Tommy Cooper(1921-1984)

Actor
Writer
Soundtrack

After leaving the army Tommy Cooper took up show business in 1947 and so started his long career of comedy derived around visual humour, magic tricks that didn't work and his trademark red fez, a prop that started from his days in the army. The BBC described him as an "Unattractive young man with an extremely unfortunate appearance" in an audition for new talent.

While making a series of 28 shows for ITV over a period of eight years, he suffered his first heart attack which forced him to give up his love for cigars. Tommy collapsed on the stage of Her Majesty's Theatre in April 1984, live on air. Ten minutes later he had died. He was later cremated and ashes scattered at Mortlake Crematorium, London.

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Known for

The Cool Mikado

3.7

Pooh-Bah, Private Detective

1963

The Plank

6.7

Larger Workman

1967

And the Same to You

5.4

Horace Hawkins

1960

Wild Harvest

5.8

Soundtrack("Wild Harvest")

1962

Credits

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Actor

It's Your Move
7.1
TV Movie
- Big Removal Man
- 1982
The Eric Sykes 1990 Show
4.7
TV Movie
- Entertainer
- 1982
Sykes Versus ITV
TV Movie
- 1967
The Plank
6.7
- Larger Workman
- 1967
Frankie and Bruce
TV Series
- 1966
Cooperama
7.0
TV Series
- Various Roles
- 1966
The Cool Mikado
3.7
- Pooh-Bah, Private Detective
- 1963
And the Same to You
5.4
- Horace Hawkins
- 1960
After Hours
6.2
TV Series
- 1959
Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium
7.5
TV Series
- 1958
A Santa for Christmas
TV Movie
- 1957
Panto Parade
TV Movie
- 1954

Writer

Soundtrack

Personal details

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Height
- 1.93 m
Born
- March 19, 1921
- Caerphilly, Wales, UK
Died
- April 15, 1984
- Haymarket, London, England, UK(heart attack)
Spouse
- Gwen HentyFebruary 24, 1947 - April 15, 1984 (his death, 2 children)
Other works
He performed in Paul Derval and Michel Gyarmathy's show, "The New 1951 Folies Bergere Revue," at the London Hippodrome in London, England with Maisie Sparks, Joe Latona, Leslie Warren, Freddie Bamberger, Naida, Lili, Cappela & Patricia in the cast. Dick Hurran was director.
Publicity listings

Did you know

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Trivia
He collapsed on stage while in the middle of his act on a live Sunday evening variety show, falling backwards through the centre of the stage curtain. As he began to snore loudly (often a symptom of a massive heart attack) and as his feet remained protruding underneath the bottom of the curtain the theatre audience assumed this was part of his "failed magic trick" act and continued to roar with laughter. After a few moments of confusion the orchestra struck up and the show went to a commercial. Although the incident had been seen live by millions of viewers at the time, the sequence was never shown again out of respect to his family and to his memory.