Ian Lavender
Arthur Ian Lavender (born 16 February 1946) is an English stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Private Pike in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army, and is the last surviving cast member of the series following the death of Frank Williams in 2022. Early life Lavender was born in Birmingham, England. He attended Bournville Boys Technical School (later Bournville Grammar-Technical School for Boys) where he appeared in many school dramatic productions. From there he went to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, with the assistance of a grant from the City of Birmingham. Following his graduation in 1967 he appeared on stage in Canterbury. Career His first television appearance was as the lead in a Rediffusion play entitled Half Hour Story: Flowers at my Feet in 1968. Dad's Army In 1968, aged 22, Lavender was cast as Private Frank Pike, the youngest member and “stupid boy” of the platoon in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army. This made him a household name and gave him the great advantage of working alongside a number of experienced actors during his formative years, helping him to hone his acting skills. He appeared in the entire run of the series, and in the spinoff film released in 1971. He appeared in 1974 in one episode of Man About the House (While The Cat's Away) as Mark, an aspiring actor consumed by his own vanity. He reprised the part of Pike in the BBC Radio sitcom It Sticks Out Half a Mile. The sitcom was a radio sequel to Dad's Army, but ran for only one series. Lavender has continued to be associated with Dad's Army, and still takes part in occasional fan conventions and cast reunions. He made a variety of appearances during 2008 in connection with the 40th anniversary of the series. These included a reunion with surviving cast members in July, 2008, and an appearance on BBC1's Jonathan Ross Salutes Dad's Army in August. Lavender also recorded a special introduction for the 'lost' colour episode of Dad's Army entitled "Room at the Bottom" which was broadcast on 13 December 2008. In 2014 Lavender appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a show with Steven Mcnicoll entitled Don't tell him, Pike!, where Lavender talked about his time on Dad's Army and the subsequent effect it had on his career. He made a cameo appearance as Brigadier Pritchard in the 2016 Dad's Army film, providing a link with the original series. After Dad's Army After Dad's Army, Lavender returned to the theatre, including a role in a production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice starring Dustin Hoffman. Between 1971 and 1973 Lavender joined Dad's Army colleague Arthur Lowe on the BBC radio comedy Parsley Sidings. From 1982 to 1983, he was in the BBC radio comedy series, a spin-off from Dad's Army called It Sticks Out Half a Mile. Lavender also appeared in films and television series, one of which (Mr Big, 1977) featured him starring alongside Peter Jones