About
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...
Known for
CasualtySeries • 1986
The AvengersSeries • 1961
Play for TodaySeries • 1970
The SaintSeries • 1962
Crown CourtSeries • 1972
HeartbeatSeries • 1992
The Wednesday PlaySeries • 1964
Grange HillSeries • 1978
Z-CarsSeries • 1962
ITV PlayhouseSeries • 1967
Theatre 625Series • 1964
No Hiding PlaceSeries • 1959
Danger ManSeries • 1960
ITV Saturday Night TheatreSeries • 1969
The Adventures of Robin HoodSeries • 1955
All Creatures Great and SmallSeries • 1978
Dr. Finlay's CasebookSeries • 1962
SykesSeries • 1972
Wonder WomanSeries • 1975
The ExpertSeries • 1968
Public EyeSeries • 1965
Dixon of Dock GreenSeries • 1955
BBC2 Play of the WeekSeries • 1977
The New AvengersSeries • 1976