Frankie Howerd (1922-1992), Comedian

Frankie Howerd (Francis Alex Howard)

Sitter in 10 portraits
Camp and often lugubrious, Howerd began his career entertaining troops in the Second World War. The radio show Variety Bandbox from 1947 made him a household name. In the early 1960s, performing at Peter Cook's The Establishment Club helped to revive his career from a temporary decline. During the 1950s and 1960s Howerd appeared in several films, including The Runaway Bus, The Lady Killers, Carry on Doctor and The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery. Television successes included The Frankie Howerd Show (1953-56), That was the Week That Was (1962) and the immensely popular, innuendo-filled Up Pompeii, made between 1969 and 1991.