JOHN LE MESURIER
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'John Le Mesurier' (Bedford, 5 April, 1912 – Ramsgate, 15 November, 1983), born 'John Charles Elton Le Mesurier De Somerys Halliley', was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson on the popular 1970s BBC comedy ''Dad's Army''.
The son of a solicitor, Le Mesurier was educated at Sherborne School, and began to study acting at the age of 20, using his mother's maiden name (common in the Channel Islands) ''Le Mesurier'' (pronounced 'Le Measurer') as his stage name. He served in World War II in the Royal Armoured Corps, reaching the rank of captain.
Le Mesurier appeared in over 100 films, including ''Private's Progress'' (1956), ''Brothers in Law'' (1957), ''Carlton Brown of the FO'' (1959), ''I'm All Right Jack'' (1959), ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (1959), ''Doctor in Love'' (1960), ''The Pure Hell of St Trinian's''
(1960), ''The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963), ''The Pink Panther'' (1963), ''Our Man in Marrakesh'' (1966), ''The Wrong Box'' (1966), ''The Italian Job'' (1969), and ''The Alf Garnett Saga'' (1972). In ''Ben-Hur'' (1959) he has an uncredited cameo role as a doctor. He also appeared in most of Tony Hancock's films and many episodes of his television series. His final film was with Peter Sellers in ''The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu'' in 1980. In most of his performances, he presented an impression of good-natured vagueness, which acquaintances claim was close to his true personality.
Le Mesurier's most popular TV (and radio) role was as the upper-class Sergeant Arthur Wilson in ''Dad's Army'' from 1968 to 1977. He accepted that role after finding out Clive Dunn, with whom he had worked in the Players' Theatre, would be playing the part of Corporal Jones. He gave a memorable performance in Dennis Potter's play ''Traitor'' (1971) which won him a Society of Film and Television Arts "Best Television Actor" award. Following the success of ''Dad's Army'', Le Mesurier recorded several wartime songs as singles; ''A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square / Hometown'' (the latter with Arthur Lowe) on the Warner label in 1975 and ''There Ain't Much Change From A Pound These Days / After All These Years'' with Clive Dunn on KA Records in 1982.
From the mid-1960s until his death he provided the original voice for the animated TV commercial character "Flour Grader Fred", a little man in a bowler hat who advertised Homepride Flour and related products. (The character continues, voiced by other actors). In 1975 Le Mesurier narrated ''Bod'', an animated children's programme from the BBC about a boy named Bod, his aunt Flo and their friends and their rather strange adventures (like falling into a manhole and finding a giant strawberry).
On radio he reprised the role of Arthur Wilson in ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'', and played The Wise Old Bird in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (1980) and Bilbo Baggins in the BBC's 1981 radio version of ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981).
Elsewhere Le Mesurier played a short but key character role in Granada TV's adaptation of ''Brideshead Revisited'' in 1981 and guest starred in episodes of the British comedy television series ''The Goodies'' and ''Doctor in the House''.
Le Mesurier was married three times:-
#The actress June Melville (1939–1947)
#The comedienne Hattie Jacques (1949–1965); two sons Kim and Robin
#The actress Joan Malin (1965–1983)
When his second wife left him for a younger man, Le Mesurier allowed the press to give him the blame for the break-up. His best friend was the comedian Tony Hancock, a friendship which was tested by a difficult period early in his third marriage, when his third wife left him for Hancock, only to return a few weeks later. All this was not known to the general public at the time. In private life, the actor was a heavy drinker.
Towards the end of ''Dad's Army'' Le Mesurier became seriously ill, and lost a great deal of weight. He died at Ramsgate from a stomach haemorrhage, (which was brought on by cirrhosis of the liver) on November 15 1983, aged 71. His self-penned death notice in ''The Times'' stated that he had "conked out" and that he "missed his family and friends".
His last words before slipping into a coma were reportedly, "It's all been rather lovely".
★ autobiography. ''A Jobbing Actor'', appeared posthumously in 1984.
★ John Le Mesurier biography from the Tony Hancock web site.
