George Edward Cole (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 criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, and shown on ITV for ten series between 29 October 1979 a ...

in the long-running ITV comedy-drama show '' Minder'' 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. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times. The name is of Anglo-Saxon ori ...

, south London. He was placed 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 old and adopted by George and Florence Cole. They lived in Tooting, moving five miles away to a council flat in

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

when Cole was five years old. The senior George suffered from

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

, a double hernia, and the after-effects of gas poisoning during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He had several jobs which were curtailed by his ill-health, including pulling a heavy roller for Tooting council. In Cole's opinion, the exertion contributed to his father's death. Cole attended secondary school in nearby

. 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 that in 1939, he was in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

on the day of Britain's entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and witnessed an

effigy An effigy is a sculptural representation, often life-size, of a specific person or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certain ...

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from ...

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

Cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...

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. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

in '' The Demi-Paradise'' (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 (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

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

national service National service is a system of compulsory or 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 ...

in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

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-American actor best known for his breakthrough role as secret agent John Steed in the television series ''The Avengers (TV series), The Avengers'' (1961–1969). Starting out ...

who played the young Jacob Marley. His best known film role was as " Flash Harry" in the '' St Trinian's'' films, and in the comedy '' Too Many Crooks'' (1959). He starred in the film '' Take Me High'' (1973) alongside

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

and Deborah Watling. Cole was 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 legendary coastal smuggling in the ...

'' (1963) is a three-part serial which formed part of the ''

Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology series, anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 onwa ...

'' 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 of film, television, and theatre. Born in New York City to Irish parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in England during t ...

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 ''

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series that was made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, following the 1958 film, '' Gideon's Day''. The film and series are based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. ...

''. In 1968, he starred as Max Osborne in the TV series '' A Man of Our Times''. Cole appeared as a guest role 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, who is known for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s production ...

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'' was a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in Reading (activity), reading. The programme was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the ...

'', narrating in six episodes between 1969 and 1971. He 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 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. 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 '' Minder'', 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!'' (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 played Sir Giles Lynchwood in the BBC's adaptation of the

Tom Sharpe Thomas Ridley Sharpe (30 March 1928 – 6 June 2013) was an English satire, satirical novelist, best known for his ''Wilt (novel), Wilt'' series, as well as ''Porterhouse Blue'' and ''Blott on the Landscape,'' all three of which were adapted fo ...

novel '' Blott on the Landscape'' (1985). Cole starred in a number of comedies, such as '' The Bounder'' (1982–83), '' Comrade Dad'' (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 comedy drama, created by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell, produced primarily by Wall to Wall (until its final year, when it was handled by Headstrong Pictures), and broadcast on BBC On ...

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

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

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

Personal life

Cole was married twice, first to actress Eileen Moore (b. 1932) from 1954 until 1962 (when they divorced), and then to actress Penny Morrell from 1967 until his death. Cole had four children, two from each marriage. His son from his first marriage, Cris Cole, is a screenwriter 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 1992. He resided for over 70 years in Stoke Row, Oxfordshire. His autobiography ''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

On 5 August 2015, Cole died from pneumonia and sepsis at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

, aged 90. 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 (TV series), Minder'' and ''New Tricks'', singing the ...

gave a eulogy.

Partial filmography

* '' Cottage to Let'' (1941) – Ronald * '' Those Kids from Town'' (1942) – Charlie * '' The Demi-Paradise'' (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 (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...

'' (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 ''Laughter in Paradise'' is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Mario Zampi, starring Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton. It was written by Jack Davies and Michael Pertwee. The film was remade as '' Some Will, S ...

'' (1951) – Herbert Russell * '' Lady Godiva Rides Again'' (1951) – Johnny * '' Scrooge'' (1951) – Young Ebenezer Scrooge * '' The Happy Family'' (1952) – Cyril * '' Who Goes There!'' (1952) – Arthur Crisp * ''

Top Secret Classified information is confidential material that a government deems to be sensitive information which must be protected from unauthorized disclosure that requires special handling and dissemination controls. Access is restricted by law or ...

'' (1952) – George * ''

Folly to Be Wise ''Folly to Be Wise'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Alastair Sim, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Culver, Colin Gordon, Martita Hunt and Edward Chapman. It was written by James Bridie, John Dighton and Launder ...

'' (1953) – Soldier in Brains Trust audience (uncredited) * '' Will Any Gentleman...?'' (1953) – Henry Sterling * '' The Intruder'' (1953) – John Summers * '' The Clue of the Missing Ape'' (1953) – Gobo * '' Our Girl Friday'' (1953) – Jimmy Carrol * '' An Inspector Calls'' (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 Ron ...

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

'' (1957) – 'Flash' Harry * '' Too Many Crooks'' (1959) – Fingers * '' The Bridal Path'' (1959) – Police Sgt. Bruce * '' Don't Panic Chaps!'' (1959) – Finch * ''

The Pure Hell of St Trinian's ''The Pure Hell of St Trinian's'' is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Cecil Parker, George Cole, Joyce Grenfell and Eric Barker. It was written by Launder, Sidney Gilliat and Val Valentine, and set in the fict ...

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

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

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

'', episode "The Firebug" (1964) – Arsonist / Bishop * ''

The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery ''The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery'' is a British comedy film, directed by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, written by Sidney and Leslie Gilliat, and released on 4 April 1966. It is the last of the original series of films based on the ' ...

'' (1966) – 'Flash' Harry * '' The Caramel Crisis'' (1966) – Caramel * ''

The Vampire Lovers ''The Vampire Lovers'' is a 1970 British Gothic film, Gothic horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, George Cole (actor), George Cole, Kate O'Mara, Madeline Smith, Dawn Addams, Douglas Wilmer and Jon Fin ...

'' (1970) – Roger Morton * '' UFO (episode 15 – Flight Path)'' (1971, TV Series) * '' Fright'' (1971) – Jim * '' Take Me High'' (1973) – Bert Jackson * '' The Blue Bird'' (1976) – Tylo * '' The Sweeney'' (1976) – Dennis Longfield * '' Don't Forget to Write!'' (1977–1979, TV Series) – George Maple * '' Minder'' (1979–1994, TV Series) – Arthur Daley * '' The Bounder'' (1982-1983, TV Series) - Trevor Mountjoy * '' Minder on the Orient Express'' (TV 1985) – Arthur Daley * '' An Officer and a Car Salesman'' (Minder spin off) (1988, TV Series) – Arthur Daley * '' Blott on the Landscape'' (1985, TV Series) – Sir Giles Lynchwood / Sir Giles * '' Comrade Dad'' (1986, TV Series) - Reg Dudgeon * '' Tube Mice'' (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'' (2007) – Laurence Raeburn * ''

'' (2007) - Sir Edward Chambers * ''

'' (2008) – Lionel Hicks George Cole is often mistakenly credited for performing in the American films '' Gone in 60 Seconds'' (1974), '' Double Nickels'' (1977) and '' Deadline Auto Theft'' (1983). There was indeed an actor named George Cole performing in these films but it was categorically not the subject of this Wikipedia entry. Cole wrote in his autobiography that "it is easy to spot that it was not (me)" because the actor playing in them is African American!Cole G. and Hawkins B; The world was my lobster, John Blake Publishing (2013) chapter 10.

References

External links

*
George Cole
at britmovie.co.uk * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, George 1925 births 2015 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English autobiographers Actors from the London Borough of Wandsworth 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 Male actors from London People from Tooting Deaths from pneumonia in England Deaths from sepsis in the United Kingdom