Ian Lavender

Ian Lavender
Lavender in Hayfield, Derbyshire, to unveil a plaque to Arthur Lowe in 2011.
Born	Arthur Ian Lavender (1946-02-16) 16 February 1946 (age 71) Birmingham, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1967–present
Spouse(s)	Suzanne Kerchiss (1967–1976) (divorced) Miki Hardy (1993–present)

Arthur Ian Lavender (born 16 February 1946), is an English stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Private Pike in the BBC comedy series Dad's Army. Following the death of Clive Dunn in 2012, he is the last surviving cast member to have played a character in the platoon and, with Frank Williams, is one of only two surviving major cast members.

Arthur Ian 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. He quickly made his mark as a talented young actor and following his graduation in 1967 appeared on stage in Canterbury.

His first television appearance was as the lead in a Rediffusion play entitled Half Hour Story: Flowers at my Feet in 1968.

In 1968, aged 22, Lavender was cast as Private 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.

In 1983, he revived the role of Private 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.