Career
Born in Rochdale, Lancashire, Pentelow"s love of drama happened whilst he was studying Shakespeare at grammar school, but he started his working life as a cadet clerk in the local police force. He later served in World World War II in the Royal Navy and did radar work in Normandy. After peace was declared, Pentelow returned to Rochdale, where he became a student teacher.
Between his theatre work he sold ice-cream and delivered laundry.
He later went on to work in repertory theatre at the Bristol Old Vic, Guildford and Northampton, before joining the company at Birmingham, where his fellow actors included Derek Jacobi, Rosemary Leach and Albert Finney. Pentelow appeared in a number of films during his career, these included, Charlie Bubbles, Privilege, and The Peace Game.
He also made appearances in popular television programmes, such as, Z-Cars, Emergency - Ward 10 and Hadleigh. as the football supporters" club chairman. Pentelow also appeared in 1969"s notorious gangland series for Granada "Big Breadwinner Hog" as the unflappable Detective Inspector Walker, one of the Crime Investigation Department team on the trail of the trendy, up-and-coming gangland boss Hogarth of the title.
The character of Henry Wilks in Emmerdale Farm was a retired Bradford wool merchant, who became a director of Emmerdale Farm when it became a limited company.
He also became a joint owner of the village public house - the Woolpack. Due to Pentelow"s sudden death, the character was killed off in October 1991, with Annie Sugden revealing she had found him dead in his bed. Pentelow was often described as a modest and unassuming man by his fellow actors.
lieutenant was a great shock when he died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 67, whilst driving from his family home in Birmingham to commence filming Emmerdale back in Leeds.