Minder - Rocky Eight and a Half - 10:10 pm Friday, February 6 on That's TV 3

George Cole (Actor) .. Arthur Daley

Born: April 22, 1925 in London

Best Known For: Playing Arthur Daley in Minder.

Early-life: George Edward Cole was born in London on April 22, 1925. His mother, whom he never met, abandoned him at 10 days old, and he was adopted by the Cole family. George left school to be a butcher's boy, but won a part in a touring musical and opted for acting instead. At 15 he and his adoptive mother moved in with Alastair Sim's family after he appeared in a film with the thespian. They helped him lose his cockney accent, and he stayed with them until his first marriage at 27.

Career: Cole made his big-screen debut in 1941's Cottage to Let, but didn't achieve fame until he landed the part of Flash Harry in the classic St Trinian's films. He went on to have a successful career on stage, TV and in movies, often appearing opposite mentor Sim in such productions as Scrooge and The Green Man. TV credits include My Good Friend, Dad, An Independent Man, Blott on the Landscape and Minder, which ran for 15 years. In his later years, he appeared in Station Jim, Bodily Harm, Mary Reilly, A Class Apart, and Diamond Geezer. He died on August 6, 2015, after a long illness. He was 90.

Quote: "I made my first film in 1940. I can't think much has changed apart from the equipment and cost."

Trivia: In 2013, Cole published his autobiography, The World Was My Lobster.

Dennis Waterman (Actor) .. Terry McCann

Born: February 24, 1948 in Clapham

Best Known For: The Sweeney, Minder, and New Tricks.

Early-life: Born February 24, 1948, in Clapham, south London, the youngest of nine children, the son of a British Rail ticket collector. As a child he attended the Corona Theatre School and began his professional career with a role in Snowball, a 1960 Children's Film Foundation production. The same year he made Night Train to Inverness, and was asked to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. Playing William in a TV series based on the Just William books made him a star. He then tried to break into Hollywood.

Career: At 16, Waterman returned to Britain and concentrated on stage work until an acclaimed performance in 1968's Up the Junction led to more film roles. Low-budget movies (such as Scars of Dracula) and TV shows (including Colditz) followed until, in 1974, he co-starred with John Thaw in Regan, the pilot episode of iconic series The Sweeney, which became a major TV hit. A 10-year stint in comedy drama Minder followed. Other projects include TV shows On the Up, Stay Lucky, and Circles of Deceit. He's also worked on the stage, most notably in Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell, and My Fair Lady. As Gerry Standing, in BBC drama New Tricks, he has introduced himself to a new generation of fans.

Quote: "If I am not such a hell-raiser any more, it isn't because I've given up. It's just that my energy levels have fallen. I haven't stopped looking at women. I'm not blind."

Trivia: He has made several records, including, famously, the theme tunes of several of his TV shows.

Glynn Edwards (Actor) .. Dave

George Innes (Actor) .. Harry Lynch

Christine Kavanagh (Actor) .. Nicky

David Lodge (Actor) .. Soldier Atkins

Peter Childs (Actor) .. Rycott

Ian McNeice (Actor) .. Eric Morgan

Born: October 02, 1950 in Basingstoke

Best Known For: Doc Martin.

Early-life: McNeice was born in Basingstoke in Hampshire in 1950. His acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by two years at the Salisbury Playhouse. His childhood was hard, as the shy youngster struggled with a stammer, and he lost his older brother in a car accident. Determined to overcome his shyness, he stuck at acting and spent years in theatre, including a four-year career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and a production of Nicholas Nickleby on Broadway.

Career: McNeice's TV breakthrough was in the drama series Edge of Darkness. He has also appeared in a number of films, including 84 Charing Cross Road, Day of the Dead, No Escape, From Hell and The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. His breakthrough into American films occurred when he played opposite Jim Carrey as Fulton Greenwall in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995). Other notable credits include Conspiracy (2001), Valkyrie (2009) and the HBO hit series Rome. Since 2004, he has played Bert Large in Doc Martin.

Quote: "In a funny kind of way, the problems that my weight and stammer created were also the foundations of my career as an entertainer."

Trivia: McNeice has played Winston Churchill in a number of projects, including Doctor Who and the stage version of The King's Speech.

Anna Nygh (Actor) .. Brenda Wilson

Peter Cheevers (Actor) .. Jackie Wilson

Frank Gatliff (Actor) .. Darrow

Ian Toynton (Director)

Minder: Rocky Eight and a Half

10:10 pm - 11:20 pm, Friday, February 6 on That's TV 3 (71)

About this Broadcast

Rocky Eight and a Half
Season 4, Episode 1

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