Paul Copley
Date of birth: 1944-11-25
Place of birth: Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, England, UK
Known for: Acting
Also known as:
Biography
Paul is a long established and much respected British actor and voiceover artist. Born in Denby Dale, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 25th November 1944 he grew up beside a dairy farm. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family. He went to Penistone Grammar School, then the Northern Counties College of Education in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he received an Associate of the Drama Board (ADB) in Drama. He taught English and Drama in Walthamstow, before he joined the Leeds Playhouse Theatre-in-education Company in 1971. In 1976, Paul won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a New Play for his role in John Wilson's For King and Country. With many and varied roles to follow, Paul soon established himself as one of the UK's leading stage, film, television and radio actors. In 2011-2015 Paul gained worldwide recognition appearing in 16 episodes of the hugely popular television series Downton Abbey playing the popular role of farmer Mr Mason. Paul is married to the actress Natasha Pyne. They married in 1972, after both performing in a Leeds Playhouse production of Frank Wedekind's Lulu, adapted by Peter Barnes, directed by Bill Hays in 1971.
Movie Credits
The Infectious Imagination of Henry Bramble
2021-10-07
Henry is forced to stay with his passionless great-uncle and slips into a fantastical world where he
Mucking Out
1978-05-06
'I'm an expert on pigs now. How many people can claim they've castrated 1.000 baby pigs? Not many.'
Ticker
2023-08-11
Howard drives his partner Joseph from their farm to hospital to undergo high risk surgery. The unexp
Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant
1998-11-18
Acting Lieutenant Hornblower attempts to study for his promotion examination, but becomes distracted
Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil
1999-02-24
Acting Lieutenant Hornblower and his crew are captured by the enemy while escorting a Duchess who ha
Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters
1999-04-02
Lieutenant Hornblower and his shipmates are sent to accompany a doomed royalist invasion of revoluti
Hornblower: Mutiny
2001-04-08
Hornblower and his comrades come under the command of a revered but mentally unstable captain and ar
Marian, Again
2005-09-05
School teacher Chris Bevan is a dutiful husband to his dull wife, Josie, and ingrate daughters. His
Bird Fancier
1985-01-15
There's big money in pigeon racing if you've got a fast flyer, and Joe Desmond's blue-pied hen is a
A Christmas Carol
1977-12-24
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable e
Hornblower: Loyalty
2003-01-05
Hornblower must deliver a French nobleman to a secret rendezvous near Brest, all while coping with e
Ghost in the Water
1982-12-31
Judith Allchurch and Ian Stevens star in this drama based on the story by Edward Chitham. When young
Black Jack
1979-09-09
When honest young Tolly is forced on the run with ‘Black Jack’, a villainous ruffian, adventure and
Hornblower: The Even Chance
1998-10-07
Portsmouth, 1794. Under thundery skies and in lashing rain, 17-year-old midshipman Horatio Hornblowe
Father Dear Father
1973-05-25
After divorcing his wife, Patrick Glover decides it is time to remarry, and chooses his literary age
Downton Abbey: A New Era
2022-04-27
The Crawley family goes on a grand journey to the south of France to uncover the mystery of the dowa
The Remains of the Day
1993-11-05
A rule-bound head butler's world of manners and decorum in the household he maintains is tested by t
Death of a Princess
1980-04-09
A journalist investigates a newspaper story of the execution of an Arab princess.
Ends and Means
1983-01-01
Documentary drama.
Destiny
1978-01-31
A small town shopkeeper is conned into standing for an extreme right-wing party at a by-election, an
First Encounter: King Lear
2012-06-01
In the summer of 2012, a company of nine actors and director Tim Crouch came together to create a pr
Jude
1996-02-06
In late 19th-century England, Jude aspires to be an academic, but is hobbled by his blue-collar back
Dangerous Journey
A VICTORIOUS JOURNEY OF FAITH AND PILGRIMAGE. Written while in prison by John Bunyan in 1676, The P
Zulu Dawn
1979-05-14
In 1879, the British suffer a great loss at the Battle of Isandlwana due to incompetent leadership.
