British actor best known for playing Tom Simmonite in the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine who was the son of Bill Owen, who played William “Compo” Simmonite in the show Thomas William Stevenson Rowbotham, known professionally as Tom Owen died of natural causes on 8 November 2022, at the age of 73.
Owen trained as a student assistant stage manager at Leatherhead Theatre in 1966. He worked extensively in repertory both as an actor and director.
In 1969 Owen played Farley, in ‘Goodbye, Mr. Chips’ a role first played by John Mills in the original version.
He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company playing on Broadway in their production of ‘London Assurance’. His performance as Krapp in Fiona Baddeley’s production of Beckett’s masterpiece ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ was likened to those given by Michael Gambon, John Hurt, and Harold Pinter. He has appeared in the West End in ‘Lulu’. He also starred in over twenty pantomimes.
Owen made his television debut in 1968 playing Bill Cowan in Southern TV’s groundbreaking series Freewheelers of which he made fifty-two episodes.
Numerous television series followed including Tottering Towers, Wreckers at Deadeye, Horse in the House, The Piglet Files, The Hello Goodbye Man, Z Cars, Upstairs Downstairs, The Bill, Minder, and Our Mutual Friend.
Following the death of his father, Bill, who played Compo for twenty-seven years, Tom joined Last of the Summer Wine as a regular and stayed with the show until it ended in 2010.
wen starred in two films that were released in 2018 – The Bromley Boys and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Owen married Mary Bernadette Therese Moylan in 1978; they had two sons, James and William.
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