Peter Copley
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1915-05-20
Day of Death
2008-10-07 (93 years old)
Place of Birth
Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Peter Copley
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.
Known For
Acting
(2005)
Kingdom of Heaven
as Old Pilgram (director's cut)
(2005)
Oliver Twist
as Dining Hall Master
(2005)
Riot at the Rite
as Patron
(1999)
Janice Beard 45 WPM
as Sean's Father
(1992)
A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia
as Maitland
(1988)
The Importance of Being Earnest
as Gribsby
(1987)
Empire of the Sun
as British Prisoner
(1987)
The Trial of Klaus Barbie
as Frossard
(1986)
King of the Ghetto
as Vicar
(1984)
Androcles and the Lion
as Caesar
(1981)
United Kingdom
as Commissioner
(1980)
Little Lord Fauntleroy
as Reverend Muldaur
(1980)
Rabbit Pie Day
as The Colonel
(1979)
Churchill and the Generals
as Gen. Sir John Dill
(1977)
(1976)
Shout at the Devil
as Admiral Howe
(1975)
Hennessy
as Home Secretary
(1975)
Doctor Who: Pyramids of Mars
as Dr. Warlock
(1973)
Gawain and the Green Knight
as Pilgrim
(1973)
Beyond Our Means
as Dr. Charteris
(1972)
That's Your Funeral
as 1st Funeral Director
(1972)
What Became of Jack and Jill?
as Dickson
(1970)
Jane Eyre
as John
(1969)
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
as Principal
(1969)
Mosquito Squadron
as Mr. Scott
(1969)
Tower of London: The Innocent
as Archbishop
(1969)
(1968)
The Shoes of the Fisherman
as English Cardinal #1
(1967)
Quatermass and the Pit
as Howell
(1966)
Don't Utter a Note
as Vicar
(1966)
The Devil's Eggshell
as The Home Secretary
(1965)
Help!
as Jeweller
(1965)
The Knack... and How to Get It
as Picture Owner
(1965)
Stranger in the Family
as Charles Wilson
(1964)
The Third Secret
as Dr Leo Whitset
(1964)
King and Country
as Colonel
(1964)
The July Plot
as General Friedrich Olbright
(1961)
Victim
as Paul Mandrake
(1959)
(1958)
Rockets Galore
as Scientist
(1957)
Time Without Pity
as Prison Chaplain
(1957)
Just My Luck
as Gilbert Weaver
(1957)
The Smallest Show on Earth
as Actor in The Mystery of Hell Valley (uncredited)
(1957)
The Man Without a Body
as Leslie
(1957)
(1956)
Foreign Intrigue
as Brown
(1956)
Peril for the Guy
as Mr. Ritter
(1953)
The Sword and the Rose
as Sir Edwin Caskoden
(1953)
Saadia
as Leader Mokhazenis
(1953)
The Clue of the Missing Ape
as His Excellency
(1952)
The Card
as P. Shillitoe (uncredited)
(1952)
The Hour of 13
as Cummings
(1950)
Golden Salamander
as Aribi
(1937)
Farewell Again
as Minor Role
(1934)
Tell Me If It Hurts
as Waiter