken Russell. He appeared in the final episode of the BBC's I, Claudius in 1976 in the role of the British chieftain Caractacus. He later appeared in the mid-'80s BAFTA-award winningExecutive Stress on ITV.

Bowles also played the agent known as 'A' in The Prisoner episode "A. B. and C.", and the alien Balor in the Space: 1999 episode "End of Eternity". He also appeared as Carolyn Seymour's husband in the first episode of Survivors and in four episodes of The Avengers.

He continues to work regularly in theatre, including London's West End, while appearing at the Chichester Festival Theatre in The Waltz of the Toreadors[2]

In October 2007, he appeared opposite Claire Bloom in Love Letters at the Th��tre Princesse Grace, Monte Carlo as part of the British Theatre Season, Monaco.

Bowles appeared in The Browning Version at the Theatre Royal Bath in June 2009.[3]

In 2008, he appeared as one of the suspects in an episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot.

In November 2010, he starred at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket opposite Penelope Keith in Sheridan's The Rivals.[4]

Biography from the Wikipedia article, licensed under CC-BY-SA