James Cossins

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

1.418

Gender

Male

Birthday

04-Dec-1933

Age

(93 years old)

Place of Birth

Beckenham, Kent, England, UK

Also Known As
  • NO INFO PROVIDED

James Cossins

Biography

James Cossins (4 December 1933 – 12 February 1997) was an English 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. Cossins was born in Beckenham and educated at the City of London School. After serving in the Royal Air Force, he trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he won the silver medal in 1952. Cossins first appeared in repertory theatre 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, 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, Cossins 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. Cossins's 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


Credits

The Invasion The Invasion (1963) Character: TV Commentator
Inhabitants in a remote village laughs off and dismiss a couple of schoolboys' claims that they are being invaded by aliens.
The Breaking of Colonel Keyser The Breaking of Colonel Keyser (1972) Character: Partridge
Battalion Commander of the Third Wiltshire Light Infantry is Colonel Keyser. On recent evidence, he is either a psychopathic personality or something very close to it. He could turn out to be the best battalion commander in the division. As the Allies prepare for invasion in 1944, will his reputed psychopathic personality be a good or bad thing, when leading his men into D-Day?
That Sinking Feeling That Sinking Feeling (1973) Character: Eric
At the gathering of a North Country wedding, the prospective husband starts to have doubts about going ahead as he observes what marriage has done to the guests.
Strife Strife (1965) Character: William Scantlebury
A personal dispute between a union leader and a management leader causes chaos for workers at a troublesome tin mining company.
Bel Ami Bel Ami (1971) Character: Forestier
Set in the 19th-century in France Georges Duroy cynically exploits women and his position working as a journalist to try and gain power.
The Funny Blokes of British Comedy The Funny Blokes of British Comedy (2005) Character: Mr. Walt (archive footage) (uncredited)
Movie with some of the greatest brittish comedians such as Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese.
What Next? What Next? (1974) Character: N/A
A boy's uncanny ability to foretell the future leads him into trouble.
Love's Labour's Lost Love's Labour's Lost (1965) Character: Holofernes
A scholarly king and his three companions swear off the society of women for three years, only to have a diplomatic visit from a French princess and her three ladies-in-waiting thwart their intentions.
Timon of Athens Timon of Athens (1981) Character: Lucullus
Timon loves to give parties and objects to friends, but when he cannot pay his creditors, his "friends" refuse to help him, and he becomes a misanthropic hermit.
A Day Out A Day Out (1972) Character: Mr. Shorter
Alan Bennett's debut play for television follows the members of a Halifax cycling club, on an outing from Halifax to the ruins of Fountains Abbey. Set in the summer of 1911 and projects an idyllic vision of Edwardian England .
Mad Jack Mad Jack (1970) Character: N/A
Play dealing with the life of British Army lieutenant Siegfried Sassoon, and his protests against the inhumanity of the First World War
The Piano The Piano (1971) Character: Jeremy
Play about an elderly couple who don't want to be moved from the house in which they have lived all their lives, but may be forced to as they live in a designated redevelopment area. The major point as far as they're concerned is that their piano won't fit in one of the new council places they have been offered.
Grand Larceny Grand Larceny (1987) Character: N/A
A woman who hasn't seen her father in 18 years, learns of his death and goes to his estate in France to carry out his wishes. She then learns that her father was a thief who after getting caught and going to prison and upon his release was approached by an insurance company, who wanted him to use his talents in helping them recover some valuables that had been stolen, which became his new job. Now that he is gone, he wants her to continue his work.
Unnatural Causes Unnatural Causes (1993) Character: Justin Bryce
Roy Marsden returns as author P.D. James's indefatigable gumshoe, Inspector Adam Dalgliesh. This time, he's investigating the murder of a famous mystery writer whose body is found in the bottom of a dinghy on the Suffolk coast. To add a further degree of difficulty, Dalgliesh must contend with a colleague on the case, the aptly named Inspector Reckless.
James Bond: The First 21 Years James Bond: The First 21 Years (1983) Character: Colthorpe (archive footage)
A look back at the first 21 years of Britain's most successful film series.
The Rainbirds The Rainbirds (1971) Character: Father - Mr. Rainbird
After a suicide attempt, John Rainbird is in a coma. Whilst in this state his mind experiences fantasies involving nightmare creatures and his relatives.
Possession Possession (1973) Character: Kellet
With the exception of the poor central heating system, Ray and Penny Burns' newly-purchased country house seems ideal. While repairing the pipes, a handyman digs up the cellar and uncovers the body of the home's previous owner who was murdered twenty years earlier. A séance held in the home reveals something very disturbing.
