James Cosmo
 |
James Cosmo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) James Cosmo MBE at the TGS SpringBreak event in France, in April 2014 | |
| Born | James Ronald Gordon Copeland Clydebank, Dumbartonshire, Scotland |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Spouse |
Annie Harris (m. 2000) |
| Children | 2 |
James Ronald Gordon Copeland MBE, known professionally as James Cosmo, is a Scottish film and television actor known for his appearances in films including Highlander, Braveheart, Trainspotting, Jagame Thandhiram, Troy, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Ben-Hur and Wonder Woman, as well as television series such as Game of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy, and His Dark Materials. He appeared in the nineteenth series of Celebrity Big Brother, finishing in fourth place.
Early life
Cosmo is the son of actor James Copeland and Helen Goodlet Findlay.[1] He attended Hartfield Primary School in Dumbarton. Through his father, young James played cricket on Hampstead Heath with Sean Connery while his father was in the pub with Peter O'Toole.[2] He also has a sister named Laura.[2] When he was 11, he moved back to Glasgow and later he worked for a time at Arnott Young shipbreakers in Dalmuir.[2]
Career
At the start of his career he adopted Cosmo, the middle name of his mother Helen, as his stage surname.[2] Cosmo is best known for his film roles as Angus MacLeod in Highlander, Campbell in Braveheart and as Father Christmas in the adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[3] Over the years he has also had roles in other films such as Trainspotting, The Last Legion and 2081.[4] He appeared in Troy with future Game of Thrones cast members Sean Bean and Julian Glover.[5] He also appeared in UFO as SHADO operative Lieutenant Anderson, in Take the High Road as Alex Geddes from 1982 until 1983 and in 1984 played Jock McLeish in the Minder episode Senior Citizen Caine.[6][3] He appeared as Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Drysdale in the seventh series of Soldier Soldier.[6] He portrayed Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, in the HBO series Game of Thrones.[7] He was involved in the filming of the thriller Breakdown in which he appeared alongside Craig Fairbrass, Bruce Payne, Emmett Scanlan, Olivia Grant and Tamer Hassan.[8] He played the antagonist in the Indian film, Jagame Thandhiram, which released in 2021.[9]
He is a patron of the charity Chance for Childhood.[10]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Battle of Britain | Jamie | |
| The Virgin Soldiers | Waller | ||
| 1971 | Assault | Det. Sgt. Beale | |
| 1972 | Doomwatch | Bob Gillette | |
| Young Winston | Officer on train | ||
| Sutherland's Law | Ian Campbell | Television film | |
| The Stone Tape | Cliff Dow | Television film | |
| 1982 | Living Apart Together | Priest | |
| 1985 | Operation Julie | Longfellow | Television film |
| 1986 | Highlander | Angus Macleod | |
| 1988 | Stormy Monday | Tony | |
| 1989 | The Nightwatch | James Smithson | Television film |
| 1990 | Treasure Island | Redruth | Television film |
| The Fool | Mr. Bowring | ||
| 1995 | Braveheart | Campbell | |
| 1996 | Trainspotting | Mr. Renton | |
| Emma | Mr. Weston | ||
| 1997 | Santa/Claws | Santa Claus | Short film |
| 1998 | Urban Ghost Story | Minister | |
| Babe: Pig in the City | Thelonius | ||
| 1999 | Sunset Heights | MacDonald | |
| The Match | Billy Bailey | ||
| Billy and Zorba | Zorba | Short film | |
| Split Second | Donald Paterson | Television film | |
| One More Kiss | Frank | ||
| 2000 | Honest | Tommy Chase | |
| Reflections Upon the Origin of the Pineapple | Narrator | Short film | |
| The Last of the Blonde Bombshells | McNab | Television film | |
| 2001 | To End All Wars | Lt. Col. Stuart McLean | |
| All the Queen's Men | Archie | ||
| 2002 | Once Upon a Time in the Midlands | Billy | |
| The Four Feathers | Col. Sutch | ||
| The Reckoning | Lambert | ||
| 2003 | Skagerrak | Robert | |
| Man Dancin' | Donnie McGlone | ||
| Solid Air | Finn | ||
| 2004 | One Last Chance | Big John | |
| Troy | Glaucus | ||
| 2005 | The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby | James Brown | |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Father Christmas | ||
| 2006 | Half Light | Finlay Murray | |
| Slipp Jimmy fri | HudMaSpecs | English version, voice | |
| The Lives of the Saints | Mr. Karva | ||
| 2007 | The Last Legion | Hrothgar | |
| The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising | Dawson | ||
