Name
George A. Cooper
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1925-03-07
Deathday
2018-11-16 (93 years old)
Place of Birth
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK
Biography
George Alphonsus Cooper was born in Leeds in 1925. After training as an electrical engineer and architect he was called up for National Service, working for the Royal Artillery in India. During that period he became interested in performing and on his discharge joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in Manchester. To avoid confusion with American actor George Cooper he used his middle initial in his stage name. His first appearance on television was in 1946. Over the next fifty years, he was a regular on the screen developing a career out of portraying slightly bumbling authoritarian characters. In 1964, he won a recurring role in ITV's Coronation Street playing businessman Willie Piggott who famously tried to bribe Ken Barlow to give his son Brian a pass on his tech exam. He had regular roles in Z-Cars and Dixon of Dock Green. In 1960, he appeared in the West End play Billy Liar playing the father of the title character, later reprising the role in the 1973 television series. He appeared in comedies such as Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Sykes and Mind Your Language. In 1985, he took on the role of no-nonsense caretaker Eric Griffiths in the incredibly successful children's drama Grange Hill, playing the role for seven years and earning a place in the hearts of a generation of children. His last TV appearance was in a 1995 episode of Casualty. He died in a nursing home in Hampshire on 16th November, 2018.
Known For
7.6
The sinking of the Titanic is presented in a highly realistic fashion in this tense Britis...
7
After a lock-keeper entrusts his daughter to a canal Casanova, he is shocked to learn that...
6.686
In the shadow of Castle Dracula, the Prince of Darkness is revived by blood trickling from...
6.022
As violence escalates in Los Angeles and heinous murders are committed, Steven Hardin, a y...
6
Two sets of identical twins are accidentally switched at birth. One pair, Phillipe and Pie...
5.4
British comedy satirising Stalin's inner circle as an absolute monarchs court. In the face...
7.174
A Liverpool juvenile liaison officer struggles with a young and dangerous pyromaniac....
5.912
Successful businessman Joe Lampton is married to the wealthy Susan, has two children, and ...
- 1960 Hell Is a City as Doug Savage
- 1972 What Became of Jack and Jill? as Trouncer
- 1968 Dracula Has Risen from the Grave as Village Landlord
- 1964 Nightmare as John
- 1972 The Bouncing Boy as Ashcroft
- 1952 Okinawa as Yeoman
- 1965 Ferry Cross the Mersey as Mr. Lumsden
- 1958 A Night to Remember as Carpathia Purser Hughes (uncredited)
- 1968 The Strange Affair as Supt. Kingsley
- 1964 The Bargee as Official in Office
- 1963 The Cracksman as Fred
- 1984 Give Us a Break: Hustle Bustle Toil and Muscle as Alf
- 1994 Fair Game as George
- 1970 Don't Touch Him, He Might Resent It as Mr. Tundish
- 1967 The Confession as Albert Verdoni
- 1962 The Brain as Thomas Gabler
- 1981 Somewhere More Central as Uncle Joe
- 1984 Amy as Will Johnson
- 1976 Decorators Limited as Porter
- 1957 The Secret Place as Harry
- 1975 Awkward Customers as Awkward Customer: Mr. Wart-hog
- 1967 In Two Minds as Mr. Winter
- 1976 Trial by Combat as 2nd Leather Jerkin
- 1983 Red Monarch as Kaganovitch
- 1967 Smashing Time as Irishman
- 1978 The Light Princess as King
- 1970 Roll On Four O'Clock as Ted Crampton
- 1970 I Can't See My Little Willie as Frank Palmer
- 1972 The Villa Maroc as Lionel
- 1957 Fortune Is a Woman as Hotel Porter
- 1965 Life at the Top as Graffham
- 1983 The Star Chamber as State Senator Walden
- 1972 Bless This House as Mr. Wilson
- 1970 The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer as Blacket
- 1966 Doctor Who: The Smugglers as Cherub
- 1963 Tom Jones as Mr. Fitzpatrick
- 1962 In the Doghouse as Examiner (Uncredited)
- 1971 Office Party as Manager
- 1970 Start the Revolution Without Me as Dr. Duval
- 1958 Violent Playground as Chief Inspector
- 1975 Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done as The Pirate King (voice)
- 1978 A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story as Mr. Twitchell