The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night (1972) Character: Peter Elmstead
Written by Terry Nation, Robert Hardy plays the eponymous hero of this 1972 one-off BBC drama; an occult detective who travels around in a lavish, bulletproof locomotive called 'The Tsar'. Along with his assistants Thomas and Caleb (Julian Holloway and John Rhys-Davies) Baldick is called in to investigate the latest in a series of brutal deaths at a desolate abbey.
Aliens Aliens (1982) Character: Major Lucas
In June 1940 Italy entered the war alongside Germany. With Britain threatened by a German invasion, thousands of ordinary Italians living in the UK were arrested and thrown into internment camps.
Carry On Camping Carry On Camping (1969) Character: Man in Cinema (uncredited)
Sid and Bernie keep having their amorous intentions snubbed by their girlfriends Joan and Anthea, so when they decide to take them on a holiday to Paradise Camp, they think they're off to a nudist colony—but they couldn't be more wrong, and meet up with the weirdest bunch of campers you can imagine.
Otley Otley (1969) Character: Jeffcot
A petty crook finds himself mistaken for a murderer and a secret agent.
The Man with the Golden Gun The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) Character: Colthorpe
Cool government operative James Bond searches for a stolen invention that can turn the sun's heat into a destructive weapon. He soon crosses paths with the menacing Francisco Scaramanga, a hitman so skilled he has a seven-figure working fee. Bond then joins forces with the swimsuit-clad Mary Goodnight, and together they track Scaramanga to a Thai tropical isle hideout where the killer-for-hire lures the slick spy into a deadly maze for a final duel.
Privilege Privilege (1967) Character: Professor Tatham
Britain's biggest pop singer, Steven Shorter, receives unwavering adulation and possesses total control over his rabid fans, which includes nearly the entire population. Yet Shorter is not an autonomous performer -- he is little more than a puppet for the government, promoting whatever agenda they see fit. When a beautiful artist, Vanessa Ritchie, is commissioned to paint his portrait, she pushes Shorter to question his obedience to his manipulative handlers.
Blood from the Mummy's Tomb Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) Character: Older Male Nurse
Two Egyptologists, Professor Fuchs and Corbeck, are instrumental in unleashing unmitigated horror by bringing back to England the mummified body of Tara, the Egyptian Queen of Darkness. Fuchs’s daughter becomes involved in a series of macabre and terrifying incidents, powerless against the forces of darkness, directed by Corbeck, that are taking possession of her body and soul to fulfill the ancient prophesy that Queen Tara will be resurrected to continue her reign of unspeakable evil.
Darling Darling (1965) Character: Mr. Basildon
Diana, a beautiful but shallow and easily distracted model and failed actress, toys with the affections of several men while attempting to gain fame and fortune in Swinging London.
Wuthering Heights Wuthering Heights (1970) Character: Mr. Linton
Young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by the wealthy Earnshaw family and moves into their estate, Wuthering Heights. Soon, the new resident falls for his compassionate foster sister, Cathy. The two share a remarkable bond that seems unbreakable until Cathy, feeling the pressure of social convention, suppresses her feelings and marries Edgar Linton, a man of means who befits her stature. Heathcliff vows to win her back.
Bequest to the Nation Bequest to the Nation (1973) Character: McKillop
Set before the Battle of Trafalgar, this is the story of relationship between Admiral Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Masks of Death The Masks of Death (1984) Character: Frederick Bains
Sherlock Holmes has retired. But when MacDonald asks him to take on another case, he says yes. There have been some mysterious murders, and there are no visible causes for the deaths. At the same time Holmes gets this case, Graf Udo Von Felseck gives him another case: find a young and missing prince to prevent war between Germany and England. But Von Felseck is not as honest as he seems...
Gandhi Gandhi (1982) Character: Brigadier
In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.
Death Line Death Line (1972) Character: James Manfred O.BE.
When a government official disappears in the London tunnels, after several reports of missing people in the same location, Scotland Yard start to take the matter seriously, along with a couple who stumble into a victim by accident.
A Dandy in Aspic A Dandy in Aspic (1968) Character: N/A
Double-agent Alexander Eberlin is assigned by the British to hunt out a Russian spy, known to them as Krasnevin. Only Eberlin knows that Krasnevin is none other than himself! Accompanying him on his mission is a ruthless partner, who gradually discovers his secret as Eberlin tries to maneuver himself out of a desperate situation.
Hitler: The Last Ten Days Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973) Character: German Officer