Some Enchanted Evening
1978-01-05
Comedy in which a young Geordie, Peter, is put under pressure by his fiancee who wants him to name t
Testimony of a Child
1989-07-05
Being accused of child abuse is a nightmare every family dreads. The Taylors are an ordinary happy f
Written in Blood
1998-06-02
A century ago, a series of horrific murders rocked the city. Now, as the end of the millennium appro
On a Paving Stone Mounted
1978-12-12
An impressionistic look at Irish emigrants in London, representing the emigrant's journey, a confusi
Diane
1975-07-09
Teenager Diane Weaver lives in a small council flat with her brooding father, the groundskeeper of a
The Key
2003-09-16
The story of three generations told against the backdrop of the 20th century. The drama focuses on t
Hornblower: Duty
2003-01-06
Admiral Pellew interrupts Hornblower's wedding reception and tasks him to locate a British ship whic
Reg
2016-06-06
In June 2003, Reg Keys and his wife Sally return to their home in the Welsh countryside. As they swi
Blow Dry
2001-03-01
The annual British Hairdressing Championship comes to Keighley, a town where Phil and son Brian run
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
2025-09-10
When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial strife, the
The Sound of Music Live!
2015-12-20
The popular musical is brought to life on soundstages at London's Three Mills Studio, in a live TV d
The Shadow in the North
2007-09-15
Sally Lockhart crosses paths with the nefarious industrialist Axel Bellman, the richest and most pow
Silas Marner
1985-12-30
Adaption of George Eliot's novel. When a respectable weaver is wrongfully accused of theft, he becom
Hornblower: Retribution
2001-04-15
Hornblower and the other officers of the Renown must return to Jamaica to face a court-martial and p
Speech Day
1973-03-26
Speech Day is a bit of a laugh if you are not one of nature's prize-winners. But now that they've fi
Alfie Darling
1975-07-17
Alfie meets his romantic match when the modern-day Casanova falls in love with a career woman. Alfie
A Bridge Too Far
1977-06-15
The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to
The Many Lives of Albert Walker
2002-03-24
After killing his English partner, a Canadian businessman assumes his identity. Things begin to fall
How's Business
1991-01-12
During World War II a young city boy is evacuated to the country.
A Pinch of Snuff
1994-04-09
Receiving a tip from his dentist Jack Shorter, policeman Peter Pascoe takes a closer look at the Cal
Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus
1986-09-17
Oedipus's wanderings come to an end when he finds his final resting place, as foretold by the gods.
Which Side Are You On?
1985-04-08
The documentary features the British miners and their family experiences told through songs, poems,
Arnhem: The Story of an Escape
1976-11-17
Graeme Warrack was Divisional Chief Doctor of the 1st Airborne Division at the Battle of Arnhem in S
Cries from a Watchtower
1979-10-18
A watchmaker finds his livelihood is threatened by cheaply imported digital watches.
Doll’s Eye
1983-02-23
Examines contradictory male attitudes towards women in 1980's Britain
Enola Holmes
2020-09-23
While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes uses her sleuthing skills to outs
A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado
1981-01-20
A black comedy about excessive consumption. A young couple are determined to make a break with a pre
A Room for the Winter
1981-11-03
James van Santen, a white South African writer facing imminent arrest for acts of sabotage, has esca
P.Q. 17
1981-12-15
"That order to scatter was as good as a death sentence to those merchant ships. And there isn't one
Ropeless
2020-08-22
A veteran washerman hangs thousands of wet clothes under the scorching sun: one oddity, he doesn't w
The Nest Egg
2016-01-01
The Nest Egg: the story of a chicken suit, benevolence and eggs.
Travellers
1978-10-09
As Old William stands in an autumnal Yorkshire graveyard at his wife's funeral, a young man's face s
Happy
1980-04-25
They train people to look after lads like Gary at the centre. So why does Vernon persist in keeping
The Turkey Who Lives on the Hill
1978-02-15
Married life starts out full of bright hopes for Alex and Lynda - but soon they are trapped in a nig
When Kim & Aggie Went To Hospital
2006-08-30
Kim and Aggie travel to Ealing, West London, to look at the standards of cleanliness and issues of h
Big Winners
2025-11-20
A story about Edith and Arthur Thistle – for fifty-three years, they have managed to get by—never ri