Tommy Cooper

Tommy Cooper

Born: March 19, 1921
Died: April 15, 1984
in Caerphilly, South Wales
Born in Caerphilly, South Wales, at 19 Llwyn Onn Street, Trecenydd, Cooper was delivered by the woman who owned the house in which the family was lodging. His parents were Welsh-born army recruiting sergeant father Thomas H. (Tom) Cooper, and his English-born wife Gertrude (née Gertrude C. Wright) from Crediton, Devon. In light of the heavily polluted air and the offer of a job for his father, the family moved to Exeter, Devon, when Cooper was three and gained the West Country accent that was part of his act. The family lived in the back of Haven Banks, where Cooper attended Mount Radford School for Boys, and helped his parents run their ice cream van, which attended fairs on the weekend. At the age of eight an aunt bought Cooper a magic set and he spent hours perfecting the tricks. Magic ran in his family—his brother David (born 1930) opened a magic shop in the 1960s in Slough High Street (then Buckinghamshire now Berkshire) called D. & Z. Cooper's Magic Shop. On 15 April 1984, Cooper collapsed and soon after died from a heart attack in front of millions of television viewers, midway through his act on the London Weekend Television variety show Live From Her Majesty's, transmitted live from Her Majesty's Theatre. His stage persona required that his act intentionally went wrong for comic purposes, leading to some initial uncertainty about whether this collapse was real.

Movies for Tommy Cooper...

