Born in London to an Italian father and an Irish mother, he served in the merchant navy and the RAF during World War II.

Upon becoming an actor, he chose his father's surname as his stage name, later adopting the name Louis after Louie Dumbrowski, the character played by Bernard Gorcey in The Bowery Boys film series, whom his friends claimed he resembled.

(1965), the original version of The Italian Job (1969), Tales from the Crypt (1972), and the Dick Emery film Ooh... You Are Awful (1972).

For six years he suffered from Parkinson's disease and in May 2010 was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

[citation needed] His interests included reading, letter writing, animal welfare and watching DVDs/videos of past favourite series/films.