- 1989 Customers From Hell
- 1978 Mr and Mrs Bureaucrat as Man
- 2008 The Ties That Bind Us as Cherub (archive footage)
- 1972 Lifting Safely
- 1957 Miracle in Soho as Foreman
- 1985 Reunion at Fairborough as Bartender
- 1962 Z-Cars ( 4 episodes )
- 1961 The Avengers ( 1 episode ) as Burgess
- 1992 Heartbeat ( 1 episode ) as Walter Pettigrew
- 1972 Crown Court ( 1 episode )
- 1962 The Saint ( 1 episode ) as Harold Laker
- 1955 Dixon of Dock Green ( 2 episodes ) as Topper Brown
- 1970 Doomwatch ( 1 episode ) as Thomas Prentice
- 1973 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em ( 0 episode )
- 1962 Dr. Finlay's Casebook ( 2 episodes ) as Tom Farquhar
- 1968 The First Lady ( 1 episode )
- 1976 The New Avengers ( 1 episode ) as Burt Brandon
- 1965 Public Eye ( 1 episode )
- 1971 The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes ( 1 episode ) as Inspector Beedel
- 1959 No Hiding Place ( 3 episodes )
- 1970 Play for Today ( 1 episode ) as Ashcroft
- 1968 The Expert ( 1 episode ) as Arnold Bottomley
- 1967 Man in a Suitcase ( 1 episode )
- 1960 An Age of Kings ( 4 episodes ) as Earl of Northumberland
- 1973 Billy Liar ( 25 episodes )
- 1964 Sherlock Holmes ( 1 episode )
- 1975 Dawson's Weekly ( 1 episode )
- 1955 Dixon of Dock Green ( 1 episode ) as Jackson
- 1955 Dixon of Dock Green ( 1 episode ) as Monty Pitman
- 1971 Justice ( 1 episode ) as Supt. George Grover
- 1975 Wonder Woman ( 1 episode ) as Gen. Clewes
- 1986 Casualty ( 1 episode ) as Albert Collins
- 1978 Grange Hill ( 149 episodes ) as Mr. Griffiths
- 1978 All Creatures Great and Small ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Crump
- 1975 Two's Company ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Begley
- 1979 Terry and June ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Ridge
- 1965 Public Eye ( 1 episode ) as Alec Payton
- 1962 The Saint ( 1 episode ) as Milton Ourley
- 1979 Terry and June ( 1 episode ) as Uncle Bob
- 1979 Terry and June ( 1 episode ) as Eric
- 1970 Play for Today ( 1 episode ) as Lionel
- 1970 Play for Today ( 1 episode ) as Frank Palmer
- 1972 Sykes ( 1 episode ) as Arthur Coats
- 1989 Nice Work ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Wilcox Snr
- 1960 An Age of Kings ( 4 episodes ) as Ancient Pistol
- 1958 Saturday Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as George Day
- 1958 Saturday Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Bob Sanders
- 1958 Saturday Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Jackson
- 1958 Saturday Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Inspector Fitchitt
- 1977 BBC2 Play of the Week ( 1 episode ) as Man
- 1967 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Fawcett
- 1966 King of the River ( 4 episodes ) as Reverend Ackroyd
- 1971 Budgie ( 1 episode ) as Det. Inspector Shepherd
- 1971 Budgie ( 1 episode ) as Inspector Shepherd
- 1968 The Ronnie Barker Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Badger
- 1977 Mind Your Language ( 1 episode ) as Mr Short
- 1975 Shadows ( 1 episode ) as Higgs
- 1964 Theatre 625 ( 1 episode ) as Arkwright
- 1964 Theatre 625 ( 1 episode ) as Governor
- 1961 The Avengers ( 1 episode ) as Maxwell Barker
- 1956 Armchair Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Vincenzo Galassi
- 1956 Armchair Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Dennis Fleming
- 1956 Armchair Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Manager
- 1967 ITV Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Albert Verdoni
- 1967 ITV Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Tundish
- 1967 ITV Playhouse ( 1 episode ) as Grimston
- 1963 Espionage ( 1 episode ) as Leo Winters
- 1960 Danger Man ( 1 episode ) as Blatta
- 1969 ITV Saturday Night Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Ted Crampton
- 1969 ITV Saturday Night Theatre ( 1 episode ) as Bert Clarke
- 1964 The Wednesday Play ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Winter
- 1979 Turning Year Tales ( 1 episode ) as Alan
- 1982 Q.E.D. ( 1 episode ) as Lord Eastleigh
- 1962 Steptoe and Son ( 2 episodes ) as Uncle Arthur
- 1955 The Adventures of Robin Hood ( 1 episode ) as Dr. Quince
- 1963 Sergeant Cork ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Bellamy
