
George A. Cooper
Biography
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.
TV Shows(30)

Heartbeat
Walter Pettigrew

Nice Work
Mr. Wilcox Snr

Casualty
Albert Collins

Terry and June
Mr. Ridge

Terry and June
Uncle Bob

Terry and June
Eric

Grange Hill
Mr. Griffiths

All Creatures Great and Small
Mr. Crump

BBC2 Play of the Week
Man

Mind Your Language
Mr Short

The New Avengers
Burt Brandon

Dawson's Weekly

Wonder Woman
Gen. Clewes

Two's Company
Mr. Begley

Shadows
Higgs

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

Billy Liar

Crown Court

Sykes
Arthur Coats

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
Inspector Beedel