Michael Graham Cox (6 January 1938 – 30 April 1995) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

actor.The New York Times
/ref>

Career

Born at Wolverhampton, and educated at

Wolverhampton Grammar School Wolverhampton Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Wolverhampton, England. History Initially a grammar school for boys, WGS was founded in 1512 by Sir Stephen Jenyns, a master of the ancient guild of Merchant Taylors, who ...

, Cox moved to London after graduating in Music with German from Bristol University in the 1960s. First living at a flat in Oxford Street, he soon settled at Randolph Crescent W9, later being relocated by The Paddington Church Commissioners to a garden flat around the corner at 32 Clifton Gardens close to his favourite pubs The Warrington, The Prince Alfred, and The Warwick Castle, where he frequently socialised with friends including Jane Morgan, Tony Osoba, Michael Aspel and John Inman. He is best remembered for voicing

Boromir Boromir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the first two volumes of ''The Lord of the Rings'' (''The Fellowship of the Ring'' and ''The Two Towers''), and is mentioned in the last volume, ''The Return of ...

in the 1978 film ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...

'' and the same character in the 1981 radio serialisation, as well as voicing Bigwig in the feature film ''

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Berkshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natural ...

''. But his 'Palmer' in Ken Russell's 1969 '

Women in Love ''Women in Love'' (1920) is a novel by English author D. H. Lawrence. It is a sequel to his earlier novel '' The Rainbow'' (1915) and follows the continuing loves and lives of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. Gudrun Brangwen, an artist, ...

' is arguably his career highlight. In 1982 he appeared as Wally Brabham in ''

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 ...

'' episode 10 of series 3; "Broken Arrow". Cox had a minor role in

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Academy of Film and Televisi ...

's '' A Bridge Too Far'' and ''

Cry Freedom ''Cry Freedom'' is a 1987 epic apartheid drama film directed and produced by Richard Attenborough, set in late-1970s apartheid-era South Africa. The screenplay was written by John Briley based on a pair of books by journalist Donald Woods. ...

''. He appeared many times on stage and in television dramas such as

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running program ...

, as kindly teacher Mr. Butterworth. He also starred with

Derek Nimmo Derek Robert Nimmo (19 September 193024 February 1999) was an English character actor, producer and author. He is best remembered for his comedic upper class "silly ass" and clerical roles including Revd Mervyn Noote in the BBC1 sitcom ''All ...

and

Rosemary Leach Rosemary Anne Leach (18 December 1935 – 21 October 2017) was a British stage, television and film actress. She won the 1982 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play for ''84, Charing Cross Road'' and was nominated for the BAFTA Award fo ...

in the TV sitcom '' Life Begins at Forty''. Other BBC radio dramas produced and directed by Jane Morgan (a lifelong, friend and colleague) included her Dickens series. Stratford roles with th
Old Vic on tour of the late 1950s
embedded Cox as Shakespearean. West End stage roles in early 1960s included Coward's 'Hay Fever' with Prunella Scales, Roland Culver. 1970s saw him at the Roundhouse with the Prospect Theatre's Histories tour. The 1980s saw him alongside James Bolam's King Lear with

Delphine Seyrig Delphine Claire Beltiane Seyrig (; 10 April 1932 – 15 October 1990) was a Lebanese-born French actress and film director. She came to prominence in Alain Resnais's 1961 film ''Last Year at Marienbad'', and later acted in films by Francois ...

, and several other productions at The Young Vic, at The Cut. Cox died on 30 April 1995 at a hospice in Wimbledon, following several strokes, diabetic complications and finally dementia. He was buried next to his brother John at the Catholic Diocese of Beaconsfield. His wif
Davina Beswick
a fellow alumnus of

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...

died on 31 July 2018 at Sudbury, Suffolk. Their only child
Dominic
a Cambridge-educated architect, John's only child Susan (his niece), and her mother June, survive him, residing in Western Kenya, and Banbury, Oxfordshire, respectively.

Filmography

References

Good man Michael Graham Cox. Regular customer at ‘ Tsiakkoss and Charcoal’ kebab house Marylands Road W9 2Du. Always brought the party with him, practically the whole of Maida Vale; along came the late Alan Rickman, Ruby Wax, Lucian Freud….oh an Nora Batty too. Yes all the great and the Good. They all deserve a Cub Scout salute. Best Wishes, Michael Aristedou

External links

British Film Institute filmography
* 1938 births 1995 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors 20th-century English male actors {{England-actor-stub