Paul Copley
Born: 1944-11-25 in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
Known For: Acting
Biography
Paul is a long established and much respected British actor and voiceover artist. Born in Denby Dale, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 25th November 1944 he grew up beside a dairy farm. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family. He went to Penistone Grammar School, then the Northern Counties College of Education in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he received an Associate of the Drama Board (ADB) in Drama. He taught English and Drama in Walthamstow, before he joined the Leeds Playhouse Theatre-in-education Company in 1971. In 1976, Paul won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a New Play for his role in John Wilson's For King and Country. With many and varied roles to follow, Paul soon established himself as one of the UK's leading stage, film, television and radio actors. In 2011-2015 Paul gained worldwide recognition appearing in 16 episodes of the hugely popular television series Downton Abbey playing the popular role of farmer Mr Mason. Paul is married to the actress Natasha Pyne. They married in 1972, after both performing in a Leeds Playhouse production of Frank Wedekind's Lulu, adapted by Peter Barnes, directed by Bill Hays in 1971.
Filmography
2025
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale as Albert Mason
- Big Winners as Arthur Thistle
- Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks as Narrator (voice)
2023
- Ticker as Howard
2022
- Downton Abbey: A New Era as Mason
- DI Ray as Terry Hunter
2021
- The Infectious Imagination of Henry Bramble as Great Uncle Geoffrey
2020
- Enola Holmes as Station Master
- Ropeless as Larry Windsor
2018
- On the Edge as Ray
2017
- Broken as Joe Kerrigan
2016
- Reg as Man 2
- The Nest Egg
2015
- The Coroner as John Roxwell
- The Sound of Music Live! as Franz
- Code of a Killer as Sidney Jeffreys
2014
- Inside No. 9 as Ernie
2013
- Father Brown as Mr Feste
- Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork as Narrator
2012
- Call the Midwife as Tommy Smith
- Last Tango in Halifax
- White Heat as Alan (present day)
- First Encounter: King Lear as King Lear
2011
- Vera as Malcolm Kenrich
2010
- Downton Abbey as Mr. Mason
2009
- Moving On as Ronnie
2008
- Inspector George Gently
- Survivors as Ted
2007
- Kingdom as Vincent Straker
- The Shadow in the North as Paton
2006
- Torchwood as Clement McDonald
- Life on Mars as Reg Cole
- The Street
- Johnny and the Bomb as Sgt. Bourke
- When Kim & Aggie Went To Hospital as Self - Narrator (voice)
2005
- Dead Man Weds as Blind Man
- Marian, Again as Phillip Walsh
2004
- New Tricks as Pat the Rat
- Shameless as Norman Owens
- No Angels
2003
- The Key
- Hornblower: Duty as Matthews
- Hornblower: Loyalty as Matthews
- The Afternoon Play as Dave
- Burn It as Terry Grimshaw
- How Clean Is Your House?
- The Royal as Nesbitt
2002
- Born and Bred as Hubert Gough
- The Many Lives of Albert Walker as Danny Peck
- Nice Guy Eddie
2001
- Waking the Dead
- Hornblower: Mutiny as Mathews
- Messiah as Ian Fleet
- Blow Dry as Ken
- Hornblower: Retribution as Matthews
1999
- Queer as Folk as Roy Maloney
- Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil as Matthews
- Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters as Mathews
1998
- Hornblower as Matthews
- The Worst Witch as Algernon Rowan-Webb
- Hornblower: The Even Chance as Matthews
- Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant as Mathews
- Written in Blood as Brian Chappel
1997
- Midsomer Murders as Frank Dewar
- The Lakes as Peter Quinlan
1996
- Silent Witness
- Dalziel & Pascoe
- Jude as Mr. Willis
- This Life as Jerry Cook
1994
- Roughnecks as Ian
- A Pinch of Snuff as Charlie Heppelwhite
1993
- Peak Practice as Tim Shardlow
- Cracker as Pathologist
- The Remains of the Day as Harry Smith
- Harry as Thomas Thomas
1992
- Heartbeat as Dick Radcliffe
1991
- How's Business as Jack
1989
- The Paradise Club as Mousey Pavitt
- Testimony of a Child as Gerry
- Stay Lucky
- Young Charlie Chaplin as Chimnery Sweep
1986
- Casualty as Frederick Chambers
- Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus as Local Man
1985
- Bird Fancier as Roy Pearson
- Silas Marner as William Dane
- Which Side Are You On? as Narrator (voice)
- The Bright Side
1984
1983
- The Gathering Seed as Bob Henshaw
- Doll’s Eye as Social Worker
- Ends and Means
1982
- Ghost in the Water as Mr. Reed
1981
- Tenko as POW
- A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado as Tom
- P.Q. 17 as PO Jordan
- A Room for the Winter as Robert
- West End Tales as Herbert
1980
- Happy as Vernon
- Death of a Princess as Steve Jackson
1979
- Minder as Palmer
- Black Jack as Narrator
- Zulu Dawn as Cpl. Storey
- Pillion ... (Writer)
- Cries from a Watchtower as Andy
1978
- Destiny as Paul McShane
- On a Paving Stone Mounted
- Mucking Out as Brian Wilson
- Travellers as Young William/Middle William/Sales Rep
- Some Enchanted Evening as Peter
- The Turkey Who Lives on the Hill as Bill
1977
- Secret Army as Eric Finch
- A Bridge Too Far as Pvt. Wicks
- BBC2 Play of the Week as Finnegan
- A Christmas Carol as Fred (Scrooge's Nephew)
- Treasure Island
1976
- Arnhem: The Story of an Escape as Finnegan
1975
- Alfie Darling as Bakey
- Days of Hope as Ben Matthews
- Diane as Jim
1974
- Playhouse as Jim
- Churchill's People as Viventius
1973
- Father Dear Father as Dumbo
- Speech Day as Woodwork Master