Tudor Owen (actor)

Roy Tudor Owen (20 January 1898 – 13 March 1979), known professionally as just Tudor Owen, was a Welsh character actor. Owen is most famous for voicing the role of Towser in the 1961 Disney movie One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Tudor Owen
Owen in screenshot from Perils of the Jungle
Born
Roy Tudor Owen

(1898-01-20)20 January 1898
Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales
Died13 March 1979(1979-03-13) (aged 81)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1926–1965
Spouse(s)
Gladys Virginia Bennett Paterno
​
​
(m. 1953; his death 1979)​

Early life and career

Owen was born on 20 January 1898 in the Welsh town of Penarth, Glamorgan.

After serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War I he went to RADA in London before moving to Hollywood.

He began his career in the 1926 silent film Bride of the Storm as Funeral Harry.[1] His next film role was 22 years later in the 1948 film Up in Central Park.[2]

Owen also became involved in the radio industry during the 1940s and 1950s, teaming up with producer and director Jack Webb in several radio programs. The first of those programs was the radio drama Pat Novak, for Hire. He played the role of Novak's drunk ex-doctor friend "Jocko" Madigan.[3] He played this role from 1946–1949.[4] He again co-starred with Webb in the radio series Johnny Modero, Pier 23 in 1947. Owen would co-star in a radio series with Webb just one more time. That last time was on the radio version of the Pete Kelly franchise. He played the role of Barney Rickett for the series' summer run in 1951.[5] In 1951, he played the title character's editor in Alias Jane Doe.[3]:21 His last radio appearance was in 1953, leaving behind such radio credits as University Theatre, Escape, Suspense, Family Theater, Lux Radio Theatre, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, Crime Classics and The Lone Ranger. Owen also played 'Dusty' in the 1950 episode of The Lone Ranger titled 'Greed for Gold'.

Shortly after Owen's last appearance in radio, he made his first appearance in television on the TV series The Unexpected in 1953. As his presence became wanted more and more in the television field, his presence became less wanted in the film industry. Although he did find success in film it was not as much success as in previous years. His most successful film during this time was in the 1961 Disney animated cartoon One Hundred and One Dalmatians where Owen voiced the role of Towser. His last film role was a background voice role in another Disney cartoon, as a knight in The Sword in the Stone (1963). Some of his other film credits include Montana, The Black Castle, Back to God's Country, Perils of the Jungle, Brigadoon, The Oklahoma Woman, Congo Crossing and Jack the Giant Killer.[6]

Owen's television career expanded during the 1950s and 1960s which included recurring roles in Perry Mason and a starring role in a television series. From 1954–55, Owen co-starred alongside actors Thomas Mitchell and Kathleen Freeman in the sitcom Mayor of the Town. He played the role of Joe Ainsley in the series.[7] He retired from show business after a 1965 guest appearance on the television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Personal life and death

Owen married Gladys Virginia Bennett Paterno in 1953, and they remained together until he died on 13 March 1979 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 81. He is entombed at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Selected filmography

References
  1. "Bride of the Storm – TCMDb". www.tcm.com. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  2. "Up in Central Park (1948) Cast & Crew". www.allmovie.com. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  3. Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. P. 266.
  4. "The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio – Pat Novak for Hire". www.greatdetectives.net. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  5. "The Definitive Pete Kelly's Blues Radio Log". Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  6. "Who is Tudor Owen?". www.omnilexica.com. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  7. "CTVA US Drama series – Mayor of the Town". ctva.biz. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
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