Biographie

In his final years, Lowe's alcoholism worsened and he was reduced to acting in pantomimes and touring theatre productions. Graham Lord's biography recalls that by 1979, Lowe was suffering from major health problems but continued to drink increasing amounts of alcohol, sometimes passing out on stage or at dinner. He was also a heavy smoker and his weight ballooned. Lowe had long suffered from narcolepsy.

He was interviewed live on BBC TV's lunchtime magazine programme Pebble Mill at One (1972), collapsed at 6 PM the same evening just before he was due to go on stage for a performance of Home at Seven in which he was due to appear with his wife, Joan, and died at 5 AM the following morning.

He is now best known for the role of Captain Mainwaring in the BBC's classic sitcom Dad's Army (1968), although he was not the first choice for it. Thorley Walters and Leonard Rossiter turned it down and Jon Pertwee had also been considered.

He played the same character (Leonard Swindley) in three different series: Coronation Street (1960), Pardon the Expression (1965) and Turn Out the Lights (1967).

In January 1982, Richard Burton had his private aeroplane fly Lowe to film a cameo role in the television series Wagner (1983), his last screen performance.