Norman Bowler

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Norman Bowler is a British actor.

Born on August 1, 1932 in London he became a member of the 1950's Soho set alongside such as John Minton, Francis Bacon and Daniel Farson, Norman Bowler played a variety of bit parts and single episode roles throughout the 1960's. He feaured in one episode of The Avengers and stared alongside James Caan in the 1968 war film "X1" about World War Two British midget submarines.

From 1966 to 1976 Bowler played Det. Sgt. and later Det. Chief Inspector Harry Hawkins for the entire run of the BBC TV police drama "Softly, Softly" (later "Softly, Softly: Taskforce").

More recently, he is best known for playing the part of Frank Tate in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale between 1989 and 1997; when his character was killed off after suffering a heart attack, his TV wife Kim could have saved his life but chose to let him die as he begged for help.

Today, Bowler is very active in charity work and adult education in the Bristol area (where the original "Softly, Softly" series was filmed in the 60s)