The ‘Coronation Street’ actor was 93

British actor Kenneth Cope was a popular television and film star in the 1960s and 1970s thanks to his starring roles in Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) AND Coronation Street, is dead. He was 93 years old.

Cope’s former agent, Sandra Chalmers of The Artists Partnership, announced that the artist had died at his home in the seaside town of Southport in Sefton, Liverpool, where he was born in 1931.

Renny Lister, Cope’s wife of 63 years, and family members, including his daughter Martha Cope, were by his side. He is also survived by his children Nick and Mark.

Chalmers said Cope was an “incredible icon of British television and film”. Cope and Lister met in 1961 when they both joined the cast of the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He played small-time conman Jed Stone as a semi-regular actor in the early and mid-1960s. He later returned to the role after a 42-year absence.

He honed his skills in the Bristol Old Vic repertoire and in 1952 he made his first television appearance, playing a musician in a television film adaptation of Shakespeare. Two gentlemen from Verona as a musician. The camera liked him and in the 1950s he played a number of roles.

The 1960s turned out to be a breakthrough decade for him, thanks to the double success of playing in Coronation Street and, starting in 1962, he performed for a year with David Frost, Millicent Martin, Roy Kinnear, David Kernan, Willie Rushton and Lance Percival It was a week that wasa groundbreaking late-night satirical show whose cutting humor attacked the establishment.

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It was a week that was quickly became a must-see Saturday night show. The BBC programme dared to highlight the darker events in political life, particularly the juicy political scandals, which led to some politicians and prominent public figures calling for it to be taken off air.

The furor only fueled Cope’s career. He went on to star in popular series of the time, including Z Cars, Avengers AND We have ways to make you laughfamous sketch show written by Frank Muir and Dick Vosburgh.

In the late 1960s, producer Monty Berman came up with the idea of ​​creating a show titled Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) – called My ghost partner in the US — about two private investigators: Jeff Randall, played by Mike Pratt, and Marty Hopkirk, played by Cope. The plot twist is that Hopkirk, played by Cope, is murdered but returns as a ghost — in a cream suit — to help his former partner bring the killer to justice.

It took a while for the show to gain popularity, but it eventually became a hit for old-time ITV stations ATV and LWT. The show became hugely influential and was revived decades later by Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.

Cope has also appeared in films Continue when it’s convenient for you AND Continue, Matronalthough he was not listed in the credits for a minor role in the 1960s film. Carry on, Jack. He also appeared in Rentadick, Juggernautfilm version, television comedy George and MildredAND Prisoners.

As Cope’s last agent, Chalmers was asked by Cope’s family to announce his death. In a statement, Chalmers wrote, “It is with great sadness that the family wishes to announce the passing of Kenneth Cope 04/14/1931 – 09/11/2024. Ken passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday with his wife and family by his side.”