Ivan Owen
August 19, 1927
South London, England
Ivan Owen, children's entertainer, born August 19 1927 was the actor who voiced the contradiction in the British character between love of stuffiness & love of anarchy. He brought to life Basil Brush, the truculent & bouncy children's television & stage fox puppet, for which he donated his best county voice. Part of Basil's magnetism came from the misalliance between his voice - said to have been modelled on the gentlemanly caddish actor Terry Thomas - & his outrageous behaviour. Though Basil, with his "Boom! Boom!" warcry, would never have taken a back seat, Owen always seemed anxious to do ...