Stephen Lewis (actor)

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Stephen Lewis (born Stephen Cato 1936 in London) is an English actor.

Lewis began his career as a merchant seaman, but he was persuaded to go to a performance by the Theatre Workshop, under their director Joan Littlewood. It was common, after these performances, to invite members of the audience to meet the cast. He was invited for an audition and landed the part, he left the sea, becoming a permanent member of the company, and made his West End debut with the transfer of Brendan Behan's The Hostage (1958). In 1960 he wrote Sparrows Can't Sing with the Theatre Workshop, which was made into a 1963 film, starring Barbara Windsor, Roy Kinnear and Lewis himself.

In 1969 Lewis starred in one of his most popular roles as Blakey in the British sitcom On the Buses, which ran for 74 half-hour episodes and three films.

He also had success in two British sex comedies - Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1975) and Adventures of a Plumber's Mate (1978), both directed by Stanley Long.

In 1995, Lewis played Harry Lambert, the signalman in the BBC pilot of sitcom Oh, Doctor Beeching!, which later spawned two further series. As of 2007, Lewis has starred as Smiler in Last of the Summer Wine for 17 years.

Stephen Lewis has also appeared in sitcoms such as One Foot in the Grave and Father, Dear Father, and in the movie The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins.

[edit] Selected television roles

Year	Title	Role
1969 to 1973	On The Buses	Inspector Blakey
1974 to 1975	Don't Drink The Water	Inspector Blakey
1988/1990 to Present	Last of the Summer Wine	Smiler
1996 to 1997	Oh Doctor Beeching	Harry Lambert

[edit] External links

• Interview with Stephen Lewis
• Stephen Lewis at the Internet Movie Database

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