George Edward Cole, OBE (22 April 1925 – 5 August 2015) was an English actor whose career spanned 75 years. He was best known for playing

Arthur Daley ''Minder'' is a British comedy-drama series about the London Organized crime, criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV for ten ...

in the long-running ITV comedy-drama show ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' and Flash Harry in the early '' St Trinian's'' films.

Early life

Cole was born in

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times. Th ...

, London. He was given up for

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...

at ten days of age and adopted by George and Florence Cole, a Tooting council employee and charwoman (cleaner) respectively. He attended secondary school in nearby

Morden Morden is a district and town in south London, England, within the London Borough of Merton, in the ceremonial county of Greater London. It adjoins Merton Park and Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Sutton to the south and Worcester ...

. He left school at 14 to be a butcher's boy and had an ambition to join the Merchant Navy but landed a part in a touring musical and chose acting as a career. He recalled during that year (1939) he was in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

on the day of Britain's entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

when he witnessed an effigy of

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician of the Conservative Party who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. He is best known for his foreign policy of appeaseme ...

being publicly burned without interference from the local police.

Career

Aged 15, Cole was cast in the film '' Cottage to Let'' (1941) opposite Scottish actor

Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

. Sim liked Cole, and agreed with his family to take in Cole and his adoptive mother to their home. Acting as his mentor, Sim helped Cole lose his

Cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...

accent; Cole stayed with the Sim family until he was 27. He later attributed his career success to Sim, with whom he appeared in a total of 11 films, ending with a filmed version for television of ''The Anatomist'' (1956), from the play by

James Bridie James Bridie (3 January 1888 in Glasgow – 29 January 1951 in Edinburgh) was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and physician whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor.Daniel Leary (1982) ''Dictionary of Literary Biography: ...

. Cole also acted opposite

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

in ''

The Demi-Paradise ''The Demi-Paradise'' (also known as ''Adventure for Two'') is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, a ...

'' (1943) and Olivier's film version of ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

'' (1944), of which he was the last surviving cast member. His career was interrupted by his

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

from 1944 to 1947, where he was temporarily a radio operator. Returning to his acting career, he became familiar to audiences in British comedy films in the 1950s. Cole appeared with Alastair Sim in '' Scrooge'' (as the young Scrooge) in 1951, including a scene with fellow actor

Patrick Macnee Daniel Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015) was a British film and television actor. After serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, he began his acting career in Canada. Despite having some small film roles, Macnee spent much ...

who played the young Jacob Marley. His best known film role was as " Flash Harry" in the '' St Trinian's'' films (two of which also star Sim), and in the comedy ''

Too Many Crooks ''Too Many Crooks'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi. The plot concerns a bunch of inept crooks who kidnap the wife of a shady businessman, only for him to decide he doesn’t want her back. It stars George Cole, Sidney J ...

'' (1959). He also starred in the film ''

Take Me High ''Take Me High'' is a 1973 British feature film, directed by David Askey, written by Christopher Penfold and starring Cliff Richard in his final film role, with Deborah Watling, Hugh Griffith, George Cole and Anthony Andrews. Set and filmed ...

'' (1973) alongside

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million ...

and Deborah Watling. Cole was also known for his lead role in the radio comedy ''A Life of Bliss'' (1953–69), in which he played an amiable but bumbling bachelor, David Alexander Bliss, (initially played by David Tomlinson); it lasted for six series and 118 episodes. It became a TV series in 1960, running for two series, but no recordings of the TV episodes are known to survive. ''

The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn is the smuggler hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike. The first book, ''Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh'' was published in 1915. The story idea came from smuggling in the 18th-century Romney ...

'' (1963) is a three-part serial which formed part of the '' Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' TV series. It was shot on location in England and stars

Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and Engl ...

as Doctor Syn, with Cole as Mipps. In 1964, Cole guest-starred as 'Bishop', an increasingly deranged arsonist, in the episode "Firebug" in the ITV series ''

Gideons Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with ' ...

''. In 1968, he starred as Max Osborne in the TV series '' A Man of Our Times''. Cole appeared as a guest star in the

Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist. He remains famous for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s produ ...

