Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 37 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977, was nominated for seven BAFTAs and became one of the most recognised faces on UK television. Lowe began acting professionally in England in 1945, after army service in the Second World War. He worked in theatre, film and television throughout the 1950s but it was not until he landed the part of Leonard Swindley in the television soap Coronation Street in 1960 that he came to national attention. He played the character until 1966, while continuing theatre and other acting work. In 1968 he took on his role in Dad's Army, written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. The profile he gained from the role led to further character roles. Despite increasingly poor health in his final years, he maintained a busy professional schedule until his death from a stroke on 15 April 1982, aged 66. Early life Lowe was born in Hayfield, Derbyshire, the only child of Arthur Lowe (1888–1971) and his wife, Nan ( Mary Annie Ford; 1885–1981). Lowe's father, a tall man known as "Big Arthur", worked for the Great Central Railway, which was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway. In 1916, Big Arthur took up a job as clerk at London Road Station, Manchester, shortly before being called up for war service. The family rented a house in Hemmons Road, in the Manchester suburb of Levenshulme, where Little Arthur (as he was known) attended Chapel Street School. From about 1927 he went to Alma Park School, where one of his first stage performances was in a school production of The Grand Cham's Diamond in December 1929. Lowe's intention to join the Merchant Navy was thwarted by his poor eyesight. His first job after leaving school was as a barrow boy for the Manchester Branch of motor accessory company Brown Brothers. After progressing to the role of clerk within the firm he took up a job at the aircraft factory of Fairey Aviation in 1936. He described his job of progress chaser as "a sort of time and motion man chivvying the fellows along and seeing that they produced a certain amount of work each day". He also had to check that the