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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0178058
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q739257
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Filmography (Movies)
The Ties That Bind Us
Character:Cherub (archive footage)
Release Date:03/03/2008
Fair Game
Character:George
Release Date:11/06/1994
Customers From Hell
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1989
Reunion at Fairborough
Character:Bartender
Release Date:12/05/1985
Give Us a Break: Hustle Bustle Toil and Muscle
Character:Alf
Release Date:31/12/1984
Amy
Character:Will Johnson
Release Date:02/01/1984
The Star Chamber
Character:State Senator Walden
Release Date:05/08/1983
Red Monarch
Character:Kaganovitch
Release Date:16/06/1983
Somewhere More Central
Character:Uncle Joe
Release Date:16/05/1981
The Light Princess
Character:King
Release Date:24/12/1978
Mr and Mrs Bureaucrat
Character:Man
Release Date:18/01/1978
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
Character:Mr. Twitchell
Release Date:15/01/1978
Trial by Combat
Character:2nd Leather Jerkin
Release Date:01/04/1976
Decorators Limited
Character:Porter
Release Date:01/01/1976
Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done
Character:The Pirate King (voice)
Release Date:17/12/1975
Awkward Customers
Character:Awkward Customer: Mr. Wart-hog
Release Date:09/11/1975
The Bouncing Boy
Character:Ashcroft
Release Date:11/12/1972
Bless This House
Character:Mr. Wilson
Release Date:08/09/1972
What Became of Jack and Jill?
Character:Trouncer
Release Date:16/06/1972
The Villa Maroc
Character:Lionel
Release Date:17/02/1972
Lifting Safely
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1972
Office Party
Character:Manager
Release Date:17/08/1971
Roll On Four O'Clock
Character:Ted Crampton
Release Date:19/12/1970
I Can't See My Little Willie
Character:Frank Palmer
Release Date:19/11/1970
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
Character:Blacket
Release Date:12/11/1970
Don't Touch Him, He Might Resent It
Character:Mr. Tundish
Release Date:04/05/1970
Start the Revolution Without Me
Character:Dr. Duval
Release Date:04/02/1970
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
Character:Village Landlord
Release Date:07/11/1968
The Strange Affair
Character:Supt. Kingsley
Release Date:22/08/1968
Smashing Time
Character:Irishman
Release Date:20/12/1967
The Confession
Character:Albert Verdoni
Release Date:04/12/1967
In Two Minds
Character:Mr. Winter
Release Date:01/03/1967
Doctor Who: The Smugglers
Character:Cherub
Release Date:01/10/1966
Life at the Top
Character:Graffham
Release Date:14/12/1965
Ferry Cross the Mersey
Character:Mr. Lumsden
Release Date:10/02/1965
The Bargee
Character:Official in Office
Release Date:23/04/1964
Nightmare
Character:John
Release Date:28/02/1964
Tom Jones
Character:Mr. Fitzpatrick
Release Date:24/08/1963
The Cracksman
Character:Fred
Release Date:01/01/1963
The Brain
Character:Thomas Gabler
Release Date:05/09/1962
In the Doghouse
Character:Examiner (Uncredited)
Release Date:17/05/1962
Hell Is a City
Character:Doug Savage
Release Date:10/04/1960
A Night to Remember
Character:Carpathia Purser Hughes (uncredited)
Release Date:03/07/1958
Violent Playground
Character:Chief Inspector
Release Date:14/01/1958
Miracle in Soho
Character:Foreman
Release Date:09/07/1957
Fortune Is a Woman
Character:Hotel Porter
Release Date:13/03/1957
The Secret Place
Character:Harry
Release Date:06/02/1957
Okinawa
Character:Yeoman
Release Date:28/02/1952
Television Appearances
Heartbeat
Character:Walter Pettigrew
Nice Work
Character:Mr. Wilcox Snr
Casualty
Character:Albert Collins
Terry and June
Character:Mr. Ridge
Terry and June
Character:Uncle Bob
Terry and June
Character:Eric
Grange Hill
Character:Mr. Griffiths
All Creatures Great and Small
Character:Mr. Crump
Mind Your Language
Character:Mr Short
BBC2 Play of the Week
Character:Man
The New Avengers
Character:Burt Brandon
Wonder Woman
Character:Gen. Clewes
Two's Company
Character:Mr. Begley
Shadows
Character:Higgs
Dawson's Weekly
Character:
Billy Liar
Character:
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Character:
Crown Court
Character:
Sykes
Character:Arthur Coats
Justice
Character:Supt. George Grover
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Character:Inspector Beedel
Budgie
Character:Det. Inspector Shepherd
Budgie
Character:Inspector Shepherd
Play for Today
Character:Ashcroft
Play for Today
Character:Lionel
Play for Today
Character:Frank Palmer
Doomwatch
Character:Thomas Prentice
The Expert
Character:Arnold Bottomley
The First Lady
Character:
The Ronnie Barker Playhouse
Character:Badger
Man in a Suitcase
Character:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Character:Mr. Fawcett
King of the River
Character:Reverend Ackroyd
Public Eye
Character:
Public Eye
Character:Alec Payton
Sherlock Holmes
Character:
Theatre 625
Character:Arkwright
Theatre 625
Character:Governor
Espionage
Character:
The Saint
Character:Harold Laker
The Saint
Character:Milton Ourley
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
Character:Tom Farquhar
Z-Cars
Character:
The Avengers
Character:Burgess
The Avengers
Character:Maxwell Barker
An Age of Kings
Character:Earl of Northumberland
An Age of Kings
Character:Ancient Pistol
No Hiding Place
Character:
Saturday Playhouse
Character:George Day
Saturday Playhouse
Character:Bob Sanders
Saturday Playhouse
Character:Mr. Jackson
Saturday Playhouse
Character:Inspector Fitchitt
Dixon of Dock Green
Character:Topper Brown
Dixon of Dock Green
Character:Jackson
Dixon of Dock Green
Character:Monty Pitman
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