-produced television series ''UFO'' in the episode "

Flight Path In the United States, airways or air routes are defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in two ways: "VOR Federal airways and Low/Medium Frequency (L/MF) (Colored) Federal airways" These are designated routes which aeroplanes f ...

" (1971), and he appeared as a storyteller on the BBC children's programme ''

Jackanory ''Jackanory'' is a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the first story was the fair ...

'', narrating in six episodes between 1969 and 1971. He also made a guest appearance as Mr Downs, a bank manager, in a 1978 episode of the sitcom '' The Good Life'', performed in the presence of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. His best-remembered television role was as the crafty wheeler-dealer

in the popular and successful

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

series ''

'', which he played from 1979 to the show's conclusion in 1994. Prior to this, he had played a struggling writer in the BBC sitcom ''

Don't Forget To Write! ''Don't Forget to Write!'' is a British television sitcom, broadcast by the BBC from 1977 to 1979. Plot The central character is Gordon Maple ( George Cole) who was formerly a successful playwright, but is now procrastinating, lacking self-confid ...

'' (1977–79). Although he is most associated with the character of Arthur Daley, it was one which produced mixed emotions in him, describing variously his support for the character as well as citing in his autobiography how much he loathed the type of person Daley was. Cole also played Sir Giles Lynchwood in the BBC's adaptation of the Tom Sharpe novel ''

Blott on the Landscape ''Blott on the Landscape'' is a novel by Tom Sharpe which was first published in 1975. The book was adapted into a 6-part television series of the same name for BBC television in 1985. Plot The story revolves around the proposed construction o ...

'' (1985). Cole starred in a number of comedies, such as ''

The Bounder ''The Bounder'' is a British sitcom which ran from 16 April 1982 to 28 October 1983, made by Yorkshire Television. The series starred Peter Bowles (of ''To the Manor Born'' fame) as Howard Booth, an ex-convict who served two years in jail. He ...

'' (1982–83), ''

Comrade Dad ''Comrade Dad'' is a BBC satirical sitcom set in 1999 in Londongrad, the capital of the USSR-GB, after the United Kingdom has been invaded by the Soviet Union and turned into a communist state. The programme focussed on the Dudgeon family (st ...

'' (1984–86), '' Dad'' (1997–99) and '' My Good Friend'' (1995–96). Cole appeared in a ''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the ...

'' (BBC), series 4 Episode 5 "Powerhouse" (2007) and the ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'' episode "Shot at Dawn" (2008).

Personal life

Cole was married twice, first to actress

Eileen Moore Eileen Moore (born August 1932 in London, England) is a British actress. She is best known as Sheila in the film ''An Inspector Calls''. Life Moore was born in London in August 1932. She was married to actor George Cole from 1954 until their divo ...

(b.1932) from 1954 until 1962 (when they divorced), and then to actress

Penny Morrell Penny Morrell (4 February 1938 – 3 January 2020) was a British actress. She was married to the actor George Cole until his death in 2015. Death Penny Morrell died at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Berkshire, England on 3 January 2020, aged 81 ...

(1967–2015, his death). Cole had four children, two from each marriage. His son from his first marriage, Cris Cole, is a

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

for film and television. He was invested as an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in 1992. He resided for over 70 years in

Stoke Row Stoke Row is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills, about west of Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire and about north of Reading. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 651. History The earliest known surviving recor ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

. His

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

''The World Was My Lobster'', a phrase taken from an episode of ''Minder'' that made George smile, was published in 2013."The World was my Lobster". George Cole & Brian Hawkins. P 125.

Death

Cole died at the age of 90 on 5 August 2015 at the

Royal Berkshire Hospital The Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) is a large NHS hospital in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It provides acute hospital services to the residents of the western and central portions of Berkshire, and is managed by the R ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

, after a short illness. His funeral took place at Reading Crematorium on 13 August. The ''Minder'' theme song was played and Cole's ''Minder'' co-star

Dennis Waterman Dennis Waterman (24 February 1948 – 8 May 2022) was an English actor and singer. He was best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including ''The Sweeney'', '' Minder'' and '' New Tricks'', singing the theme tunes of th ...

gave a eulogy.

