George A. Cooper
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- March 7, 1925
- Died
- November 16, 2018 (aged 93)
- Birthplace
- 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
Photos
Filmography
The Ties That Bind Us
Movie · as Cherub (archive footage)
Fair Game
Movie · as George
Heartbeat
TV · as Walter Pettigrew · 1 ep
Customers From Hell
Movie
Nice Work
TV · as Mr. Wilcox Snr · 1 ep
Casualty
TV · as Albert Collins · 1 ep
Reunion at Fairborough
Movie · as Bartender
Give Us a Break: Hustle Bustle Toil and Muscle
Movie · as Alf
Amy
Movie · as Will Johnson
Red Monarch
Movie · as Kaganovitch
The Star Chamber
Movie · as State Senator Walden
Q.E.D.
TV · as Lord Eastleigh · 1 ep
Somewhere More Central
Movie · as Uncle Joe
Terry and June
TV · as Mr. Ridge, Uncle Bob, Eric · 1 ep
Turning Year Tales
TV · as Alan · 1 ep
The Light Princess
Movie · as King
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
Movie · as Mr. Twitchell
Mr. and Ms. Bureaucrat
Movie · as Man
Grange Hill
TV · as Mr. Griffiths · 149 eps
All Creatures Great and Small
TV · as Mr. Crump · 1 ep
The Upchat Connection
TV · as Mr Hutcheson · 1 ep
BBC2 Play of the Week
TV · as Man · 1 ep
Mind Your Language
TV · as Mr Short · 1 ep
Decorators Limited
Movie · as Porter
Trial by Combat
Movie · as 2nd Leather Jerkin
The New Avengers
TV · as Burt Brandon · 1 ep
Awkward Customers
Movie · as Awkward Customer: Mr. Wart-hog
Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done
Movie · as The Pirate King (voice)
Dawson's Weekly
TV · 1 ep
Wonder Woman
TV · as Gen. Clewes · 1 ep
Two's Company
TV · as Mr. Begley · 1 ep
Shadows
TV · as Higgs · 1 ep
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
TV · as Bradshaw
Billy Liar
TV · 25 eps
What Became of Jack and Jill?
Movie · as Trouncer
The Bouncing Boy
Movie · as Ashcroft
The Villa Maroc
Movie · as Lionel
Bless This House
Movie · as Mr. Wilson
Lifting Safely
Movie
Crown Court
TV · 1 ep
Sykes
TV · as Arthur Coats · 1 ep
Office Party
Movie · as Manager
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
TV · as Inspector Beedel · 1 ep
Justice
TV · as Supt. George Grover · 1 ep
Budgie
TV · as Det. Inspector Shepherd · 1 ep
Don't Touch Him, He Might Resent It
Movie · as Mr. Tundish
Roll On Four O'Clock
Movie · as Ted Crampton
I Can't See My Little Willie
Movie · as Frank Palmer
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
Movie · as Blacket
Start the Revolution Without Me
Movie · as Dr. Duval
Doomwatch
TV · as Thomas Prentice · 1 ep
Play for Today
TV · as Ashcroft, Frank Palmer, Lionel · 1 ep
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
TV · as Ted Crampton, Bert Clarke · 1 ep
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
Movie · as Village Landlord
The Strange Affair
Movie · as Supt. Kingsley
The First Lady
TV · 1 ep
The Expert
TV · as Arnold Bottomley · 1 ep
The Ronnie Barker Playhouse
TV · as Badger · 1 ep
The Confession
Movie · as Albert Verdoni
In Two Minds
Movie · as Mr. Winter
Smashing Time
Movie · as Irishman
Man in a Suitcase
TV · 1 ep
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
TV · as Mr. Fawcett · 1 ep
ITV Playhouse
TV · as Albert Verdoni, Mr. Tundish, Grimston · 1 ep
Doctor Who: The Smugglers
Movie · as Cherub
King of the River
TV · as Reverend Ackroyd · 4 eps
Ferry Cross the Mersey
Movie · as Mr. Lumsden
Life at the Top
Movie · as Graffham
Public Eye
TV · as Alec Payton · 1 ep
The Troubleshooters
TV · as Eddy Schofield, Stuart Mackinley, George Ward · 1 ep
Nightmare
Movie · as John
The Bargee
Movie · as Official in Office
Sherlock Holmes
TV · 1 ep
Theatre 625
TV · as Arkwright, Governor · 1 ep
The Wednesday Play
TV · as Mr. Winter · 1 ep
The Cracksman
Movie · as Fred
Tom Jones
Movie · as Mr. Fitzpatrick
Espionage
TV · as Leo Winters · 1 ep
Sergeant Cork
TV · as Mr. Bellamy · 1 ep
The Brain
Movie · as Thomas Gabler
In the Doghouse
Movie · as Examiner (Uncredited)
Z-Cars
TV · 4 eps
The Saint
TV · as Harold Laker, Milton Ourley · 1 ep
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
TV · as Tom Farquhar · 2 eps
Steptoe and Son
TV · as Uncle Arthur · 2 eps
The Avengers
TV · as Burgess, Maxwell Barker · 1 ep
Hell Is a City
Movie · as Doug Savage
An Age of Kings
TV · as Earl of Northumberland, Ancient Pistol · 4 eps
Danger Man
TV · as Blatta · 1 ep
No Hiding Place
TV · 3 eps
A Night to Remember
Movie · as Carpathia Purser Hughes (uncredited)
Violent Playground
Movie · as Chief Inspector
Saturday Playhouse
TV · as George Day, Bob Sanders, Mr. Jackson, Inspector Fitchitt · 1 ep
The Secret Place
Movie · as Harry
Fortune Is a Woman
Movie · as Hotel Porter
Miracle in Soho
Movie · as Foreman
Armchair Theatre
TV · as Vincenzo Galassi, Dennis Fleming, Manager · 1 ep
Dixon of Dock Green
TV · as Topper Brown, Jackson, Monty Pitman · 2 eps
The Adventures of Robin Hood
TV · as Dr. Quince · 1 ep
Okinawa
Movie · as Yeoman