| Where Have I Been All Your Life | John | Short film | |
| Comet Impact | Brenden Kelly | Television film | |
| 2009 | 2081 | George Bergeron | Short film |
| The Clan | Hector McGinley | ||
| 2010 | One Night in Emergency | Television film | |
| Outcast | Laird | ||
| Donkeys | Alfie | ||
| The Runway | Sutherland | ||
| The Santa Incident | Nick | Television film | |
| 2011 | No Saints for Sinners | Murphy | |
| The Glass Man | Pecco | ||
| 2012 | Citadel | Priest | |
| Songs for Amy | Murdo | ||
| 2013 | Get Lucky | Mr. Zigic | |
| The Golden Scallop | Judge Wellington | ||
| Hammer of the Gods | King Bagsecg | ||
| Justin and the Knights of Valour | Blucher | voice | |
| The Christmas Candle | Herbert Hopewell | ||
| Sea Out | Old Joe | Short film | |
| Dying Light | Policeman | ||
| 2014 | The Boogeyman | Dr. Harper | Short film |
| We Still Kill the Old Way | Arthur | ||
| Hole | Cooper | Short film | |
| 2015 | Moonwalkers | Dawson | |
| Carried | Henry Hunter | Short film | |
| The Legend of Barney Thomson | James Henderson | ||
| The Pyramid Texts | Ray | ||
| Estranged | Albert | ||
| 2016 | Project 12: The Bunker | Brian Balanowsky | |
| Breakdown | Albert Chapman | ||
| Mikelis | Mikelis | Short film | |
| Dark Signal | Alan | ||
| Ben-Hur | Quintus | ||
| Whisky Galore! | Macalister the Minister | ||
| Monochrome | Roger Daniels | ||
| Eliminators | Cooper | Post-production | |
| 2017 | London Heist | Ray Dixon | |
| T2 Trainspotting | Mr. Renton | ||
| Last Respects | Philip Drummond (voice) | Short film | |
| Wonder Woman | Field Marshal Haig | ||
| 2018 | Rogue Trooper: The Quartz Massacre | Narrator | Short film |
| In Darkness | Niall | ||
| Outlaw King | Robert Bruce Senior | ||
| Ashes in the Snow | Mr. Stakas | ||
| Malevolent | Grandpa Sayers | ||
| Tomorrow | Mr. Charles | ||
| 2019 | The Hole in the Ground | Des Brady | |
| Forget Me Not | Benedict | ||
| Get Duked! | Farmer | ||
| Shadow Boxer | Eddie Royce | Short film, completed | |
| 2020 | Skylines | Grant | |
| 2021 | Jagame Thanthiram | Peter Sprott | Indian film |
| The Kindred | Frank Menzies | ||
| 2022 | Breath | Nick | |
| Scrooge: A Christmas Carol † | Mr. Fezziwig | voice; Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965, 1969 | Dr. Finlay's Casebook | Private David / Peter Randall | 2 episodes |
| 1966 | Ransom for a Pretty Girl | Charlie Milne | TV mini series |
| This Man Craig | Douglas McGrath | 1 episode | |
| 1967 | St. Ives | Dalmahoy | 2 episodes |
| The Revenue Men | Andrew | 1 episode | |
| 1968 | Detective | Det. Sgt. MacGregor | 1 episode |
| 1969 | Softly Softly | McBride | 1 episode |
| 1970 | The Borderers | Hector | 1 episode |
| The Wednesday Play | Senior Under Officer Patterson | 1 episode | |
| 1971 | UFO | Lt. Anderson | 1 episode |
| The Persuaders! | Inspector Williams | 1 episode | |
| The View from Daniel Pike | Det. Con. Sanderson | 1 episode | |
| 1973 | ITV Playhouse | Sgt. Robbins | 1 episode |
| Sutherland's Law | Ian Campbell | 1 episode | |
| 1973–1977 | Warship | L. / Reg. Fuller | 20 episodes |
| 1974 | Play for Today | Loch | 1 episode |
| 1975 | Churchill's People | Robert Bruce | 1 episode |
| Quiller | Hamilton | 1 episode | |
| 1976 | Survivors | Lenny Carter | 1 episode |
| Orde Wingate | Brigadier Calvert | 3 episodes | |
| 1977 | George & Mildred | Keith | 1 episode |
| The Mackenzie Affair | James Mackenzie | 5 episode | |
| 1977–1978 | Midnight is a Place | Davey Scatcherd | 3 episodes |
| 1978 | The Standard | Harry Bray | 1 episode |
| The Sweeney | Det. Sgt. Davy Freeth | 1 episode | |
| Kidnapped | Beggar | TV mini series, 1 episode | |
| 1979 | Dick Barton: Special Agent | Jock Anderson | 29 episodes |
| Thundercloud | CPO Hawkins | 13 episodes | |
| The Onedin Line | Glasgow McDade | 1 episode | |
| The Professionals | Glover | 1 episode | |
| 1980 | Take the High Road | Alex Geddes | 1 episode |
| Hammer House of Horror | Willis | 1 episode | |
| 1981 | The Nightmare Man | Sgt. Carch | 4 episodes |
| The House on the Hill | Bonfield | 1 episode | |
| Strangers | Det. Sgt. Galbraith | 1 episode | |
| 1982 | King's Royal | Colin Lindsay | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Minder | Jock McLeish | 1 episode |
| Murder Not Proven? | Sergeant Munro | 1 episode | |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Dr. Ian McCarran | 1 episode | |
| Fairly Secret Army | Crazy Colin Carstairs | 2 episodes | |
| 1985 | Lytton's Diary | Harry Owen | 1 episode |
| Big Deal | McFee | 1 episode | |
| 1985–1986 | C.A.T.S. Eyes | Howard / McNeill | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Running Scared | Detective Inspector McNeil | 6 episodes |
