Arthur Brough (born Frederick Arthur Baker; 26 February 1905 – 28 May 1978) was a British actor, theatre founder, producer, and director. He is best known for portraying the bumbling senior menswear salesman Ernest Grainger on the BBC TV sitcom Are You Being Served?.

Brough originally aspired to become a teacher but was unable to secure employment in the field and instead worked in a solicitor's office. Developing an interest in acting, Brough attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), graduating in 1928. He subsequently joined a Shakespearean theatrical troupe, where he met his future wife, actress Elizabeth Addyman. After marrying in 1929, they used their wedding dowry as collateral to rent the Leas Pavilion, a repertory theatre in Folkestone, Kent. The couple had one daughter, Joanna.

Having used the name The Pioneer Players in Folkestone since 1929, Brough and his wife, Elizabeth, formed The Arthur Brough Players in 1932. Once the Folkestone repertory company was established, Brough went on to form new repertory companies in Bradford, Bristol, Blackpool, Keighley, Leeds, Lincoln, Oxford, Southampton, Aldershot, Southend and Eastbourne.

With the outbreak of World War II, Brough enlisted in the Royal Navy, where he served for the duration of the war. His service included assisting with the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, with his ship returning to the rescue scene multiple times to evacuate soldiers before the Nazis reached the seaport.

Following demobilisation, Brough resumed his acting career and reopened the Folkestone repertory theatre. Many prominent actors began their careers with The Arthur Brough Players, including Peter Barkworth, who appeared in The Guinea Pig in 1948; Eric Lander, later a star of the TV series No Hiding Place, in 1949; Polly James in the early 1960s; and Anne Stallybrass, who started as an assistant stage manager in 1960 and went on to play Ida the maid in Pool's Paradise by Philip King. She also appeared in The Aspern Papers, Candida, and A Taste of Honey at the small Folkestone theatre. Other notable alumni included Andrew Jack; Sydney Sturgess, who later married Barry Morse; and Trevor Bannister, who would eventually act alongside Brough in Are You Being Served?

At that time, local repertory companies would present a new play each week to compete with cinemas. A small, permanent cast would rehearse one play during the day while performing the previous week's production each evening, with a mid-week matinee. Due to economic constraints, the limited number of actors often meant performers had to portray characters far removed from their own age or appearance.

Brough also took his company on tour and helped establish repertory companies in Aldershot, Southend, and Eastbourne.

With the rise of television, Brough predicted the decline of repertory theatre as a viable entertainment form. In the 1960s, he began seeking roles in the mass media, appearing in small roles in both films and television. His daughter, Joanna Hutton, commented on his forecast regarding the decline of repertory theatre: "He was very astute and unsentimental about it. He realized the era was over and that he must diversify." According to Hutton, her father initially struggled with the transition from stage to screen. "He realized how hammy he was. He used to take the mickey out of himself; he'd always acted in a Shakespearean manner and suddenly realized he had to tone down his performance for film."