Peter Bowles (born 16 October 1936) is an English actor.
Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane (née 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-Royce and moved the family to Nottingham. Bowles 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.
This led to what is probably still his best known role, in To the Manor Born, a show that received audiences of more than 20 million, in which he co-starred with Penelope Keith (1979–81, 2007), playing the apparently aristocratic (but in fact self-made immigrant) businessman Richard DeVere.
His career now
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