★
★ Audio of John Le Mesurier reading Bible stories for children at Storynory
| Contents |
| Career |
| Private life |
| External links |
Career
The son of a solicitor, Le Mesurier was educated at Sherborne School, and began to study acting at the age of 20, using his mother's maiden name (common in the Channel Islands) ''Le Mesurier'' (pronounced 'Le Measurer') as his stage name. He served in World War II in the Royal Armoured Corps, reaching the rank of captain.
Le Mesurier appeared in over 100 films, including ''Private's Progress'' (1956), ''Brothers in Law'' (1957), ''Carlton Brown of the FO'' (1959), ''I'm All Right Jack'' (1959), ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (1959), ''Doctor in Love'' (1960), ''The Pure Hell of St Trinian's''
(1960), ''The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963), ''The Pink Panther'' (1963), ''Our Man in Marrakesh'' (1966), ''The Wrong Box'' (1966), ''The Italian Job'' (1969), and ''The Alf Garnett Saga'' (1972). In ''Ben-Hur'' (1959) he has an uncredited cameo role as a doctor. He also appeared in most of Tony Hancock's films and many episodes of his television series. His final film was with Peter Sellers in ''The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu'' in 1980. In most of his performances, he presented an impression of good-natured vagueness, which acquaintances claim was close to his true personality.
Le Mesurier's most popular TV (and radio) role was as the upper-class Sergeant Arthur Wilson in ''Dad's Army'' from 1968 to 1977. He accepted that role after finding out Clive Dunn, with whom he had worked in the Players' Theatre, would be playing the part of Corporal Jones. He gave a memorable performance in Dennis Potter's play ''Traitor'' (1971) which won him a Society of Film and Television Arts "Best Television Actor" award. Following the success of ''Dad's Army'', Le Mesurier recorded several wartime songs as singles; ''A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square / Hometown'' (the latter with Arthur Lowe) on the Warner label in 1975 and ''There Ain't Much Change From A Pound These Days / After All These Years'' with Clive Dunn on KA Records in 1982.
From the mid-1960s until his death he provided the original voice for the animated TV commercial character "Flour Grader Fred", a little man in a bowler hat who advertised Homepride Flour and related products. (The character continues, voiced by other actors). In 1975 Le Mesurier narrated ''Bod'', an animated children's programme from the BBC about a boy named Bod, his aunt Flo and their friends and their rather strange adventures (like falling into a manhole and finding a giant strawberry).
On radio he reprised the role of Arthur Wilson in ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'', and played The Wise Old Bird in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (1980) and Bilbo Baggins in the BBC's 1981 radio version of ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981).
Elsewhere Le Mesurier played a short but key character role in Granada TV's adaptation of ''Brideshead Revisited'' in 1981 and guest starred in episodes of the British comedy television series ''The Goodies'' and ''Doctor in the House''.
Private life
Le Mesurier arranged to announce his own death in ''The Times''.
Le Mesurier was married three times:-
#The actress June Melville (1939–1947)
#The comedienne Hattie Jacques (1949–1965); two sons Kim and Robin
#The actress Joan Malin (1965–1983)
When his second wife left him for a younger man, Le Mesurier allowed the press to give him the blame for the break-up. His best friend was the comedian Tony Hancock, a friendship which was tested by a difficult period early in his third marriage, when his third wife left him for Hancock, only to return a few weeks later. All this was not known to the general public at the time. In private life, the actor was a heavy drinker.
Towards the end of ''Dad's Army'' Le Mesurier became seriously ill, and lost a great deal of weight. He died at Ramsgate from a stomach haemorrhage, (which was brought on by cirrhosis of the liver) on November 15 1983, aged 71. His self-penned death notice in ''The Times'' stated that he had "conked out" and that he "missed his family and friends".
His last words before slipping into a coma were reportedly, "It's all been rather lovely".
External links
★ autobiography. ''A Jobbing Actor'', appeared posthumously in 1984.
★ John Le Mesurier biography from the Tony Hancock web site.
★
★ Audio of John Le Mesurier reading Bible stories for children at Storynory
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