Peter Copley
Born: 1915-05-20 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Died: 2008-10-07
Known For: Acting
Biography
Peter Copley (20 May 1915 – 7 October 2008) was an English television, film and stage actor. Copley was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, son of the printmakers, John Copley and Ethel Gabain. After changing his mind about joining the Royal Navy, he studied at the Old Vic School and started out as a stage actor in 1932. He made his first film appearance in 1934, going on to play a wide variety of characters from the villainous to the meek and mild. In 1946, he appeared on stage in "Cyrano de Bergerac" at the New Theatre in London. In 1951 he appeared at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End in the comedy play The Happy Family by Michael Clayton Hutton. TV credits include: Thorndyke, Danger Man, The Saint, The Avengers, The Forsyte Saga, The Troubleshooters, The Champions, Department S, Doomwatch, Z-Cars, Fall of Eagles, Survivors, Bless Me, Father (episode "A Legend Comes to Stay"), Father Brown (episode "The Curse of the Golden Cross"), Doctor Who (in the serial "Pyramids of Mars"), Sutherland's Law, Tales of the Unexpected, Miss Marple (episode "Nemesis"), Lovejoy, The Bill, Cadfael, The Diamond Brothers: South by South East and One Foot in the Grave. Copley continued to act well into his nineties. A resident of Bristol, Copley was awarded an Honorary Degree of Master of Arts by the University of the West of England in 2001.
Filmography
2010
- The Color of Magic 2in1 as Greyhald Spold
2008
- The Colour of Magic as Greyhald Spold
2005
- Oliver Twist as Dining Hall Master
- Riot at the Rite as Patron
2003
- The Last Detective as Colonel Colin Ingate
1999
- Wives and Daughters as Robinson
- Janice Beard 45 WPM as Sean's Father
1997
- Jonathan Creek as Eric
1994
- Cadfael as Abbot Heribert
- One Corpse Too Many as Abbot Heribert
- The Leper of St. Giles as Abbot Heribert
- The Sanctuary Sparrow as Abbot Heribert
- Monk's Hood as Abbot Heribert
1992
- A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia as Maitland
1989
- Agatha Christie's Poirot as Burgoyne
1988
- The Importance of Being Earnest as Gribsby
1987
- Empire of the Sun as British Prisoner
- The Trial of Klaus Barbie as Frossard
- Never Say Die
1986
- Casualty as Dan Woods
- Lovejoy as Harold Richards
- Artists and Models as Savigny
- King of the Ghetto as Vicar
1985
- Theatre Night as Gribsby
1984
- The Bill
- The Prisoner of Zenda as Marshal Strakencz
- Androcles and the Lion as Caesar
1982
- Witness for the Prosecution as Dr. Harrison
1981
- The Chinese Detective
- Into the Labyrinth as Kubla Khan
- United Kingdom as Commissioner
1980
- Little Lord Fauntleroy as Reverend Muldaur
- Rabbit Pie Day as The Colonel
1979
- Tales of the Unexpected as Man at Railway Station
- Churchill and the Generals as Gen. Sir John Dill
1978
- The Famous Five as Mr Finniston
1977
- Anna Karenina
- The Foundation as Dr. Richard Montagu
- The Black Panther
1976
- The New Avengers as Prof. Waterlow
- Bill Brand as Cedric Maddocks
- Shout at the Devil as Admiral Howe
1975
- Survivors as Dr. Bronson
- Hennessy as Home Secretary
- Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars as Dr. Warlock
- Sky
1974
- Fall of Eagles as Bethmann-Hollweg
- Father Brown as Reverend John Walters
1973
- Armchair 30 as Mr. Justice Hobbin
- Gawain and the Green Knight as Pilgrim
- The Dragon's Opponent as Dr. Gough
- Beyond Our Means as Dr. Charteris
1972
- Crown Court as Sir Peter Cutforth
- Arthur of the Britons
- The Long Chase as Morrison
- That's Your Funeral as 1st Funeral Director
- What Became of Jack and Jill? as Dickson
1971
- Justice as Wigmore
- Bless This House as J. G.
- You're Only Young Twice
- Taste of Evil as Mackinlay
1969
- Department S as The Auctioneer
- Paul Temple
- Mosquito Squadron as Mr. Scott
- Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed as Principal
- The Gold Robbers as AC Farr
- Imperial Palace as Emile Cousin
- Immortality Inc as Hull
- Walk a Crooked Path
- Tower of London: The Innocent as Archbishop
- All at Sea as Mr. Gordon
1968
- The Champions as Antrobus
- The Expert as Hillard
- The Shoes of the Fisherman as English Cardinal #1
1967
- Callan
- Half Hour Story as Mr. Fergus
- Quatermass and the Pit as Howell
- The Investigation as Counsel for the Prosecution
1966
- The Informer as Richard Edwards
- Don't Utter a Note as Vicar
- The Devil's Eggshell as The Home Secretary
1965
- BBC Play of the Month as The Home Inspector
- The Troubleshooters as MacLaren
- Out of the Unknown as Charles Wilson
- Knock on Any Door as Cedric Pritchard
- The Knack... and How to Get It as Picture Owner
- Help! as Jeweller
- The Man Who Came to Die as Dr. Clarkeson
- Stranger in the Family as Charles Wilson
1964
- The Wednesday Play as Gen. Friedrich Olbright
- Theatre 625 as Seytfert, Counsel for the Prosecution
- Redcap as Colonel Matherson
- Thorndyke as Dr. John Evelyn Thorndyke
- The Third Secret as Dr Leo Whitset
- King and Country as Colonel
- The July Plot as General Friedrich Olbright
1963
- Doctor Who as Dr. Warlock
1961
- The Avengers as Henry Barker
- Victim as Paul Mandrake
1960
- Maigret as Xavier Marton
1958
- Rockets Galore as Scientist
- The Government Inspector as School Superintendent
1957
- Time Without Pity as Prison Chaplain
- The Smallest Show on Earth as Actor in The Mystery of Hell Valley (uncredited)
- The Man Without a Body as Leslie
- The Film That Never Was
- Just My Luck as Mr. Gilbert Weaver
- The End Begins as Tom Jarrow
1956
- Foreign Intrigue as Brown
- Peril for the Guy as Mr. Ritter
1954
1953
- The Sword and the Rose as Sir Edwin Caskoden
- The Clue of the Missing Ape as His Excellency
- Saadia as Leader Mokhazenis
1952
- The Hour of 13 as Cummings
- The Card as P. Shillitoe (uncredited)
1951
- Hallmark Hall of Fame as Dr. Harrison
1950
- Golden Salamander as Aribi
1937
- Farewell Again as Minor Role
1934
- Tell Me If It Hurts as Waiter