Actor / Director Profile

George Cole has had an impressive career both in television and in film. His acting talents, however, have gone largely unsung. Which is a great shame, for he is responsible for creating one of the most endearing characters of recent times on British television.The character is of course "Arthur Daley", the shifty but very likable ducking and diving "business man" in the long lived ITV drama series "Minder" (1979).As a result of this character, the term "Arthur Daley" soon entered the every day English language as slang for a "dodgy" misdemeanor or task, and the series enabled George Cole to become a household name."Minder"'s Arthur Daley was the only true rival to the BBC's "Delboy Trotter" from "Only Fools and Horses" (1981) and they often contended head to head in television ratings. Sometimes "Minder" won, sometimes "Only Fools and Horses" won, but "Minder" was a drama, whereas "Only Fools and Horses" was a sitcom, which allowed the two shows and characters to exist side by side very happily indeed.Before "Minder", George featured in countless films and television programmes, becoming a regular and much loved face on British television.Following on from "Minder", he still regularly appeared on television, although it seems he favors a more relaxed approach to acting these days probably because he has semi-retired from this business they call show business!It is a shame that he will probably be remembered only for "Arthur Daley", because George Cole should be remembered for being not only a fine actor, skillful at playing both straight and comedic roles, but also as an extremely likable charismatic man.