 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Paul Copley" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Paul Copley | |
|---|---|
 Copley in 2012 | |
| Born | Paul Mackriell Copley (1944-11-25)25 November 1944 (age 80) Denby Dale,West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor and voice over artist |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse | |
| Website | http://www.paulcopley.actor |
Paul Mackriell Copley (born 25 November 1944) is an English actor and voice over artist. From 2011 to 2015 he appeared asMr. Mason, father ofWilliam Mason, in 16 episodes ofDownton Abbey, and from 2020 to 2021, he appeared in theITV soap operaCoronation Street asArthur Medwin.
Copley was born inDenby Dale,West Riding of Yorkshire, and grew up beside a dairy farm there. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family. He went toPenistone Grammar School, then to theNorthern Counties College of Education inNewcastle upon Tyne, where he received an Associate of the Drama Board (ADB) in Drama. He taught English and Drama inWalthamstow, before he joined theLeeds Playhouse Theatre-in-education Company in 1971.[1]
Copley was the male lead character in the four-part BBC seriesDays of Hope in 1975, which depicted events between theFirst World War and theGeneral Strike from a family involved in socialist politics.[2]
In 1976, Copley won theLaurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play for his role in John Wilson'sFor King and Country.[3]
After appearing as Private Wicks in the filmA Bridge Too Far (1977), he played a small but noticeable role inZulu Dawn (1979) as Cpl Storey in theBritish Army. He appeared in the then-controversialATV dramaDeath of a Princess (1980), playing a British witness to the killing of an Arabian princess and her lover. He has played Matthews inHornblower, Ian inRoughnecks, Jerry inThis Life, and Peter Quinlan inThe Lakes. In the critically acclaimedQueer as Folk he played Nathan Maloney's father. He was inBig Finish's July 2002Doctor Who storySpare Parts and appeared inShameless as awater sports enthusiast. In 1980, he appeared in the highly successful comedy drama seriesMinder playing George Palmer in episodeThe Old School Tie. He narrated theChannel 4 programmeHow Clean Is Your House?, and featured in the ITV children's hit showBest Friends in 2005–2006, playing the grandfather.
He is a regular actor inRadio 4 drama, usually in gritty or romantic plays or series about hard-working folk set in the north of England, often repeated onBBC Radio 4 Extra. Whenever a genial Yorkshire accent has been cast in the BBC radio drama department, he has often been summoned. Copley played the long-suffering teacher Geoff Long in Radio 4's long runningKing Street Junior. Covering ten series and some seventy-six episodes, this ran on BBC Radio 4 from 1985 to 1998. He also narrated theYorkshire Television nine-part serial adaptation ofThe Pilgrim's Progress (1985) entitledDangerous Journey.
On 13 February 2006, Copley appeared as an angry hostage-taker in an episode of the crime dramaLife on Mars. Copley appeared in the TV SoapCoronation Street on 8 August 2007, portraying a character calledIvor Priestley, and in the TV adaptation ofThe Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, as wizard and former-frog Algernon Rowan-Webb.
From 1998 to 2003, Copley played Mathews in theMeridian Television seriesHornblower. He appeared as Clement MacDonald inChildren of Earth, the third series ofBBC One showTorchwood, in 2009. The following year, he was seen in episodes ofBBC One showsCasualty andSurvivors. From 2011 to 2015 he appeared as Mr. Mason, father of William Mason, in 16 episodes of Downton Abbey; in 2012, he played Alan in the television seriesWhite Heat.
Between 2012 and 2020 he played Harry in 5 seasons of the TV seriesLast Tango in Halifax. In 2014 he played the part of Malcolm Kenrich in the episode "On Harbour Street" of the TV seriesVera.
In 2014 he narrated the Channel 5 programmeThe Railway – First Great Western of which there are 12 episodes. He also features as the father inTom Wrigglesworth'sHang-Ups, a comedy on BBC Radio 4.
In 2016, he appeared in the BBC seriesThe Coroner episode 2.4 "The Beast of Lighthaven" as John Roxwell.
In 2017, Copley appeared inJimmy McGovern's acclaimed seriesBroken,Red Production Company'sTrust Me, and in episode 5 ofDoc Martin he played the eccentric Walter O'Donnell. He also took part inWhat Does an Idea Sound Like promoting the Veterans Work Campaign and narratedA Celebrity Taste of Italy forChannel 5.
In 2018, he played the role of Charlie Rainbird in the short filmThousand Yesterdays, currently in post production, and continues to voiceMorrisons advertisements on radio and television in the UK.Additionally in 2018, Copley played Charity Dingle's father Obadiah inEmmerdale.
On 7 February 2019, he made his first appearance as Leonard (Jill Archer's new love interest) in the BBC radio 4 soap operaThe Archers.
On 9 January 2020 he appeared as Feste inFather Brown onBBC1.[4]
He married actressNatasha Pyne in 1972, after performing with her in a Leeds Playhouse production ofFrank Wedekind'sLulu, adapted byPeter Barnes and directed by Bill Hays in 1971.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019– | The Archers | Leonard Berry[6] | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2013–2019 | Tom Wrigglesworth's Hang Ups | Dad[7] | |
| 2002–2005 | King Street Junior Revisited | Mr. Long | BBC Radio 4 |
| 1985–1998 | King Street Junior | Mr. Long | Also credited as Writer 1995-1998[8] |
| 1991 | The Railway Children | Perks | BBC Radio 5 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
