1933-12-04 ( 91 years old ) in Beckenham, Kent, England, UK
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
Unnatural Causes
1993-01-02
Immaculate Conception
1992-09-11
The Masks of Death
1984-12-23
Gandhi
1982-12-01
Aliens
1982-11-30
Timon of Athens
1981-04-16
Sphinx
1981-02-11
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
1980-03-30
The First Great Train Robbery
1978-12-14
The Man with the Golden Gun
1974-12-14
What Next?
1974-01-01
That Sinking Feeling
1973-11-13
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
1973-04-19
Bequest to the Nation
1973-04-18
Possession
1973-04-11
A Day Out
1972-12-24
The Breaking of Colonel Keyser
1972-10-17
Death Line
1972-10-13
Young Winston
1972-07-20
Fear in the Night
1972-07-09
Blood from the Mummy's Tomb
1971-06-16
Villain
1971-05-26
Melody
1971-03-28
The Rainbirds
1971-02-11
The Piano
1971-01-28
Say Hello to Yesterday
1971-01-14
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
1970-11-12
The Horror of Frankenstein
1970-11-08
Wuthering Heights
1970-06-09
Mad Jack
1970-02-04
Carry On Camping
1969-05-29
Otley
1969-03-11
The Lost Continent
1968-06-19
A Dandy in Aspic
1968-04-02
The Anniversary
1968-02-07
How I Won the War
1967-10-18
Privilege
1967-02-28
The Deadly Bees
1966-12-23
Darling
1965-08-03
Love's Labour's Lost
1965-05-06
The Invasion
1963-03-31
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