John Le Mesurier

The art of seeming to do nothing

John Le Mesurier asked that his obituary in The Times say he had kicked the bucket. It was November 1983, and the actor closed a life spent playing slightly bewildered British gentlemen. He never sought the center of the stage, yet he ended up as the anchor of the most beloved TV comedy in the United Kingdom.

His style relied on vagueness and an absolute calm that drove the most nervous directors to despair. In his early career, after studying at the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art, he specialized in roles as judges, aristocrats or high-ranking military officers. He always brought an air of aristocratic distance that hid a real shyness.

He never raised his voice on a film set.

During the 1950s, he appeared in dozens of films from Ealing Studios. His roles were often under ten minutes long, but his face became a constant presence in the cinema of the era. In 1960, he worked on School for Scoundrels and soon after on The Pink Panther (1963) alongside Peter Sellers. His ability to react to chaos with a single blink made him the most reliable supporting actor in the industry.

The Sergeant Who Never Wanted to Command

In 1968, he landed the role of Sergeant Wilson in the series Dad's Army. Creators Jimmy Perry and David Croft chose him to balance the histrionic energy of Arthur Lowe. While Lowe played Captain Mainwaring as a pompous, domineering man, Le Mesurier made Wilson a polite fellow who questioned orders with quiet elegance.

The chemistry between the two actors worked because their personalities were opposites off screen. Lowe was methodical and somewhat stiff, while Le Mesurier preferred improvisation and lightness. In 1971, he won the BAFTA Award for Best Television Actor for his performance in the drama Traitor. It was one of the few times critics acknowledged that his talent went far beyond sitcom comedy.

The audience loved him for it.

His personal life was far more turbulent than his public image. He was married to actress Hattie Jacques during the 1950s and 1960s. When she began a relationship with another man, Le Mesurier agreed to let the lover move into the family home to avoid scandal and protect his children. This phlegmatic attitude toward personal disaster defined his character until the end of his days.

An Ending Written by Himself

Despite health problems caused by alcohol abuse, he never stopped working. In 1982, he appeared in the series A Voyage Round My Father, and a year later he shot his final scenes for the television production Casablanca. His body was badly damaged by cirrhosis, but he kept the same far-off gaze that had brought him fame.

He published his autobiography, A Jobbing Actor, posthumously in 1984. In the book, he explained that his career was a series of happy accidents and that he never took himself too seriously. He had no interest in acting theories or the intellectual prestige of London theater. He just wanted to do his part and go home for a drink.

He died on November 15, 1983 at the hospital in Ramsgate after falling into a coma from a stomach hemorrhage. He was 71 years old, and he left a filmography of more than 120 titles across film and television. His last wish was that no one cry at his funeral and that his death be remembered as a simple administrative formality.