Harry Towb facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harry Towb
Born	(1925-07-27)27 July 1925 Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Died	24 July 2009(2009-07-24) (aged 83) London, England
Occupation	Stage, film and TV actor
Years active	1950–2009
Spouse(s)	Diana Hoddinott ​ (m. 1965)​
Children	3

Harry Towb (born July 27, 1925 – died July 24, 2009) was a talented actor from Northern Ireland. He was known for his many roles in British TV shows, films, and plays. He appeared in popular series like Doctor Who and The Avengers.

Harry's Early Life and Acting Start

Harry was born in Larne, a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. His father was from Russia and his mother was from Ireland, both of Jewish heritage. Harry once joked that he was the only Jewish person ever born in Larne!

After his parents divorced, Harry moved with his mother and sister to Belfast. He went to school there before joining the British Army during World War II. He even managed a military canteen, but he was discharged when it was found out he had lied about his age to join.

Harry's Stage and Screen Roles

After leaving the army, Harry started his acting career. He performed with a touring theatre company around Ireland. He also acted in "repertory theatre" in England, which means he performed in many different plays with the same group of actors.

He made it to London's famous West End, where he acted in a musical called Bar Mitzvah Boy. He also appeared in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the National Theatre in 2004.

Harry was a familiar face on UK television. He appeared in many popular shows, including Callan, Sherlock Holmes, The Avengers, Casualty, The Bill, Minder, Doctor Who, The Saint, and Heartbeat.

His film roles included Above Us the Waves (1955), The Blue Max (1966), Patton (1970), and Lamb (1985). In 2008, Harry appeared in two episodes of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He was also a presenter on the BBC Schools' programme You and Me, which featured puppets named Cosmo and Dibs.

Harry's Personal Life

Harry Towb was married to actress Diana Hoddinott. They had three children together.

He passed away at his home in London due to complications from cancer. A newspaper called The Times wrote about him, saying that when asked why he became an actor, Harry said it was because he always wanted to be someone else. This curiosity about other people made him a wonderful "character actor," meaning he was great at playing many different kinds of roles.

Harry always remembered his Jewish background. In 1983, he made a documentary called Odd Men In about the Jewish community in Belfast. He said his proudest moment was interviewing Chaim Herzog, who was also from Belfast and later became the President of Israel, for this documentary.

Selected Film and TV Roles