James Cossins

British actor

James Cossins

Born	(1933-12-04)4 December 1933 Beckenham, Kent, England
Died	12 February 1997(1997-02-12) (aged 63) Hampshire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1962–1994

James Cossins (4 December 1933 – 12 February 1997) was an English character actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he became widely recognised as the abrupt, bewildered Mr Walt in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Hotel Inspectors" and as Mr Watson, the frustrated Public Relations training course instructor, in an episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.^[1]^[2]

Early life

He was born in Beckenham and educated at the City of London School.^[3] After serving in the Royal Air Force, he trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he won the silver medal in 1952.

Career

He first appeared in repertory theatre^[4] and at the Nottingham Playhouse. He played a wide range of characters throughout his colourful and extensive career on television and stage, often portraying blustering, pompous, crusty and cantankerous characters. Cossins appeared in Charley's Aunt at the Apollo Theatre in 1971 with Tom Courtenay, David Horovitch, Garth Forwood, Joanna McCallum, and Celia Bannerman. He appeared in more than forty films,^[5] including The Anniversary (recreating his West End stage role), and The Lost Continent (both 1968), Gandhi (1982), and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).

On the small screen, he appeared as a guest in a variety of shows, including The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Minder, Bergerac, The Sweeney, Bless This House, Shadows, All Creatures Great and Small, Citizen Smith, Just William, The Good Life, L for Lester, Neville Dennis in Callan "Rules of the Game" (1972), Z-Cars, and as the regular character Bruce Westrop (in 1979) in Emmerdale Farm. He also played Major Bagstock in Dombey and Son (1983), and appeared in the first series of All in Good Faith in 1985. He played a magistrate in episodes of four different British sitcoms, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, The Good Life, Citizen Smith and Minder.

His later appearances were limited by ill health and he lived in semi-retirement in Surrey. Cossins died from heart disease at the age of 63, in 1997.^[3]

Filmography

Film

Darling (1965) as Basildon
The Deadly Bees (1966) as Coroner
Privilege (1967) as Professor Tatham
How I Won the War (1967) as Drogue
The Anniversary (1968) as Henry Taggart
A Dandy in Aspic (1968) as Heston-Stevas
The Lost Continent (1968) as Nick, Chief Engineer
Otley (1968) as Geffcock
Scrooge (1970) as Party Guest
The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) as Dean
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970) as Crodder
Wuthering Heights (1970 as Mr. Linton
Say Hello to Yesterday (1971) as Policeman
Melody (1971) as Headmaster
Villain (1971) as Brown
Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) as Older Male Nurse
Death Line (1972) as James Manfred, OBE
Fear in the Night (1972) as The Doctor
Follow Me! (1972) as Party Guest
Young Winston (1972) as Barnsby
Bequest to the Nation (1973) as McKillop - HMS Victory
Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973) as German Officer
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) as Colthorpe
The First Great Train Robbery (1979) as Harranby
Loophole (1981) as 1st Interviewer
Sphinx (1981) as Lord Carnarvon
Gandhi (1982) as Brigadier
Immaculate Conception (1992) as Godfrey

