Towb was born in
Larne,
County Antrim, to a
Russian-Jewish father and an
Irish-Jewish mother; he once claimed he was the only Jew ever born in Larne. After his parents divorced, he moved with his mother and sister to north
Belfast, where he attended the Finiston School and Technical College. He enlisted in the
British Army during
World War II and managed a military canteen, but was discharged once it emerged that he had lied about his age.
Theatre He then appeared on stage with a touring theatre company in Ireland, and in
repertory theatre in England. His first London appearance was in 1950 in
The Gentle Gunman. After a number of years with the
Royal Shakespeare Company, he joined the
Royal National Theatre company in 1979, first playing Charley in
Death of a Salesman. There, in 1982, he appeared in
Richard Eyre's productions of ''
The Beggar's Opera,
Guys and Dolls'', and
Bertolt Brecht's
Schweyk in the Second World War, as well as
The Prince of Homburg, directed by
John Burgess. Towb regularly appeared in musical theatre including a role in the musical adaptation of
Bar Mitzvah Boy. He performed in the 1983 original London production of the hit stage musical
Little Shop of Horrors, based on Roger Corman's
low-budget horror movie, which starred the original American lead
Ellen Greene. In 1989, he appeared in a London revival of the musical
Anything Goes opposite Elaine Paige and Bernard Cribbins. He also appeared in
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the
National Theatre in 2004.
Television He was a cast member of ITV's first comedy,
The Army Game (1957 – 1961). He made numerous appearances on
UK television, including popular series
Callan, the
Ronald Howard-led
Sherlock Holmes,
The Avengers,
Home James!,
Casualty, The Bill,
Minder,
Crown Court,
Doctor Who,
The Saint, and
Heartbeat. Harry Towb was also a regular presenter on the
BBC Schools' programme
You and Me featuring with Cosmo and Dibs. In the late 1970s, Towb appeared in a series of TV commercials advertising Younger's Tartan Special beer, which were shown on heavy rotation in Scotland.
Film His film appearances include
Above Us the Waves (1955),
The Blue Max (1966),
Prudence and the Pill (1968),
Patton (1970) and
Lamb (1985). In December 2008, Towb appeared in two episodes of the BBC soap opera
EastEnders as
David,
Janine Butcher's fiancé. He also appeared on the long-running BBC
music hall show,
The Good Old Days.
Radio In 1959 he appeared in a radio episode of ''
Hancock's Half Hour'', "Fred's Pie Stall". ==Personal life==