# Tom Owen (actor)
**Tom Owen** was the professional name of Thomas William Stevenson Rowbotham (1949 – 8 November 2022), a British actor best known for playing Tom Simmonite in the BBC sitcom *Last of the Summer Wine*. He was the son of Bill Owen, who played Tom Simmonite's father, William "Compo" Simmonite, in the same series.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas William Stevenson Rowbotham, born 1949 in Marylebone, London[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29) |
| Died | 8 November 2022, aged 73[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29) |
| Signature role | Tom Simmonite in *Last of the Summer Wine*, a regular from 2000 to 2010 in 93 episodes[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29) |
| Family connection | Son of Bill Owen, who played Compo in 184 episodes over twenty-seven years[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29) |
| Television debut | Bill Cowan in Southern TV's *Freewheelers* (1968), 52 episodes[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29) |
| Stage work | Repertory actor and director; Royal Shakespeare Company member, including on Broadway in *London Assurance*[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29) |
| Years active | 1966–2019[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29) |
## Early life and stage career
Owen was born in [Marylebone](https://www.edgepedia.org/marylebone), London, the son of the actor Bill Owen and Edith Stevenson[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29). He trained as a student assistant stage manager at Leatherhead Theatre in 1966 and then worked extensively in repertory both as an actor and as a director[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29).
His stage credits included the role of Farley in *Goodbye, Mr. Chips* in 1969, a part first played by [John Mills](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-mills) in the original film version. He was a member of the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company) and played on Broadway in their production of *London Assurance*. His performance as Krapp in Fiona Baddeley's production of Beckett's *Krapp's Last Tape* was likened to those given by [Michael Gambon](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-gambon), John Hurt, and Harold Pinter. He also appeared in the West End in *Lulu* and starred in over twenty pantomimes[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29).
## Television and film
Owen made his television debut in 1968 playing Bill Cowan in Southern TV's series *Freewheelers*, appearing in fifty-two episodes. Further television work followed in series including *Tottering Towers*, *Wreckers at Deadeye*, *Horse in the House*, *The Piglet Files*, *The Hello Goodbye Man*, *Z Cars*, *Upstairs Downstairs*, *The Bill*, *[Minder](https://www.edgepedia.org/minder-tv-series)*, and *Our Mutual Friend*[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29).
His film roles included Trabb's Boy in the 1974 adaptation of *Great Expectations*[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/Tom%20Owen/19746628?fromModule=lemma_inlink). Late in his career he appeared in two 2018 films, *The Bromley Boys* as Mr. Blake[3](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/tom_owen/) and *The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society* as Frank the Dairy Farmer[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/Tom%20Owen/19746628?fromModule=lemma_inlink), and in the 2019 television series *Small Town Politics*[2](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/Tom%20Owen/19746628?fromModule=lemma_inlink).
## Last of the Summer Wine
Owen's first appearance in *Last of the Summer Wine* came in 1991, as a bank customer at a cash dispenser in the episode "Situations Vacant"[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29). After his father Bill, who had played Compo in 184 episodes over twenty-seven years, died in 1999, Tom joined the show as a regular in 2000 and appeared in 93 episodes until the series ended in 2010[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29). His character, Tom Simmonite, was written as the son of Compo, so the casting continued the on-screen family across two actors from the same real family[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29).
## Personal life and death
Owen married Mary Moylan in 1978 and had two children[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29). He died on 8 November 2022 at the age of 73[1](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29).
## References
1. [Tom Owen (actor), The Goon Show Depository](https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Tom_Owen_%28actor%29)
2. [Tom Owen, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/Tom%20Owen/19746628?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
3. [Tom Owen, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/tom_owen/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames N to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license