Biography

Dependable British character actor Stanley Meadows became popular as talent agent Laurie Frazer on the long-running soap Coronation Street (1960). Meadows was born and raised in the London East Borough of Stepney. A younger brother, whom he described as 'a frustrated actor', ended up becoming a barrister and died at age 44. The family moved to Bayswater when Stanley was 14. He loved the cinema from early childhood. It seemed the only escape from the drudgery of daily life in the East End. He particularly idolised Hollywood star James Cagney.

Though Meadows had his sights set on acting, his path to getting there was circuitous. In 1948, he worked as a beach photographer in Brighton. He then entered the hospitality industry as a waiter/bartender - and hated it. His next job was in advertising. After getting the boot because the 'House of Ideas' did not appreciate his ideas, Meadows worked in the shipping industry during the day while attending acting school at might. From 1953, he studied at RADA. Two years later, he took his first steps on the repertory stage in Bournemouth, earning £8 a week. By 1957, he had progressed to serious dramatic roles at the Old Vic in classics like Measure for Measure, King Lear, Hamlet and Henry VI. Meadows particularly enjoyed working alongside John Gielgud.

On screen from 1953, Meadows came to the fore as a familiar face in TV shows of the 1960s and 70s. His portfolio in this medium has included a solid gallery of heavies (usually of the Cockney variety), gleefully menacing the likes of Simon Templar, Jack Regan or Arthur Daley. Just as often, he was seen as detectives or public servants. Indeed, Meadows graced the cast of most of the major British crime and espionage dramas of the era, including The Saint (1962), The Avengers (1961), Softly Softly (1966), Paul Temple (1969), The Persuaders! (1971), Dixon of Dock Green (1955), The Professionals (1977) and Minder (1979). He also portrayed the occasional copper on the big screen, notably in The Ipcress File (1965) (Inspector Pat Keightly) and Blood Beast from Outer Space (1965) (Detective Tom Grant).

Meadows made his last screen appearance in 1984.
- IMDb mini biography by: I.S.Mowis