James Cossins

James Cossins 4 December 1933 12 February 1997 was an English actor Born in Beckenham Kent he became widely recognised as the abrupt bewildered Mr Walt in the Fawlty Towers episode The Hotel Inspectors and as Mr Watson the frustrated Public Relations training course instructor in an episode of Some Mothers Do Ave Em Cossins was born in Beckenham and educated at the City of London School After serving in the Royal Air Force he trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he won the silver medal in 1952 Cossins first appeared in repertory theatre and at the Nottingham Playhouse He played a wide range of characters throughout his colourful and extensive career on television and stage often portraying blustering pompous crusty and cantankerous characters Cossins appeared in Charleys Aunt at the Apollo Theatre in 1971 with Tom Courtenay David Horovitch Garth Forwood Joanna McCallum and Celia Bannerman He appeared in more than forty films including The Anniversary recreating his West End stage role and The Lost Continent both 1968 Gandhi 1982 and The Man with the Golden Gun 1974 On the small screen Cossins appeared as a guest in a variety of shows including The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads Minder Bergerac The Sweeney Bless This House Shadows All Creatures Great and Small Citizen Smith Just William The Good Life L for Lester Neville Dennis in Callan Rules of the Game 1972 ZCars and as the regular character Bruce Westrop in 1979 in Emmerdale Farm He also played Major Bagstock in Dombey and Son 1983 and appeared in the first series of All in Good Faith in 1985 He played a magistrate in episodes of four different British sitcoms Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads The Good Life Citizen Smith and Minder Cossinss later appearances were limited by ill health and he lived in semiretirement in Surrey Cossins died from heart disease at the age of 63 in 1997