| Lost Empires | Inspector Furness | TV mini series, 1 episode | |
| 1987 | Super Gran | Mr. McBigg | 1 episode |
| Brond | Primo | 3 episodes | |
| 1988 | Codename: Kyril | Bonham | TV mini series, 1 episode |
| Taggart | Victor Baird | 1 episode | |
| 1989 | Crossbow | Anton | 1 episode |
| Winners and Losers | Frank Kerr | TV mini series, 3 episodes | |
| The Justice Game | Glen | 4 episodes | |
| Saracen | Miekera | 1 episode | |
| 1989–1993 | Casualty | Tony / John Breckman | 2 episodes |
| 1989, 1999 | The Bill | Patrick Grainger / D.C.I. Cameron | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | The Campbells | Sgt. Henderson | 1 episode |
| El C.I.D. | Sands | 1 episode | |
| 1991 | The Sharp End | Carmichael | TV mini series, 1 episode |
| Stay Lucky | Bigmac | 1 episode | |
| 1992 | Screaming | ||
| Medics | Harry Liverege | 1 episode | |
| Heartbeat | Matthew Chapman | 1 episode | |
| Rab C. Nesbitt | Teacher | 1 episode | |
| 1993 | Scene | Reception Officer | TV series documentary, 1 episode |
| Between the Lines | D.C.C. Birman | 1 episode | |
| 1994 | The House of Eliott | James Maxton | 1 episode |
| Alleyn Mysteries | Major Keith Ballantyne | 1 episode | |
| Screen Two | Jerry | 1 episode | |
| 1994–1995 | Roughnecks | Tom | 13 episodes |
| 1996 | Bad Boys | Tam Devlin | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Ivanhoe | Cedric | TV mini series, 5 episodes |
| Ain't Misbehavin' | Malky Fraser | 3 episodes | |
| Soldier Soldier | Lt. Col. Philip Drysdale | 9 episodes | |
| 1998 | Two Lives | Eddie | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Cleopatra | Agrippa | 2 episodes |
| Comedy Lab | David | 1 episode | |
| 2000 | The 10th Kingdom | Blind Woodsman | TV mini series, 1 episode |
| Tales from the Madhouse | The Centurion | TV mini series, 1 episode | |
| 2000–2001 | Rebus | Morris Gerald Cafferty / Moris Cafferty | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Badger | Charlie Maddox | 1 episode |
| 2001 | Best of Both Worlds | William Landucci | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Biography | Narrator | TV series documentary, 1 episode |
| 2005 | Little House on the Prairie | Mr. Scott | TV mini series, 4 episodes |
| 2007 | Midsomer Murders | Jack 'Axeman' McKinley | 1 episode |
| 2008 | The Colour of Magic | Galder Weatherwax | TV mini series, 1 episode |
| 2009 | Merlin | Hengist | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Castle | Finn Rourke | 1 episode |
| FlashForward | Philip | 1 episode | |
| Sons of Anarchy | Father Kellan Ashby | 8 episodes | |
| 2011–2013 | Game of Thrones | Jeor Mormont | 12 episodes |
| 2012 | Silent Witness | Arnold Mears | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Death in Paradise | Roger Seymour | 1 episode |
| Case Histories | Len Lomax | 1 episode | |
| 2014 | New Worlds | Goffe | TV mini series, 1 episode |
| 2015 | Magnum Opus | Moshe Navon | 1 episode |
| 2016 | Shetland | Arthur McCall | 4 episodes |
| Stag | The Gamekeeper | 2 episodes | |
| 2016, 2018–19 | The Durrells | Captain Creech | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | The Collection | Jules Trouvier | |
| 2017 | Celebrity Big Brother | Himself | Series 19 Finalist and third runner up |
| SS-GB | Harry Woods | 5 episodes | |
| 2018 | Hold the Sunset | Bob the Burglar | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | The Name of the Rose | Jorge of Burgos | 8 episodes |
| Chernobyl | Miner | Episode: 'Open Wide, O Earth' | |
| His Dark Materials | Farder Coram | ||
| 2020 | The Bay | Bill Bradwell |
References
- ^ "James Cosmo Biography (1948–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d "James Cosmo on Game of Thrones, Whisky Galore and his strange days on Big Brother". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ a b "James Cosmo". BFI.
- ^ "James Cosmo | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
- ^ "Troy (2004) - Wolfgang Petersen | Cast and Crew | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
- ^ a b "James Cosmo". www.aveleyman.com.
- ^ "Game of Thrones star James Cosmo jokes he 'drew the short straw' with sex scenes". The Independent. 1 January 2021.
- ^ "Breakdown (2016)". BFI.
- ^ "James Cosmo: 'My friend said: They're going to drink beer out of your skull'". the Guardian. 1 January 2021.
- ^ "Our patrons | Chance for Childhood - Children's charity". Chance for Childhood. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Cosmo.
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