Ian Lavender (born 16 February 1946) is a film and television actor best known for his role as Private Frank Pike in the BBC comedy series Dad's Army.

Born in Birmingham, England, Lavender went straight from school to the Bristol Old Vic Drama 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 an ATV play entitled "Flowers at my Feet" in 1968.

Shortly afterwards, he was cast as the youngest member of the platoon in Dad's Army. This made him a household name and gave him the great advantage of working alongside a number of experienced and distinguished 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, made in 1971. He still takes part in occasional fan conventions and cast reunions.

Since Dad's Army, Lavender spent most of his career in the theatre, most notably in a production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice alongside Dustin Hoffman. He also appeared in films and television series, one of which featured him starring alongside Peter Jones. During the 1970s he appeared as a supporting actor in a number of British "low farce" films, including one Carry-On film - Carry On Behind (1975). He was reunited with the Dad's Army scriptwriters David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd in 1977 for the television series Come Back Mrs Noah, though it was not particularly successful. 1978's The Glums proved rather more satisfactory, being a recreation of the characters from the popular Take It From Here radio series, written by its original writers Frank Muir and Denis Norden. He appeared in Granada Television's 1990 television game show Cluedo, based on the eponymous board game

Lavender has since appeared in several other comedy shows including two episodes of Yes Minister. He currently plays Derek Harkinson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

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