John Le Mesurier

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John Charles Elton Le Mesurier De Somerys Hallilay (born April 5, 1912 in Bedford , Bedfordshire , England, † November 15, 1983 in Ramsgate , Kent , England) was a British actor .

life and work

John Le Mesurier was the son of a lawyer. He attended public school in Dorset and actually wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. But John soon realized that acting was his calling, and at the age of 20, with the blessings of his parents, he began studying at the Fay Compton School of Acting , where Alec Guinness was in his class. During World War II he served as a captain in the north-western Indian border area. After the war he returned to the stage and made his film debut in Death in the Hand in 1948 . He had numerous film roles in the late 1950s, particularly in productions by the Boulting Brothers. In 1968 he got his most famous role, that of Sgt. Arthur Wilson in the hit series Dad's Army . Although he preferred comedy, he was also active in drama and won a BAFTA award for best actor in 1971 for his role in Dennis Potter's television film Traitor .

John Le Mesurier was married three times. From 1939 to 1947 (divorce) with June Melville and from 1949 to 1965 (divorce) with Hattie Jacques , with whom he had two sons: Robin Le Mesurier (* 1952) and Kim Le Mesurier (1956-1991). In his third marriage from 1965 until his death in 1983 he was married to Joan Le Mesurier .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Mesurier, John Le
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hallilay, John Charles Elton Le Mesurier De Somerys
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1912
PLACE OF BIRTH Bedford , Bedfordshire , England
DATE OF DEATH November 15, 1983
Place of death Ramsgate , Kent