Television

The Dangerous Game (1958, 1 episode) as Auctioneer
Saturday Playhouse (1959, 1 episode) as Frank Coppin
Theatre Night (1961, 1 episode) as Edgar Lucas, the bride's father
The Caucasian Chalk Circle (1962, 3 episodes) as Schauwa
Z-Cars (1962-1963, 11 episodes) as Sergeant Michaelson
Compact (1963, 13 episodes) as Newcastle Pope
Armchair Theatre (1963-1973, 3 episodes) as Partridge
ITV Television Playhouse (1963, 1 episode) as Hilliard
The Sullavan Brothers (1965, 1 episode) as Maurice Ashley
Londoners (1965, 1 episode) as The interviewer
No Hiding Place (1965, 1 episode) as 'Muddy' Waters
Coronation Street (1965, 1 episode) as Interviewer
The Man in Room 17 (1965, 1 episode) as Harry Morrison
Legend of Death (1965, 4 episodes) as Irwin
The Likely Lads (1965-1966, 2 epsidoes) as Scoutmaster/Vicar
Mystery and Imagination (1966, 1 episode) as Landlord
The Power Game (1966-1969, 2 episodes) as Henry Outram/Candleford
Theatre 625 (1966, 1 episode) as Henry
The Fellows (1967, 1 episode) as Visitor
Out of the Unknown (1967, 1 episode) as Interviewer
The Contenders (1969, 1 episode) as Bloater
Strange Report (1969, 1 episode) as Churchill
Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1969, 1 episode) as Robbie Cannock
The ITV Play (1969, 1 episode) as Mr. Peachham
The Avengers (1969, 1 episode) as Henry
Paul Temple (1970, 1 episode) as Inspector Lescoe
The Wednesday Play (1970, 1 episode) as Colonel Jones-William
Thirty-Minute Theatre (1970, 1 episode) as Tim Singleton
Dear Mother...Love Albert (1970-1972, 2 episodes) as S.M.N. Beanstock/Col. Tomlinson
Special Branch (1970, 1 episode) as Det. Sgt. Davis
Menace (1970, 1 episode) as Controller
Bless This House (1971, 1 episode) as Tom Williams
The Ten Commandments (1971, 1 episode) as Tom
Bel Ami (1971, 4 episodes) as Forestier
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971, 1 episode) as . Dr. Jervis
Play for Today (1971, 3 episodes) as Jeremy
Callan (1972, 1 episode) as Neville Dennis
Pretenders (1972, 13 episodes) as Old Elam
The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Nigh (1972, 1 episode) as Rev. Peter Elmstead
Man at the Top (1972, 1 episode) as Colonel Broadhurst
A Day Out (1972, TV film) as Shorter
Crown Court (1973, 4 episodes) as Graham Erringburn
Thriller (1973, 1 episode) as Kellet
Harriet's Back in Town (1973, 2 episodes) as Arthur
Marked Personal (1973, 2 episodes) as J.C. Smart
Van der Valk (1973, 1 episode) as Noordhoff
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973, 1 episode) as Watson
Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1974, 1 episode) as Magistrate
Fall of Eagles (1974, 1 episode) as Count Josi Hoyos
The Pallisers (1974, 2 episodes) as Sergeant Bunfit
Justice (1974, 1 episode) as Mr. Ritson
The Double Dealers (1974, 1 episode) as Sir Julian
Good Girl (1974, 1 episode) as Manager
Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt (1974, 1 episode) as Chairman
Notorious Woman (1974, 1 episode) as Gustave Flaubert
Centre Play (1975, 1 episode) as Burret
Churchill's People (1975, 1 episode) as William
Fawlty Towers (1975, 1 episode) as Mr. Walt
Shadows (1975, 1 episode) as Custodian
The Good Life (1976, 1 episode) as Magistrate
Jackanory (1976, 6 episodes) as Storyteller
Love Thy Neighbour (1976, 1 episode) as George Brittain
One-Upmanship (1976, 1 episode)
Shades of Greene (1976, 1 episode) as . Shop assistant
The Sweeney (1976, 1 episode) as Col. Rosier
Don't Forget to Write! (1977-1979, 3 episodes) as Phillip Mounter
Bernie (1978, 2 episodes) as Various parts
The Devil's Crown (1978, 1 episode) as Hugues de Lusignan
Just William (1978, 1 episode) as Uncle Frederick
Prince Regent (1979, 1 episode) as Sir Robert Gifford
All Creatures Great and Small (1980, 1988, 2 episodes) as Aloysius Barge
Citizen Smith (1980, 1 episode) as Judge
The Jim Davidson Show (1980, 1 episode) as Various parts
Jukes of Piccadilly (1980, 2 episodes) as Geoffrey Martindale
Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1980, TV film) as Henry Bassington-ffrench
Bergerac (1981, 2 episodes) as Tuchel/Calhoun
Roger Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1981, 2 episodes) as Baxter
Shelley (1981, 1 episode) as Bernard Nelson
Timon of Athens (1981, TV film) as Lucullus
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981, 1 episode) as Lord Lothian
The Confessions of Felix Krull (1982, 5 episodes) as Lord Kilmarnock
L for Lester (1982, 6 episodes) as Chief Insp. Rodgers
Minder (1982, 1 episode) as Judge
Dombey and Son (1983, 5 episodes) as Major Bagstock
Goodnight and God Bless (1983, 6 episodes) as Geoffrey
Nanny (1983, 1 episode) as Mr. Croome
Number 10 (1983, 1 episode) as Lord Harcourt
The Lady Is a Tramp (1984, 1 episode) as Man
The Masks of Death (1984, TV film) as Frederick Baines
Sharing Time (1984, 1 episode) as Arthur
Strangers and Brothers (1984, 3 episodes) as Mr. Knight
All in Good Faith (1985, 5 episodes) as Major Andrews
My Brother Jonathan (1985, 2 episodes) as Reverend Perry
Marjorie and Men (1985, 4 episodes) as Henry Bartlett
The Pickwick Papers (1985, 1 episode) as Nupkins
Up the Elephant and Round the Castle (1985, 1 episode) as The Major
Call Me Mister (1986, 1 episode) as Charlie Staples
Miss Marple (1987, 1 episode) as Colonel Luscombe
Grand Larceny (1987, TV film)
Rude Health (1988, 1 episode) as Col. Jardine
Chelworth (1989, 2 episodes) as Mr. Kilbeck
Woof! (1990, 1 episode) as Mr. Hudson
Murder Most Horrid (1991, 1 episode) as Sir Hugh Lotterby
Adam Dalgliesh (1993, 1 episode) as Justin Bryce
Under the Hammer (1994, 1 episode) as Meredith Bland

References

^ "The Hotel Inspectors". Thefawltytowersguide.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
^ Guide Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Episodes at Comedy guide. Retrieved 14 August 2015
^ ^a ^b "Obituary: James Cossins". The Times. No. 65834. 11 March 1997. p. 23.
^ Eddie Pedder (1985). Who's Who on Television, 3rd Edition. Michael Joseph. ISBN 0-907965-31-8.
^ "James Cossins". Britmovie.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.