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James Cossins

Cast & creator

James Cossins

1933-12-04 (died at 63) Beckenham, Kent, England, UKIMDb

Best known for Coronation Street, The Avengers, Crown Court

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

Movies

51

film credits

Series

49

television credits

Career

100

1956–2005 · acting roles

Credit score

6.8

average across scored titles

Signature credits

Known for

Ordered by popularity

Coronation Street

Coronation Street

Mr. Soames · 1960

The Avengers

The Avengers

Henry · 1961

Crown Court

Crown Court

Acting · 1972

Crown Court

Crown Court

Graham Erringburn · 1972

Minder

Minder

Judge · 1979

Across film & television

Filmography (100)

Search filmography

Showing 100 of 100 credits

Coronation Street

Coronation Street

Mr. Soames

The Avengers

The Avengers

Henry

Crown Court

Crown Court

Crown Court

Crown Court

Graham Erringburn

Minder

Minder

Judge

Theatre 625

Theatre 625

Henry

Bergerac

Bergerac

Tuchel

Bergerac

Bergerac

Calhoun

Thirty-Minute Theatre

Thirty-Minute Theatre

Tim Singleton

No Hiding Place

No Hiding Place

All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small

Mr. Barge

All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small

Aloysius Barge

The Sweeney

The Sweeney

Colonel Rosier

Van der Valk

Van der Valk

Noordhoff

Justice

Justice

Mr. Ritson

Centre Play

Centre Play

Burret

Churchill's People

Churchill's People

William

Thriller

Thriller

Kellet

Callan

Callan

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

Dr. Jervis

Fawlty Towers

Fawlty Towers

Mr. Walt

Murder Most Horrid

Murder Most Horrid

Sir Hugh Lotterby

The Pallisers

The Pallisers

Sergeant Bunfit

Bless This House

Bless This House

Tom Williams

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

Magistrate

Fall of Eagles

Fall of Eagles

Count Josi Hoyos

The Good Life

The Good Life

Magistrate

The Man with the Golden Gun

The Man with the Golden Gun

Colthorpe

Mystery and Imagination

Mystery and Imagination

Landlord

Gandhi

Gandhi

Brigadier

Citizen Smith

Citizen Smith

Court Judge

Call Me Mister

Call Me Mister

The Likely Lads

The Likely Lads

Scoutmaster

The Likely Lads

The Likely Lads

Vicar

Pretenders

Pretenders

Old Elam

Londoners

Londoners

The Interviewer

Shadows

Shadows

Custodian

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

Number 10

Number 10

Sir William Harcourt

The Ten Commandments

Tom

Armchair Theatre

Armchair Theatre

Uncle Eric

The First Great Train Robbery

The First Great Train Robbery

Harranby

Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

Older Male Nurse

Don't Forget to Write!

Don't Forget to Write!

Phillip Mounter

One-Upmanship

Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel

Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel

Colonel Luscombe

All in Good Faith

All in Good Faith

Major Andrews

Hitler: The Last Ten Days

Hitler: The Last Ten Days

German Officer

Darling

Darling

Mr. Basildon

Follow Me!

Follow Me!

Party Guest (uncredited)

Death Line

Death Line

James Manfred O.BE.

Bel Ami

Charles Forestier

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

Mr. Linton

Sphinx

Sphinx

Lord Carnarvon

A Dandy in Aspic

A Dandy in Aspic

Melody

Melody

Headmaster

Fear in the Night

Fear in the Night

The Doctor

Scrooge

Scrooge

Party Guest (uncredited)

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

Henry Bassington-ffrench

The Horror of Frankenstein

The Horror of Frankenstein

Dean

Carry On Camping

Carry On Camping

Man in Cinema (uncredited)

How I Won the War

How I Won the War

Drogue

Loophole

Loophole

1st Interviewer

Young Winston

Young Winston

Barnsby

James Bond: The First 21 Years

James Bond: The First 21 Years

Colthorpe (archive footage)

Love's Labour's Lost

Love's Labour's Lost

Holofernes

The Lost Continent

The Lost Continent

Nick, chief engineer

The Prophet

The Prophet

Interviewer

The Funny Blokes of British Comedy

Mr. Walt (archive footage) (uncredited)

Grand Larceny

Grand Larceny

L For Lester

Chief Inspector Rodgers

The Invasion

TV Commentator

Villain

Villain

Brown

The Masks of Death

The Masks of Death

Frederick Bains

Bequest to the Nation

Bequest to the Nation

McKillop

Good Girl

Manager

The Anniversary

The Anniversary

Henry Taggart

Marjorie And Men

Henry Bartlett

The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer

Crodder

The Deadly Bees

The Deadly Bees

Coroner

What Next?

Bel Ami

Forestier

Good Night And God Bless

Geoffrey

Say Hello to Yesterday

Say Hello to Yesterday

Policeman

Legend of Death

Irwin

Unnatural Causes

Unnatural Causes

Justin Bryce

Timon of Athens

Timon of Athens

Lucullus

The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

The Incredible Robert Baldick: Never Come Night

Peter Elmstead

Otley

Otley

Jeffcot

Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Conception

Godfrey

The Breaking of Colonel Keyser

Partridge

That Sinking Feeling

Eric

Privilege

Privilege

Professor Tatham

The Rainbirds

The Rainbirds

Father - Mr. Rainbird

A Day Out

A Day Out

Mr. Shorter

Mad Jack

Mad Jack

Strife

Strife

William Scantlebury

Aliens

Aliens

Major Lucas

Possession

Possession

Kellet

The Piano

The Piano

Jeremy