Partial filmography

* '' Cottage to Let'' (1941) – Ronald * ''

Those Kids from Town ''Those Kids from Town'' is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy-drama propaganda film war film, directed by Lance Comfort and starring George Cole, Harry Fowler, Percy Marmont, Ronald Shiner as Mr. Bert Burns and Charles Victor as Harry, ...

'' (1942) – Charlie * ''

'' (1943) – Percy (uncredited) * ''

'' (1944) – Boy * '' Journey Together'' (1945) – Curley, Bomb Aimer, Lancaster Crew * '' My Brother's Keeper'' (1948) – Willie Stannard * ''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

'' (1948) – Herbert Sunbury (segment "The Kite") * '' The Spider and the Fly'' (1949) – Marc, detective * '' Morning Departure'' (1950) – E.R.A. Marks * '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'' (1950) – Junior Assistant Caretaker at Ministry of Education (uncredited) * '' Gone to Earth'' (US: ''The Wild Heart'', 1950) – Cousin Albert * '' Flesh and Blood'' (1951) – John Hannah * '' Laughter in Paradise'' (1951) – Herbert Russell * '' Lady Godiva Rides Again'' (1951) – Johnny * '' Scrooge'' (1951) – Young Ebenezer Scrooge * '' The Happy Family'' (1952) – Cyril * ''

Who Goes There! ''Who Goes There!'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Nigel Patrick, Valerie Hobson and George Cole. The film depicts the farcical activities of the various inhabitants of a grace and favour house near S ...

'' (1952) – Arthur Crisp * ''

Top Secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to kn ...

'' (1952) – George * '' Folly to Be Wise'' (1953) – Soldier in Brains Trust audience (uncredited) * '' Will Any Gentleman...?'' (1953) – Henry Sterling * '' The Intruder'' (1953) – John Summers * ''

The Clue of the Missing Ape ''The Clue of the Missing Ape'', ''Gibraltar Adventure'', is a 1953 English children's film largely set in Gibraltar. Directed by James Hill, it was produced by the Gaumont Specialised Film Unit, a descendant of the Gaumont-British film st ...

'' (1953) – Gobo * ''

Our Girl Friday ''Our Girl Friday'' (U.S. title ''The Adventures of Sadie'') is a 1953 British comedy film starring Joan Collins, George Cole, Kenneth More and Robertson Hare. It is about a woman who is shipwrecked with three men on a deserted island. The film ...

'' (1953) – Jimmy Carrol * ''

An Inspector Calls ''An Inspector Calls'' is a play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and at the New Theatre in London the following year. It is one of Priestley's best-known works for the stage and is c ...

'' (1954) – Tram Conductor (uncredited) * '' Happy Ever After'' (1954) – Terence * ''

The Belles of St. Trinian's ''The Belles of St Trinian's'' is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Frank Launder, co-written by Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and starring Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, George Cole, Hermione Baddeley. Inspired by British cartoonist R ...

'' (1954) – Flash Harry * '' A Prize of Gold'' (1955) – Sergeant Roger Morris * '' Where There's a Will'' (1955) – Fred Slater * ''

The Constant Husband ''The Constant Husband'' is a 1955 British comedy film, directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Rex Harrison, Margaret Leighton, Kay Kendall, Cecil Parker, George Cole and Raymond Huntley. The story was written by Gilliat together with Val Va ...

'' (1955) – Luigi Sopranelli * '' The Adventures of Quentin Durward'' (1955) – Hayraddin * '' It's a Wonderful World'' (1956) – Ken Millar * '' The Weapon'' (1956) – Joshua Henry * '' The Green Man'' (1956) – William Blake * ''

Blue Murder at St Trinian's ''Blue Murder at St Trinian's'' is a 1957 British comedy film, directed by Frank Launder, co-written by Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and starring Terry-Thomas, George Cole, Joyce Grenfell, Lionel Jeffries and Richard Wattis; the film also i ...

