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 an English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson on the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army

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[edit] 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 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 The Italian Job, Private's Progress, I'm All Right Jack, Brothers in Law, Carlton Brown of the FO, Our Man in Marrakesh, and The Pure Hell of St Trinian's. 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 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 middle-class Sergeant Wilson in Dad's Army from 1968 to 1977. During this period, he also gave a memorable performance as Kim Philby in Dennis Potter's play Traitor (1971) which won him a Society of Film and Television Arts "Best Television Actor" award.

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 minor 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.

[edit] Private life

Le Mesurier was married three times:-

1) The actress June Melville (1939–1947) 2) The comedienne Hattie Jacques (1949–1965); two sons Kim and Robin 3) The actress Joan Malin (1965–1983)

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Le Mesurier arranged to announce his own death in The Times.

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. He also reportedly smoked a cannabis joint at the BAFTA awards ceremony [1].

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 obituary in The Times stated that he had "conked out" and that he "missed his friends and family".