Dad's Army

Arthur Lowe (Actor)

Born: September 22, 1915
Died: April 15, 1982
Birthplace: Hayfield, Derbyshire, England

Trivia: Launching a stage career immediately upon his discharge from the military in 1945, tubby British character player Arthur Lowe appeared in innumerable movie bit roles from 1948 onward. He can be spotted in such films as Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Green Man (1956), This Sporting Life (1963) and A Hard Day's Night (1964). He proved a reliable comic presence in the Spike Milligan projects The Bed Sitting Room (1969) and Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1972). Arthur Lowe gained latter-day stardom as a regular on the British television soap opera Coronation Street, and international recognition in the role of Captain Mainwaring on the TV sitcom Dad's Army.

John Le Mesurier (Actor)

Born: April 05, 1912
Died: November 15, 1983
Birthplace: Bedford

Trivia: Ubiquitous British actor John LeMesurier wasn't in every English comedy made between 1946 and 1979, though it sure seemed so. Nearly always appearing in one-scene cameos, LeMesurier's stock in trade was confusion mixed with foreboding; as such, he was perfect for such roles as worried businessmen, neurotic military officers and flummoxed fathers. From 1966 through 1977, LeMesurier starred in the internationally popular British sitcom, Dad's Army, which spawned a theatrical-feature version in 1971. An incorrigible prankster, John LeMesurier couldn't remain serious even when dealing with his own death; on that grim occasion, his self-written obituary appeared in the Times, noting that Mr. LeMesurier had "conked out."

John Laurie (Actor)

Born: March 25, 1897
Died: June 23, 1980
Birthplace: Dumfries, Dumfriesshire

Trivia: Bantam-weight Scotsman John Laurie abandoned a career in architecture when he first stepped on stage in 1921. Laurie spent most of the next five decades playing surly, snappish types: the taciturn farmer who betrays fugitive Robert Donat in Hitchcock's The 39 Steps (1935), the repugnant Blind Pew in Disney's Treasure Island (1950) et. al. A friend and favorite of Laurence Olivier, Laurie showed up in all three of Olivier's major Shakespearean films. He played Captain Jamie in Henry V (1944), Francisco ("For this relief, much thanks") in Hamlet (1948) and Lord Lovel in Richard III (1955). Intriguingly, Olivier and Laurie portrayed the same historical character in two entirely different films. Both portrayed the Mahdi, scourge of General "Chinese" Gordon: Laurie essayed the part in The Four Feathers (1939), while Olivier played the role in Khartoum (1965). Millions of TV fans worldwide have enjoyed Laurie in the role of Fraser on the BBC sitcom Dad's Army. One of John Laurie's few starring assignments was in the 1935 film Edge of the World, set on the remote Shetland isle of Foula; 40 years later, a frail-looking Laurie was one of the participants in director Michael Powell's "reunion" documentary Return to the Edge of the World (1978).

Clive Dunn (Actor)

Born: January 09, 1920
Died: November 06, 2012
Birthplace: London

5:00 pm - 6:50 pm, Monday, November 24 on Film4 ()