George A. Cooper
Acting
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.
TV Shows(42)
Heartbeat
Walter Pettigrew
1992
Nice Work
Mr. Wilcox Snr
1989
Casualty
Albert Collins
1986
Terry and June
Mr. Ridge
1979
Grange Hill
Mr. Griffiths
1978
All Creatures Great and Small
Mr. Crump
1978
Mind Your Language
Mr Short
1977
BBC2 Play of the Week
Man
1977
The New Avengers
Burt Brandon
1976
Wonder Woman
Gen. Clewes
1975
Two's Company
Mr. Begley
1975
Shadows
Higgs
1975
Dawson's Weekly
1975
Billy Liar
1973
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
1973
Crown Court
1972
Sykes
Arthur Coats
1972
Justice
Supt. George Grover
1971
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Inspector Beedel
1971
Budgie
Det. Inspector Shepherd
1971
Play for Today
Ashcroft
1970
Doomwatch
Thomas Prentice
1970
The Expert
Arnold Bottomley
1968
The First Lady
1968
The Ronnie Barker Playhouse
Badger
1968
Man in a Suitcase
1967
ITV Playhouse
Albert Verdoni
1967
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Mr. Fawcett
1967
King of the River
Reverend Ackroyd
1966
Public Eye
1965
Sherlock Holmes
1964
Theatre 625
Arkwright
1964
Espionage
Leo Winters
1963
The Saint
Harold Laker
1962
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
Tom Farquhar
1962
Z-Cars
1962
The Avengers
Burgess
1961
An Age of Kings
Earl of Northumberland
1960
No Hiding Place
1959
Saturday Playhouse
George Day
1958
Armchair Theatre
Vincenzo Galassi
1956
Dixon of Dock Green
Topper Brown
1955
Movies(48)
The Ties That Bind Us
Cherub (archive footage)
2008
Fair Game
George
1994
Customers From Hell
1989
Reunion at Fairborough
Bartender
1985
Give Us a Break: Hustle Bustle Toil and Muscle
Alf
1984
Amy
Will Johnson
1984
The Star Chamber
State Senator Walden
1983
Red Monarch
Kaganovitch
1983
Somewhere More Central
Uncle Joe
1981
The Light Princess
King
1978
Mr and Mrs Bureaucrat
Man
1978
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story
Mr. Twitchell
1978
Trial by Combat
2nd Leather Jerkin
1976
Decorators Limited
Porter
1976
Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done
The Pirate King (voice)
1975
Awkward Customers
Awkward Customer: Mr. Wart-hog
1975
The Bouncing Boy
Ashcroft
1972
Bless This House
Mr. Wilson
1972
What Became of Jack and Jill?
Trouncer
1972
The Villa Maroc
Lionel
1972
Lifting Safely
1972
Office Party
Manager
1971
Roll On Four O'Clock
Ted Crampton
1970
I Can't See My Little Willie
Frank Palmer
1970
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
Blacket
1970
Don't Touch Him, He Might Resent It
Mr. Tundish
1970
Start the Revolution Without Me
Dr. Duval
1970
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
Village Landlord
1968
The Strange Affair
Supt. Kingsley
1968
Smashing Time
Irishman
1967
The Confession
Albert Verdoni
1967
In Two Minds
Mr. Winter
1967
Doctor Who: The Smugglers
Cherub
1966
Life at the Top
Graffham
1965
Ferry Cross the Mersey
Mr. Lumsden
1965
The Bargee
Official in Office
1964
Nightmare
John
1964
Tom Jones
Mr. Fitzpatrick
1963
The Cracksman
Fred
1963
The Brain
Thomas Gabler
1962
In the Doghouse
Examiner (Uncredited)
1962
Hell Is a City
Doug Savage
1960
A Night to Remember
Carpathia Purser Hughes (uncredited)
1958
Violent Playground
Chief Inspector
1958
Miracle in Soho
Foreman
1957
Fortune Is a Woman
Hotel Porter
1957
The Secret Place
Harry
1957
Okinawa
Yeoman
1952