1925-03-07 Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK
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.
 |
The Ties That Bind Us | Cherub (archive footage) | 2008-03-03 |
 |
Fair Game | George | 1994-06-11 |
 |
Customers From Hell | 1989-01-01 | |
 |
Give Us a Break: Hustle Bustle Toil and Muscle | Alf | 1984-12-31 |
 |
Amy | Will Johnson | 1984-01-02 |
 |
The Star Chamber | State Senator Walden | 1983-08-05 |
 |
Red Monarch | Kaganovitch | 1983-06-16 |
 |
Somewhere More Central | Uncle Joe | 1981-05-16 |
 |
The Light Princess | King | 1978-12-24 |
 |
Mr and Mrs Bureaucrat | Man | 1978-01-18 |
 |
A Love Affair: The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story | Mr. Twitchell | 1978-01-15 |
|
Decorators Limited | Porter | 1976-01-01 |
 |
Trial by Combat | 2nd Leather Jerkin | 1976-04-01 |
 |
Awkward Customers | Awkward Customer: Mr. Wart-hog | 1975-11-09 |
 |
Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done | The Pirate King (voice) | 1975-12-17 |
 |
Bless This House | Mr. Wilson | 1972-09-08 |
 |
The Bouncing Boy | Ashcroft | 1972-12-11 |
 |
The Villa Maroc | Lionel | 1972-02-17 |
 |
Lifting Safely | 1972-01-01 | |
 |
What Became of Jack and Jill? | Trouncer | 1972-06-16 |
 |
Office Party | Manager | 1971-08-17 |
 |
I Can't See My Little Willie | Frank Palmer | 1970-11-19 |
 |
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer | Blacket | 1970-11-12 |
 |
Start the Revolution Without Me | Dr. Duval | 1970-02-04 |
 |
Roll On Four O'Clock | Ted Crampton | 1970-12-19 |
|
Don't Touch Him, He Might Resent It | Mr. Tundish | 1970-05-04 |
 |
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave | Village Landlord | 1968-11-07 |
 |
The Strange Affair | Supt. Kingsley | 1968-08-22 |
|
The Confession | Albert Verdoni | 1967-12-04 |
 |
In Two Minds | Mr. Winter | 1967-03-01 |
 |
Smashing Time | Irishman | 1967-12-20 |
 |
Doctor Who: The Smugglers | Cherub | 1966-10-01 |
 |
Ferry Cross the Mersey | Mr. Lumsden | 1965-02-10 |
 |
Life at the Top | Graffham | 1965-12-14 |
 |
Nightmare | John | 1964-02-28 |
 |
The Bargee | Official in Office | 1964-01-01 |
 |
The Cracksman | Fred | 1963-01-01 |
 |
Tom Jones | Mr. Fitzpatrick | 1963-08-24 |
 |
In the Doghouse | Examiner (Uncredited) | 1962-05-17 |
 |
The Brain | Thomas Gabler | 1962-09-05 |
 |
Hell Is a City | Doug Savage | 1960-04-10 |
 |
Violent Playground | Chief Inspector | 1958-01-14 |
 |
A Night to Remember | Carpathia Purser Hughes (uncredited) | 1958-07-03 |
 |
Miracle in Soho | Foreman | 1957-07-09 |
 |
The Secret Place | Harry | 1957-02-06 |
 |
Fortune Is a Woman | Hotel Porter | 1957-03-13 |
 |
Okinawa | Yeoman | 1952-02-28 |
