George A. Cooper

George Alphonsus Cooper lahir di Leeds pada tahun 1925. Setelah mengikuti pelatihan sebagai insinyur listrik dan arsitek, ia dipanggil untuk Layanan Nasional, bekerja untuk Artileri Kerajaan di India. Selama periode itu dia menjadi tertarik untuk tampil dan setelah keluar, dia bergabung dengan Lokakarya Teater Joan Littlewood di Manchester. Untuk menghindari kebingungan dengan aktor Amerika George Cooper dia menggunakan inisial tengahnya dalam nama panggungnya. Penampilan pertamanya di televisi adalah pada tahun 1946. Selama lima puluh tahun berikutnya, ia menjadi pemain tetap di layar mengembangkan karier dengan memerankan karakter otoriter yang sedikit kikuk. Pada tahun 1964, ia memenangkan peran berulang di Coronation Street ITV sebagai pengusaha Willie Piggott yang terkenal mencoba menyuap Ken Barlow agar putranya Brian lulus dalam ujian teknologinya. Dia memiliki peran reguler di Z-Cars dan Dixon dari Dock Green. Pada tahun 1960, ia muncul dalam drama West End Billy Liar memerankan ayah dari karakter utama tersebut, kemudian mengulangi perannya dalam serial televisi tahun 1973. Dia muncul dalam komedi seperti Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Sykes dan Mind Your Language. Pada tahun 1985, ia mengambil peran sebagai pengasuh Eric Griffiths yang sungguh-sungguh dalam drama anak-anak yang sangat sukses, Grange Hill, memainkan peran tersebut selama tujuh tahun dan mendapatkan tempat di hati generasi anak-anak. Penampilan TV terakhirnya adalah di episode Casualty tahun 1995. Dia meninggal di panti jompo di Hampshire pada 16 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.