Arthur Cox (7 April 1934 – 9 April 2021) was a British character actor, who appeared in a number of roles in television and on stage during a career which spanned from the mid-1950s to 2020.

Life and career

Cox was born in

Banbridge Banbridge ( , ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road (Northern Ireland), A1 road and is named after a bridge built over the River Bann in 1712. It is situated in the Civil parishes in Ireland, c ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, Northern Ireland, in April 1934. He made his theatrical debut in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

during the mid-1950s, appearing in a production of ''

A View from the Bridge ''A View from the Bridge'' is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was first staged on September 29, 1955, as a one-act verse drama with ''A Memory of Two Mondays'' at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The run was unsuccessful, and M ...

'' by

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...

. His first appearance on stage in Dublin was as Ordulto in the play, ''The Masquerade of Henry IV'' in 1955.

Television

In 1978 he played Sir Jasper Addleton in the ''

Wodehouse Playhouse ''Wodehouse Playhouse'' is a British television comedy series based on the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. From 1974 to 1978, a pilot and three series were made, with 21 half-hour episodes altogether in the entire series. The series has been r ...

'' episode 'The Smile that Wins'. During the 1980s, Cox's profile on television was raised after portraying Inspector Marriott in the drama ''

Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime ''Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime'' is a 1983 British television series based on the short stories of the same name by Agatha Christie. It was directed by John A. Davis and Tony Wharmby and starred Francesca Annis and James Warwick in ...

'', as well as starring in ''

Yes Minister ''Yes Minister'' is a British political satire sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Comprising three seven-episode series, it was first transmitted on BBC2 from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, ''Yes, Prime Minister'', ran for 16 episodes fro ...

'' as George, the driver of cabinet minister Jim Hacker. He died on 9 April 2021, two days after turning 87.

Partial filmography

*''

Saturday Playhouse ''Saturday Playhouse'' was a 60-minute UK anthology television series produced by and airing on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) from 4 January 1958 until 1 April 1961. There were sixty-eight episodes, among them adaptations of the pla ...

'' (1958, TV Series) as Mr. Hushes *''

Hereward the Wake Hereward the Wake (Traditional pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/, modern pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɪ.wəd/) (1035 – 1072) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resista ...

'' (1965) as Pery *''

Fahrenheit 451 ''Fahrenheit 451'' is a 1953 dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury. Often regarded as one of his best works, ''Fahrenheit 451'' presents an American society where books have been personified and outlawed and "firemen" burn any that ar ...

'' (1966) as Male Nurse (uncredited) *''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

'' (1966–1968, TV Series) as First Officer / Johnson / Hall *'' The Avengers'' (1967–1968, TV Series) as Anaesthetist / Clarke *''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' (1968, TV Series) as Cully *''

ITV Playhouse ''Playhouse'' is a British television anthology series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour ...

'' (1968–1978, TV Series) as Sergeant / Cousin / Mr. Baker *''

Sweeney 2 ''Sweeney 2'' is a 1978 British action crime drama film. It was made as a sequel to the successful 1977 film '' Sweeney!.'' Both films are an extension of the popular British ITV television series '' The Sweeney'' (1975–78). Some of the actio ...

'' (1978) as Detective *''

'' (1980–1981, TV Series) as George *''

'' (1983–1984, TV Series) as Inspector Marriott *''

Give My Regards to Broad Street ''Give My Regards to Broad Street'' is the fifth solo studio album by Paul McCartney and the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The album reached number 1 on the UK chart. The lead single, " No More Lonely Nights", was BAFTA and Golden ...

'' (1984) as BBC Engineer *''

Castaway A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a deserted island, either to evade captors or the world in general. A person may also be left a ...

'' (1986) as Inland Revenue manager (uncredited) *'' God's Outlaw'' (1986) as Peter Quentel *''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' (1986–1993, TV Series) as Off-License Manager / Simpkins *''

Personal Services ''Personal Services'' is a 1987 British comedy film directed by Terry Jones and written by David Leland, about the rise of a madam of a suburban brothel which caters to older men. The story is inspired by the real experiences of Cynthia Payne, ...

'' (1987) as Lennox *''

Aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

'' (1987) as Major (segment "Un ballo in maschera") *'' Hope and Glory'' (1987) as Fireman *''

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Cl ...

'' (1987) as Stage Carpenter *''The Zero Option'' (1988) as Sid *'' She-Wolf of London'' (1990–1991, TV Series) as Dad Matheson *''

Shuttlecock A shuttlecock (also called a birdie or shuttle) is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton. It has an open conical shape formed by feathers or plastic (or a synthetic alternative) embedded into a rounded cork (or rubber) base. T ...

'' (1991) as Fizz / Fox *''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...

'' (1993, TV Series) as Dr. Hawker *''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'' (1993, TV Series) as Peter Stroud *''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' (1994, TV Series) as Mr. Tonks *''

The Young Poisoner's Handbook ''The Young Poisoner's Handbook'' is a 1995 black comedy-drama film based on the life of Graham Young, more commonly known as "The Teacup Murderer". It was directed by Benjamin Ross and written by Ross and Jeff Rawle. The film stars Hugh O'Conor ...

'' (1995) as Ray *'' Girl from Rio'' (2001) as Bank Customer *'' Christmas Carol: The Movie'' (2001) as Dr. Lambert (voice) *''

To Kill a King ''To Kill a King'' is a 2003 English Civil War film directed by Mike Barker, and starring Tim Roth, Rupert Everett and Dougray Scott. It centres on the relationship between Oliver Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax in the post-war period from 1648 unt ...

'' (2003) as Westminster Abbey priest *''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' (2006, TV Mini-Series) as Colonel Dent *''Doctor Who'' (2010, TV Series) as Mr. Henderson *''Shuttlecock'' (2020) as Fizz

References

External links

*
Aveleyman: Arthur Cox

British Comedy Guide: Arthur Cox

Arthur Cox
at Theatricalia 1934 births 2021 deaths 20th-century male actors from Northern Ireland 21st-century male actors from Northern Ireland Male television actors from Northern Ireland People from Banbridge {{Northern-Ireland-actor-stub