Bill Owen’s Net Worth, Height, Age & Personal Info Wiki

Owen was born in Acton Green, London, to a working-class family, his father a staunchly left-wing tram driver. He made his first film appearance in 1945 but did not achieve lasting fame until 1973 when he co-starred in the long-running British sitcom Last of the Summer Wine as William “Compo” Simmonite. Compo is a scruffy working-class pensioner who is frequently exploited for dirty jobs, stunts, and an escapade by the bossy characters played by Michael Bates, Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge, and Frank Thornton. In contrast, their indomitably docile friend Norman Clegg, played by Peter Sallis, follows and watches with a smirk. He wore a woolen hat and fantasized about dowdy housewife Nora Batty.

The series began in 1973 and ended in 2010, and is now the world’s longest-running comedy series. Owen became an icon, a fan favorite central to the show’s success and episodes for 26 years until his death. The third character in the trio of Compo, Clegg, and Foggy was initially Blamire, played by Michael Bates. It is still the most famous trio of three that the show has ever produced. In 1997, Frank Thornton’s character Herbert ‘Truly’ Truelove took over for Foggy, and he remained in the front until its final episode in 2010. During WWII, Owen served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and was injured in an explosion during a battle training course.

During the 1960s, Bill had a successful second career as a songwriter, writing songs such as Cliff Richard’s hit “Marianne.” At the same time, he worked on the musical The Matchgirls, based on the 1888 London matchgirls strike, with songwriter Tony Russell. In 1964, he appeared as Spike Milligan’s straight man in the West End hit Son of Oblomov. Owen also collaborated with Kathy Staff on a novelty song in 1988. Owen played Sergeant, Nurse in the early Carry-On films. He also appeared as Lunt, Charles Ryder’s scout at the University of Oxford, in Brideshead Revisited. He also appeared in Lindsay Anderson films such as O Lucky Man! and In Celebration.

According to Peter Sallis, Owen’s left-wing views were so diametrically opposed to Michael Bates’ right-wing views that Last of the Summer Wine was supposedly not pushed through because of their disagreements. Owen was a co-founder of the Keep Sunday Special campaign. In 1977, he received the MBE. In 1980, he was the subject of This Is Your Life after being surprised in Trafalgar Square by Eamonn Andrews. Bill Owen’s grave is at St John’s Parish Church, Upperthong Lane, Holmfirth.

Owen fell ill while filming the Last of the Summer Wine French special for the millennium of 2000 but insisted on continuing despite the pain; when he returned to England, he was diagnosed with pancreatic and bowel cancer. He worked until his death from pancreatic cancer in Westminster, London, on July 12, 1999, which also happened to be the birthday of co-star Kathy Staff, who played his love interest Nora Batty on Last of the Summer Wine. Owen was laid to rest in the churchyard of St John’s Parish Church, Upperthong, near his hometown of Holmfirth, Yorkshire, and the setting for Last of the Summer Wine. After his co-star Peter Sallis died in June 2017 at 96, he was buried next to him. (4)