William "Bill" John Owen Rowbotham, MBE, born on 14th March 1914, Acton Green, London, England, UK, was an actor and songwriter. He's best known for portraying Compo Simmonite for 27 years, in the Yorkshire based BBC comedy series, Last of the Summer Wine. He died on 12th July 1999, his last appearance on-screen being shown during April 2000.