Michael Graham Cox

For other people named Michael Cox, see Michael Cox (disambiguation).

Michael Graham Cox
Michael Graham Cox
Born	(1938-01-06)6 January 1938 London, England, UK
Died	8 April 1995(1995-04-08) (aged 57) London, England, UK
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1960–1995
Height	5ft 10in (1.78 m)

Michael Graham Cox (6 January 1938 – 8 April 1995) was an English actor.

Career

Born at Wolverhampton, and an Old Wulferian, Cox moved to London after graduating in Music with German from Bristol University in 1960s. Residing first at a flat in Oxford Street, he soon settled at Randolph Crescent W9, later being decanted by The Paddington Church Commissioners to a delightful garden flat around the corner at 32 Clifton Gardens, within easy walking distance of his favourite watering holes The Warrington, The Prince Alfred, and The Warwick Castle, where he frequently socialised with many buddies including Jane Morgan, Tony Osoba, Michael Aspel and John Inman.

He is best remembered for voicing Boromir in the 1978 film The Lord of the Rings and the same character in the 1981 radio serialisation, as well as voicing Bigwig in the feature film Watership Down. But his 'Palmer' in Ken Russell's 1969 'Women in Love' is arguably his career highlight.

In 1982 he appeared as Wally Brabham in Minder episode 10 of series 3; "Broken Arrow".

Cox had a minor role in Richard Attenborough's A Bridge Too Far and Cry Freedom. He appeared many times on stage and in television dramas such as Grange Hill, as kindly teacher Mr. Butterworth. He also starred with Derek Nimmo and Rosemary Leach in the TV sitcom Life Begins At Forty. Other BBC radio dramas produced and directed by Jane Morgan (a lifelong, friend and colleague) included her Dickens series.

Stratford roles with the Old Vic on tour of the late 1950s embedded Cox as Shakespearean. West End stage roles in early 1960s included Coward's 'Hay Fever' with Prunella Scales, Roland Culver. 1970s saw him at the Roundhouse with the Prospect Theatre's Histories tour. The 1980s saw him alongside James Bolam's King Lear with Delphine Seyrig, and several other productions at The Young Vic, at The Cut.

Cox died on 8 April 1995 following a history of several strokes, diabetic complications and finally dementia, at an hospice in Wimbledon. He was buried next to his brother John at the Catholic Diocese of Beaconsfield. His wife Davina Beswick, a fellow alumnus of Bristol Old Vic passed away on 31st July 2018, peacefully at Sudbury Suffolk. Their sole issue Dominic an Architect trained at Cambridge University, John's only child Susan (his niece), and her mother June, survive him, residing in Western Kenya, and Banbury Oxon, respectively.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	An Age of Kings	Carrier / Davy / Drawer
1969	Women in Love	Palmer
1973	The Optimists	Park Keeper
1975	King Arthur, the Young Warlord	Howard
1977	A Bridge Too Far	Captain Cleminson
1978	Watership Down	Bigwig	Voice
1978	The Lord of the Rings	Boromir	Voice
1983	Grange Hill	Mr Butterworth	TV Series, 1 episode
1984	The Little Drummer Girl	Donald / Soldier
1987	Cry Freedom	3rd Passport Control officer

External links

• British Film Institute filmography
• Michael Graham Cox at IMDb