Parkinson at 50
Title: Parkinson at 50
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: August 28, 2021
Type: Movie
Sir Michael Parkinson looks back over his 50 years as a broadcaster, revealing some tricks of the interview trade and remembering some of his favourite encounters.
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Tommy Cooper: In His Own Words
Title: Tommy Cooper: In His Own Words
Released: December 25, 2018
Type: Movie
An affectionate look back at Tommy Cooper's life and career. Sir Michael Parkinson, Jimmy Tarbuck and Chris Tarrant and others reflect on what made Tommy Cooper one of the greatest ever comedians. Colleagues talk about working with him, and his daughter Vicky reveals her feelings about her father.
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Tommy Cooper - The Very Best Of
Title: Tommy Cooper - The Very Best Of
Character: himself
Released: September 4, 2006
Type: Movie
Tommy Cooper's comedy was timeless, a true original who was everyone's favourite clown. Wearing his trademark Fez, he delighted millions with bungled magic tricks and hilarious sketches. These specially compiled episodes of clips selected from the Thames Television archives star the funny-man at his best, featuring all of his classic routines.
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Tommy Cooper - The Missing Pieces
Title: Tommy Cooper - The Missing Pieces
Character: himself
Released: September 4, 2006
Type: Movie
Tommy Cooper's comedy was timeless, a true original who was everyone's favourite clown. Wearing his trademark Fez, he delighted millions with bungled magic tricks and hilarious sketches. These specially compiled episodes of clips selected from the Thames Television archives star the funny-man at his best, featuring all of his classic routines.
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The Best of Tommy Cooper
Title: The Best of Tommy Cooper
Character: Self
Released: May 17, 2004
Type: Movie
In his trademark fez, look of heroic confusion and perfect sense of comic timing, Tommy Cooper could have an audience in his pocket before he even said a word. Then the jokes would flow, the tricks fall flat and an open-mouthed Cooper would reduce them once more to helplessness. And so, for 30 years, this burly, gangly, seemingly incompetent magician dominated light entertainment television. This compilation features Tommy Cooper at his best: from his early TV show It's Magic to his Variety Show turns, and from his famous chat show appearances to his performances on his own TV shows in the 1970s.
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Tommy Cooper - A Feztival Of Fun With Tommy Cooper
Title: Tommy Cooper - A Feztival Of Fun With Tommy Cooper
Character: Himself
Released: September 16, 2001
Type: Movie
Join in this feztival of fun which contains the best loved sketches and classic routines from one of Britain's Favourite clowns who returns for yet more side-spitting sketches. Watch as all his conjuring tricks misfire and let his maniacal laugh take over you in his unique and inimitable style. A true comic genius with unmistakable fez, he will make you laugh out loud... just like that!
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Tommy Cooper - Tribute To A Comic Genius
Title: Tommy Cooper - Tribute To A Comic Genius
Released: October 9, 2000
Type: Movie
Tommy Cooper, one of Britain's most loved magicians, features in some of the best sketches from his rich and varied career. Also includes tributes from Benny Hill, Jim Davidson, Ronnie Barker, Mike Yarwood and Eric Sykes.
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Tommy Cooper: Master Of Comedy
Title: Tommy Cooper: Master Of Comedy
Released: March 12, 1997
Type: Movie
A Fez-tival of Fun! Join the feztival of fun which contains the best loved sketches and side-splitting routines from on of Britain's favourite clowns. Watch as Tommy's conjuring tricks misfire and let his maniacal laugh take over you in his unique and endearing style. A true comic genius with his unmistakable fez, Tommy Cooper will make you laugh out loud... just like that!
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Tommy Cooper - The Magic Touch
Title: Tommy Cooper - The Magic Touch
Released: January 1, 1993
Type: Movie
Tommy Cooper, the hapless magician who was in a league of his own, is joined here by a star-studded selection of guests in previously unseen extracts from his classic TV series. The guests include Penny Meredith, Eric Sykes, Henry Cooper and Norman Rossington.
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Just Like That!
Title: Just Like That!
Character: Self (archival footage)
Released: January 1, 1989
Type: Movie
Just Like That! is a celebration of the comic genius of Tommy Cooper] - just like that! But nobody could do it just like that apart from the unique Mr Cooper himself, and despite his claim never to have used those words. Was Tommy really Henry Coper's brother? Can Tommy's performance as Hamlet, clown prince, compare with the greats? Was Tommy a ventriloquist at heart? Rare and classic routines and contributions from famous fans help solve the mystery. The friends and fans who take part (many of them confirming that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery) include Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry, Henry Cooper, former Goons Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan, writer Dick Hills, Tommy's brother David Cooper (who has himself sadly since died), alternative comedian Steve Murray, The Wow Show and magician Paul Scott. A title montage sequence features further impersonations of the great man from Alexei Sayle, Bob Todd, Patricia Hayes, and Jess Conrad.
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An Audience with Joan Rivers
Title: An Audience with Joan Rivers
Released: March 17, 1984
Type: Movie
The shockingly controversial, outrageous, and wickedly funny comedienne performing live in front of a celebrity audience.
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It's Your Move
Title: It's Your Move
Character: Big Removal Man
Released: October 18, 1982
Type: Movie
A silent slapstick comedy depicting the travails of young couple moving into a new home, who hire an accident-prone firm of house removers, headed by Sykes. It features an all-star cast including Tommy Cooper, Bernard Cribbins, Jimmy Edwards, Irene Handl, Bob Todd and Andrew Sachs.
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Title: Cooper's Half Hour
Released: September 2, 1980
Type: TV
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Title: Cooper - Just Like That
Released: September 11, 1978
Type: TV
'Tragic magic' rules in this six-part series from 1978, which saw Tommy Cooper at the height of his fame.
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Title: An Audience with...
Character: Self
Released: January 8, 1978
Type: TV
An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.
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Title: Cooper
Character: Self
Released: October 15, 1975
Type: TV
The incomparable master of muffed magic returns with this six-part series from 1975. There are rope tricks, rabbit tricks, even a jacket-and-shirt trick... if you're quick enough to catch them, that is! Tommy is joined by the lovely Lynsey de Paul, who supplies a song for each show, and stalwart assistant David Hamilton - who also doubles up as an in-depth interviewer to probe the great man's mind in 'Fez to Fez'. Other stars risking their reputation include Victor Spinetti and Dandy Nichols - as a strange pair with a very odd way of making ends meet - and Ian Hendry (The Lotus Eaters), who realises 'it's not a question of guessing what Tommy's going to do next - it's a question of guessing what he's doing now!'
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Title: The Tommy Cooper Hour
Released: October 31, 1973
Type: TV
Tommy Cooper stars in a series of hour-long specials dedicated to his unique and hilarious blend of comedy and magic.
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Title: The Tommy Cooper Hour
Character: Self
Released: October 31, 1973
Type: TV
Tommy Cooper stars in a series of hour-long specials dedicated to his unique and hilarious blend of comedy and magic.
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Title: It's Tommy Cooper
Released: February 7, 1970
Type: TV
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The Plank
Title: The Plank
Character: Larger Workman
Released: May 18, 1967
Type: Movie
A slapstick comedy about two workmen delivering planks to a building site. This is done with music and a sort of "wordless dialogue" which consists of a few mumbled sounds to convey the appropriate emotion.
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Title: Life With Cooper
Released: December 31, 1966
Type: TV
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Title: Cooperama
Released: June 18, 1966
Type: TV
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The Cool Mikado
Title: The Cool Mikado
Character: Pooh-Bah, Private Detective
Released: January 7, 1963
Type: Movie
In this musical, the Gilbert and Sullivan classic is updated and set in post-war Japan. This time, the trouble begins when a soldier, the son of a Yankee judge, falls in love with a Japanese girl. This enrages her Yakuza fiancé who kidnaps him.
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And the Same to You
Title: And the Same to You
Character: Horace Hawkins
Released: February 1, 1960
Type: Movie
Dickie Dreadnought is the boxing-mad nephew of pious clergyman Reverend Sydney Mullet. To mollify his disapproving uncle, Dickie embarks on an elaborate plan to keep his budding boxing career a secret, with he and his tough-talking promoter Wally Burton both pretending to be devout 'men of the cloth'.
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Title: The Bruce Forsyth Show
Released: March 29, 1959
Type: TV
Beginning in 1959 as Bruce's Show, mixing music, dancing and comedy in the time honoured tradition, this series focused on laughter, glamour and big name guests.
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Title: Cooper's Capers
Released: October 31, 1958
Type: TV
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Title: Cooper (or Life With Tommy)
Released: March 25, 1957
Type: TV
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Tommy Cooper - Just Like That
Title: Tommy Cooper - Just Like That
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
Who could ever forget the great Tommy Cooper? A legend in his own lifetime and now sadly missed by all his fans. Here you'll find two programmes shown on UK TV containing some of his most hilarious sketches to enjoy again and again.
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Tommy Cooper at the BBC
Title: Tommy Cooper at the BBC
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
To mark 100 years since the birth of comedy legend Tommy Cooper, Sir Lenny Henry - one of Tommy’s biggest fans - takes a look back through the BBC’s archives and shares some of the great man’s finest and funniest moments. This collection features some of Cooper’s most famous routines, and shows that his reputation for terrible tricks that inevitably went wrong was all based on an act.He was actually a master magician, perfectly suited to television’s golden age.