John Boyne Rowe (1888 - 1958)

Born 3 Oct 1888 in St Just in Penwith, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom

Died 1958 at about age 69 in Hendon, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: David Randall [send private message]

Biography

J. B. Rowe is Notable.

J.B. Rowe was a British actor who starred as television's very first police detective.

John Boyne Rowe was born 3 Oct 1888, in St. Just, Cornwall.

He was initially trained as an engineer like his father, but during a visit to a relative's home in California he joined a small stock company where he caught the acting bug.

He spent time in Glasgow as a drama critic for a London theatrical newspaper. and then in South Africa where he worked for a mining company in the Barberton area. After completing his contract, he toured the country with a stage troupe until World War I broke out and he joined an infantry contingent recruited in South Africa and spent time on active service in East Africa.

He subsequently acted in three films for African Film Productions: The Symbol of Sacrifice (1918), Bond and Word (1918), and The Vulture’s Prey (1920). As a member of the American Dramatic Company, he also appeared in numerous plays at His Majesty’s Theatre in Johannesburg, before joining the Allen Doone Company at the Standard Theatre. Additionally, he wrote a play called Blackmail, which had a successful run in 1922. He then toured as actor-manager of the Boyne Rowe Company.

In 1922, he left South Africa for Australia and New Zealand, where he made his home until 1930. Initially, he toured with Gertrude Elliott, before becoming producer for the local Repertory Club in Perth performed in numerous plays across all the major cities. He also wrote another play called The Reprieve (1924). In October 1929, he was performing in New York City as part of an all-British cast of The Middle Watch, and in 1930 he acted with Marie Lohr in Dandy Dick at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London, England.

After returning briefly to Australia, by the late 1930’s, J.B. was back in England where he performed in radio and acted in some of the very earliest television programs for the BBC. Most notably, he starred as Inspector Holt, television's very first police detective, in the five-part series, Telecrime (1938-39). The show ran for an additional season in 1946, Telecrimes. Like other early BBC television broadcasts, Telecrime was broadcast live and were not recorded. All 22 episodes are now permanently missing. (The image on this profile is the only surviving image of J B Rowe as Inspector Holt).

In 1939, J.B. and his wife, Eileene, were residing at 14 Evesham, in Worcestershire, England.^[1]

J.B. died in Hendon, Middlesex, possibly in 1958.

Research Note

The United States Patent Office has a patent for a Change-Speed Gearing registered on 13 December 1921 in the name of John Boyne Rowe and Arthur Garfield Barratt, both British subjects, but living in South Africa. Rowe’s address was given as 59 Milbourne Road, Judith’s Paarl, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sources

1. ↑ 1939 England and Wales Register, Worcestershire County, Evesham Borough, ED QJEH. Schedule 133, line 43, John B. Rowe.

• Wikipedia entry for J.B. Rowe
• IMDB entry for J.B. Rowe