Peter Copley Biography

British actor Peter Copley made his reputation as a stage performer, debuting in 1932 after dropping plans for a career in the navy. Balding, slightly withered and usually sporting glasses, he could be seen picking up an occasional paycheck in films. Copley made his first screen appearance in 1934, and in the years after the war settled into roles calling for everything from disgruntled meekness to downright villainy. Many of his films were readily available for American audiences in the early days of television. Among Copley's British-made films given wide U.S. distribution were The Golden Salamander (1949), Foreign Intrigue (1956), Victim (1961), The Knack and How to Get It (1966) and Jane Eyre (1971). Offscreen, Peter Copley was an sharp-witted law expert and part-time attorney who successfully handled several court cases in the '60s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi