Bill Pertwee, MBE, born William Desmond Anthony Pertwee, (21 July 1926 — 27 May 2013), was a British actor best known for playing Warden Hodges in Dad's Army.
After being a member of the Air Training Corps in World War II, he worked as an accounts clerk at the stock exchange and as a Burberry salesman. His career as an entertainer started in radio comedy, providing voices for Beyond Our Ken and Round the Horne. He also provided a warm-up act for recordings of TV shows.
His biggest role was Warden Hodges in Dad's Army, which he played in 60 episodes of the series, the radio adaptations, It Sticks Out Half a Mile, and the film version. He later said he got the role because David Croft and Jimmy Perry were looking for someone who "wasn't really an actor", after which Croft remembered he had worked for him in an episode of Hugh and I where he had a confrontation with Terry Scott in a cinema queue.
Pertwee also appeared on the radio in his DA co-stars' other series, starring in The Motorway Men with James Beck, and guest starring in Parsley Sidings, which starred Arthur Lowe and Ian Lavender, and Tony's, which starred John Laurie.
During The '70s, Pertwee was an Advertised Extra in the All-Star Cast of The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins and entered the world of the Awful British Sex Comedy as a Special Guest in the opening of Confessions of a Pop Performer, playing a cuckolded husband getting revenge on Robin Askwith with his trusty javelin. Following this, he was "Flash" Harry Harrison in What's Up Nurse! and Woodie in What's Up Superdoc!.
Sticking with Croft's sitcoms, he made guest appearances in It Ain't Half Hot, Mum and Hi-de-Hi! and had a main role in You Rang, M'Lord? as Constable Wilson. In 1996, he wrote A Funny Way to Make a Living!: The Autobiography of Dad's Army's Chief Warden Hodges.
When the Dad's Army Appreciation Society was founded in 1993, Pertwee was elected president — a position he held for twenty years.
Pertwee was a cousin of fellow actor Jon Pertwee, and his son, James, is also an actor. He died at the age of 86.
Works on TV Tropes he appeared in:
Film- Carry On Loving (1970) — Barman
- Dad's Army (1971) — ARP Chief Warden William Hodges
- Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) — Manager of Whippet Inn (Deleted Role)
- Carry On Girls (1973) — Fire Chief
- Man About the House (1974) — Postman
- Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975) — Husband with Javelin
- Run for Your Wife (2012) — Man on Bus
- Dad's Army, 60 episodes:
- 60 episodes (1968-77) — ARP Chief Warden William Hodges
- "The Two and a Half Feathers" (1970) — El Hodge, the Dervish Warrior
- Bless This House, episode "The Morning After the Night Before" (1971) — Mr. Crawford
- Love Thy Neighbour, episode "Voodoo" (1972) — Policeman
- Jackanory Playhouse, episode "The Coming of the Kings" (1972) — Police Inspector
- Sykes, episode "Protest" (1973) — Builder
- Worzel Gummidge, 2 episodes:
- "The Scarecrow Hop" (1979) — M.C.
- "A Cup 'O Tea and a Slice 'O Cake" (1980) — Lorry Driver
- It Ain't Half Hot, Mum, episode "The Last Roll Call" (1981) — Demob Centre Supervisor
- Chance in a Million, 6 episodesshow list (1984-86) — Police Sergeant Gough
- Hi-de-Hi!, episode "It's Murder" (1986) — Angry Camper
- You Rang, M'Lord?, 26 episodes (1988-93) — Police Constable Wilson
- Woof!, episode "Getting up Steam" (1994) — Arthur
- Noel's House Party, 3 episodes (1997) — Old Joe