'' (1957) – 'Flash' Harry * ''

'' (1959) – Fingers * '' The Bridal Path'' (1959) – Police Sgt. Bruce * ''

Don't Panic Chaps! ''Don't Panic Chaps!'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring Dennis Price, George Cole, Thorley Walters and Terence Alexander. The film was produced by Teddy Baird for ACT Films. Originally called ''Carry On Ch ...

'' (1959) – Finch * ''

The Pure Hell of St Trinian's ''The Pure Hell of St Trinian's'' is a 1960 British comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School. Directed by Frank Launder and written by him and Sidney Gilliat, it was the third in a series of four films. Plot The St. Trinian's ...

'' (1960) – 'Flash' Harry Cuthbert Edwards * ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

'' (1963) – Flavius * '' Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow'' (1963) – Mr. Sexton Mipps / Hellspite * '' One Way Pendulum'' (1964) – Defence Counsel / Fred * ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with ' ...

'', episode "The Firebug" (1964) – Arsonist / Bishop * '' The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery'' (1966) – 'Flash' Harry * ''

The Caramel Crisis ''The Caramel Crisis'' was a one-off BBC television drama by Simon Gray, produced as part of the BBC's ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' series. It was Simon Gray's first dramatic work, adapted from his own short story, and was first broadcast live on 25 ...

'' (1966) – Caramel * ''

The Vampire Lovers ''The Vampire Lovers'' is a 1970 British Gothic horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, George Cole, Kate O'Mara, Madeline Smith, Dawn Addams and Jon Finch. It was produced by Hammer Film Productions. I ...

'' (1970) – Roger Morton * '' UFO (episode 15 – Flight Path)'' (1971, TV Series) * '' Fright'' (1971) – Jim * ''

'' (1974) – Bert Jackson * '' The Blue Bird'' (1976) – Tylo * ''

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Insp ...

'' (1976) – Dennis Longfield * ''Double Nickels'' (1977) – George * ''

Don't Forget to Write! ''Don't Forget to Write!'' is a British television sitcom, broadcast by the BBC from 1977 to 1979. Plot The central character is Gordon Maple ( George Cole) who was formerly a successful playwright, but is now procrastinating, lacking self-confid ...

'' (1977–1979, TV Series) – George Maple * ''

'' (1979–1994, TV Series) – Arthur Daley * '' Minder on the Orient Express'' (TV 1985) – Arthur Daley * ''

An Officer and a Car Salesman ''An Officer and a Car Salesman'' is a comedy/thriller television film made in 1988 as a spin-off from the successful television series ''Minder''. It was first broadcast on 26 December ( Boxing Day) 1988. It falls between Series 6 and Series 7 ...

'' (Minder spin off) (1988, TV Series) – Arthur Daley * '' Deadline Auto Theft'' (1983) – Atlee Jackson * ''

'' (1985, TV Series) – Sir Giles Lynchwood / Sir Giles * ''

'' (1986, TV Series) - Reg Dudgeon * ''

Tube Mice ''Tube Mice'' is a British children's animated series for television produced in 1988 about the adventures of mice who dwell in the tunnels of the London Underground, the railway system locally referred to as 'the tube'. The real life mice themsel ...

'' (1988, TV Series) – Vernon (Voice) * '' Root Into Europe'' (1992, TV Series) – Henry Root * '' My Good Friend'' (1995–1996, TV Series) – Peter Banks * '' Mary Reilly'' (1996) – Mr. Poole * '' Dad'' (1997–1999, TV Series) – Brian Hook * ''The Ghost of Greville Lodge'' (2000) – Great Uncle * '' Heartbeat'' (2005–2008, TV Series) – Albert Hallows (final appearance) * ''

Marple Marple may refer to: Places * Marple, Greater Manchester, a town close to Stockport, in England ** Marple Bridge, a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester ** Marple railway station in Marple, Greater Manches ...

'' (2007) – Laurence Raeburn * ''

'' (2008) – Lionel Hicks

References

External links

*
George Cole
at britmovie.co.uk
George Cole
(Aveleyman) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, George 1925 births 2015 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English autobiographers People from Tooting 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors English adoptees Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Officers of the Order of the British Empire British male comedy actors