Stephen Lewis (born
Stephen Cato 14 November 1936) is an
English actor. He is best known for his roles as Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in the LWT Sitcom
On the Buses, Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in the longest running sitcom
Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in BBC Television's
Oh, Doctor Beeching!.
Career
Lewis began his career as a
merchant seaman, but 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 to an audition and landed the part; he left the sea, becoming a member of the company, and made his
West End debut with the transfer of
Brendan Behan's
The Hostage in 1958. In 1960 he wrote
Sparrers 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 his best remembered role as Blakey in the British
sitcom On the Buses, which ran for 74 half-hour episodes and spawned three films,
On the Buses (1971),
Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and
Holiday on the Buses (1973). A spin off series, Don't Drink the Water, ran for thirteen episodes from 1974 to 1975. This featured Blakey retiring to Spain with his sister, Dorothy (
Pat Coombs).
He also appeared 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 1988 he took on one...
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