Bill Rowbotham (March 14, 1914 - July 12, 1999), better known as Bill Owen, was an English actor and songwriter. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ...

Born in London, he made his first film appearance in 1945, but he only achieved lasting fame in the 1970s when he took the starring role of Compo Simmonite in the long-running British sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine. Owen's character is a scruffy working-class pensioner, often made use of by the characters played by Michael Bates, Brian Wilde, Michael Aldridge and Frank Thornton for dirty jobs, stunts and escapades, while his indomitably docile friend Peter Sallis follows and watches with a smirk. He wore a woollen cap and spent much of his time lusting after dowdy housewife, Nora Batty. As Compo, Owen saw off several co-stars. The series, starting in 1973, is today the world's longest-running comedy series, and Owen became an icon, a darling of its audience and central to its success and episodes for 27 years, right till his death. The threesome of Sallis, Owen and Foggy (this third character was initially Blamire, played by Michael Bates, and when Wilde's Foggy took a hiatus, by Michael Alridge's Seymour Utthersthwaite). This article is about the British city. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Last of the Summer Wine, written by Roy Clarke, is a British sitcom, which has run longer than any other comedy series in the world, now in its twenty-seventh series, which is a little too many for quite a number of people. ... Michael Bates (December 4, 1920 – January 11, 1978) was a British actor born in Jhansi, British India (now in Uttar Pradesh). ... Brian Wilde (b. ... Michael Aldridge (September 9, 1920 - January 10, 1994) was a British actor born at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, United Kingdom. ... Frank Thornton was born Frank Thornton Ball on January 15, 1921 at Dulwich, London, England, United Kingdom. ... Peter Sallis (b. ... Nora Batty is a character in the long-running British sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine. ...

During the 1960s, Owen had a successful second career as a songwriter, with compositions including the hit, Marianne, recorded by Cliff Richard. Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb in Lucknow, India, on October 14, 1940) is one of the United Kingdoms most popular singers. ...

Owen was an active supporter of the Labour Party. The Labour Party is a centre-left or social democratic political party in Britain (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ...

Bill Owen also had a cameo appearance in "Brideshead Revisited" as Charles Ryder's servant during his college days at Christ Church.

He continued working right up to his death from cancer in 1999. His actor son, Tom Owen, was written into the series after his death. The storyline was that Compo knew he was terminally ill, but chose not to tell Truly and Clegg, instead writing to his son with whom he has lost contact. The son however does not make it in time to his father's funeral but remains in the area afterwards. Bill is buried in the churchyard of St John’s Church, Upperthong in his beloved town of Holmfirth in Yorkshire, the home of "Last of the Summer Wine." Upperthong is a village in the town of Holmfirth in West Yorkshire. ... Holmfirth is a picturesque small town in the Kirklees district of West Yorkshire, England. ...