Hitler: The Last Ten Days takes us into the depths of der Furher’s Berlin bunker during his final days. Based on the book by Gerhard Boldt, it provides a bleak look at the goings-on within, and without.
Fear in the Night Fear in the Night (1972) Character: The Doctor
It took Peggy Heller a long time to recover from the trauma of a brutal physical assault, suffered in her youth. When she married Robert, he provided her with the love and reassurance she craved for and the two settled down in a pretty house in the grounds of the public school where Robert was a master. But the headmaster of the school is not what he seems and Peggy is convinced he means to harm her - is her fear a figment of her tortured imagination or are there forces at work that intend to manipulate her anxieties with fatal consequences?
The First Great Train Robbery The First Great Train Robbery (1978) Character: Harranby
In Victorian England, a master criminal makes elaborate plans to steal a shipment of gold from a moving train.
Melody Melody (1971) Character: Headmaster
Two youngsters declare to their parents that they want to get married. Not sometime in the future but as soon as possible.
The Horror of Frankenstein The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) Character: Dean
Brilliant but arrogant scientist Victor Frankenstein builds a man from spare body parts, only for the monster to come alive and wreak havoc.
Young Winston Young Winston (1972) Character: Barnsby
This historical drama is an account of the early life of British politician Winston Churchill, including his childhood years, his time as a war correspondent in Africa, and culminating with his first election to Parliament.
How I Won the War How I Won the War (1967) Character: Drogue
An inept British WWII commander leads his troops to a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.
The Deadly Bees The Deadly Bees (1966) Character: Coroner
Pop singer Vicki Robbins collapses from exhaustion while shooting ta music video; her physician prescribes a respite on Seagull Island with beekeeper Ralph Hargrove. Initially finding the Hargroves' bitter marital strife oddly relaxing, the arrival of specially-bred attack bees pushes Vicki to her survival instinct.
Immaculate Conception Immaculate Conception (1992) Character: Godfrey
Alistair, a British representative for a wildlife conservation agency based in Karachi and his Jewish-American wife Hannah have been unsuccessful at conceiving a child. Over time, the desire to have a child begins to consume Hannah and she persuades a reluctant Alistair to go with her for three days to a fertility shrine. After a ceremony during which Hannah converts to Islam and coaxes Alistair to do the same, she becomes pregnant. But Hannah’s joy at the discovery of her pregnancy is overshadowed by worsening relations with Alistair who has started an affair with their friend Samira and tensions begin to mount when eunuchs from the shrine start to harass the couple.
Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1980) Character: Henry Bassington-ffrench
This intriguing story is set in the 1930s at a country house, where two amateur sleuths, Bobby Jones and Lady Frankie Derwent, try to unravel the mystery behind a tale of murder, suspense and false identities. And the only clues the two have to go on are the puzzling last words of a dying man. Featuring characters created by Agatha Christie, Why Didn't They Ask Evans is a classic crime thriller sure to please murder-mystery fans.
Villain Villain (1971) Character: Brown
In 1970s London, Scotland Yard orchestrates the downfall of mob boss Vic Dakin after he crosses the line by blackmailing Members of Parliament.
Sphinx Sphinx (1981) Character: Lord Carnarvon
Egyptologist Erica Baron finds more than she bargained for during her long-planned trip to The Land of the Pharoahs - murder, theft, betrayal, love, and a mummy's curse!
Say Hello to Yesterday Say Hello to Yesterday (1971) Character: Policeman
Approaching middle-age and stuck in an unfulfilled marriage, a suburban British housewife allows herself a sexual fling with a brash young hunk she meets on a commuter train.
The Anniversary The Anniversary (1968) Character: Henry Taggart
Mrs Taggart always celebrates her anniversary with her grown sons. It’s a tradition practised since the death of her husband and she is determined for it to continue. None of her three sons have dared to cross their ruthless domineering mother but this anniversary they intend to try. With cruel and brutal twists, the family get-together becomes a social nightmare beyond endurance.
The Lost Continent The Lost Continent (1968) Character: Nick, chief engineer
An eclectic group of characters set sail on Captain Lansen’s leaky cargo ship in an attempt to escape their various troubles. When a violent storm strikes, the ship is swept into the Sargasso Sea and the passengers find themselves trapped on an island populated by man-eating seaweed, giant crabs and Spanish conquistadors who believe it’s still the 16th century.
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970) Character: Crodder
Fresh-faced young Michael Rimmer worms his way into an opinion poll company and is soon running the place. He uses this as a springboard to get into politics and in the mini-skirted flared-trousered world of 1970 Britain starts to rise through the Tory ranks.



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