- Norman Bowler
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Norman Clifford Bowler (born 1 August 1932) is a British actor.
Born in London, son of a watch repairer in Mill Lane, NW6, he became a member of the 1950s Soho set alongside the likes of John Minton, Francis Bacon and Daniel Farson. There he met Henrietta Moraes, who divorced her first husband, Michael Law, and married Bowler. This marriage ended in 1956. They had two children, Joshua and Caroline, although many years later it transpired that Joshua’s biological father was Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner.[1]
Bowler played a variety of bit parts and single episode roles throughout the 1960s. He featured in one episode of The Avengers and starred alongside James Caan in the 1968 war film Submarine X-1, about World War II British midget submarines.
From 1966-1976, Bowler played Det. Sgt. and later Det. Chief Inspector Harry Hawkins for the entire run of the BBC TV police drama Softly, Softly (later Softly, Softly: Taskforce). He also appeared in Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
More recently, he was best known for playing the part of Frank Tate in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale from November 1989 - May 1997. When his character was killed off after suffering a heart attack, his TV wife Kim could have saved his life but chose to let him die as he begged for help.
Bowler has been very active in charity work and adult education in the Bristol area (where the original Softly, Softly series was filmed in the 60s).
Bowler is now living with his second wife, Dianna, in Auroville International Township in South-India (near Pondicherry). There he is engaged in development work with people in the surrounding Tamil villages and often entertains the village children. He also works with and directs the amateur actors of the Township.
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