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James Copeland (actor)

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James Copeland
Born(1918-05-01)1 May 1918
Died17 April 2002(2002-04-17) (aged 83)
London, England
NationalityScottish
OccupationActor
Years active1953-1991
Spouse
Helen Copeland
(died 1997)
[1]
Children2, including James Cosmo[2]

James Copeland (1 May 1918 – 17 April 2002)[1] was a Scottish actor.

His film work began in 1953, the year which saw him play the most prominent role of his movie career, that of Andy McGregor in the ensemble cast of Innocents in Paris. Other roles included Mackay in The Seekers (1954), the ship's mate in The Maggie (1954), Rockets Galore! (1958), a police constable (at a road block) in The 39 Steps (1959), Farewell Performance (1963), Torture Garden (1967), and the guide in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970).

He also appeared on TV as one of the first continuity announcers/newsreaders with Aberdeen-based station Grampian TV, from its inception in September 1961, he left the station after a few months and returned to acting where he also played the Gond leader Selris in the Doctor Who story The Krotons,[3] Captain Ogilvie in Operation Kilt, an early episode of Dad's Army, and the Scottish customer in Camping In, an episode of Are You Being Served?. He later played Jamie Stewart in Take the High Road from 1982 to 1987. He produced a collection of poetry entitled Some Work (Bramma, 1972) which included the much anthologised poem 'Black Friday'.

He had a son, James Cosmo, who is also an actor, and a daughter named Laura.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1953 Laxdale Hall Fisherman
1953 Sailor of the King Cmdr. Laughton Uncredited
1953 Innocents in Paris Andy
1954 The Maggie The Mate
1954 The Seekers Mackay
1954 Mask of Dust Johnny Jackson - mechanic
1955 You Lucky People! Pvt. Jim Campbell
1956 The Battle of the River Plate Chief Yeoman, HMS Achilles Uncredited
1958 Rockets Galore! Kenny McLeod
1959 The 39 Steps Police Constable at Roadblock Uncredited
1960 Tunes of Glory One of the Other Officers #4
1963 Farewell Performance Andrews
1967 Torture Garden Fred (segment 2 "Terror Over Hollywood")
1967 The Big Catch Mr. Cameron
1970 The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes Guide
1990 The Big Man Sam (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ a b "James Copeland". The Herald, Glasgow, Scotland. 24 April 2002. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  2. ^ Administrator. "Burgh actor man of many talents". www.helensburgh-heritage.co.uk.
  3. ^ Mulkern, Patrick. "The Krotons". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
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