---
name: "John Le Mesurier"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-le-mesurier"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 April 1912"
died: "15 November 1983"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 80
updated: "2026-09-16T21:20:08.226749+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John Le Mesurier

Actor. Born 5 April 1912 in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, UK. Died 15 November 1983.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 April 1912, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, UK
- **Died:** 15 November 1983
- **Active:** 1959–1981
- **Also known as:** John LeMesurier, John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley

## Biography

John Le Mesurier (born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley) was an English actor. He trained at the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art and made his professional stage debut in 1934. During the Second World War he served as a captain in the Royal Tank Regiment in India before returning to acting.

Le Mesurier appeared in more than 120 films, usually in supporting roles, as well as numerous television and radio productions. He is best known for playing Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC sitcom *Dad's Army* (1968–1977). Other credits include Father Mowbray in the 1981 television adaptation of *Brideshead Revisited*, and small parts in films such as *Ben-Hur* (1959), *The Pink Panther* (1963) and *The Italian Job* (1969).

In 1971 he received a BAFTA award for Best Television Actor for his performance in the Dennis Potter play *Traitor*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Brideshead Revisited* (1981), Fi1m 83, as Father Mowbray — [page](https://film.one/tv/brideshead-revisited.md)
- *Ben-Hur* (1959), Fi1m 76, as Doctor (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/ben-hur.md)

## Also credited on (not yet reviewed)

- *Dad's Army* (1968), Actor

## Also known for

- *The Pink Panther* (1963), Defence Barrister (as John LeMesurier)
- *The Italian Job* (1969), Governor
- *Casino Royale* (1967), M's Driver (uncredited)
- *The Hound of the Baskervilles* (1959), Barrymore
- *Jabberwocky* (1977), Passelewe
- *Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes* (1965), French Painter
- *The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother* (1975), Lord Redcliff
- *The Avengers* (1961)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-le-mesurier