Graham Cole

{{Infobox person

|image = Graham Cole (background mod).jpg

|image_size = 200px

|caption = Cole at the 3rd Norwich Sci-Fi Film, Comic, Toy & Collectors Fair on 1 November 2009.

|honorific_suffix = OBE

|birth_name = Graham Coleman-Smith

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1952|3|16}}

|birth_place = Willesden, Middlesex, England

|occupation = Actor

|years active = 1976–present

|spouse = {{marriage|Cherry Coleman-Smith|1983}}

|children = 2

}}

Graham Cole OBE (born Graham Coleman-Smith on 16 March 1952) is an English actor.

Early life

Cole was born in Willesden, Middlesex in 1952 to Victor and Freda Coleman-Smith (née Coleman), the youngest of three children.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

Career

He appeared in numerous episodes of Doctor Who in the early 1980s, often in uncredited roles, such as Marshman and then a Cyberman in Earthshock. He has also played Melkur in The Keeper of Traken and finally a Jacondan in The Twin Dilemma. He also made a guest appearance in the final series of Sooty and Co as a detective called Maurice and in Only Fools and Horses as a Spanish customs official. His first film appearance was in the James Bond film The Living Daylights in 1987. Cole then appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as one of Walter Donovan's henchmen, who escort Indiana Jones to their boss's New York apartment.{{Cite tweet |user=GrahamcoleAct |number=368483388698546177 |title=Just to prove It was me honest}}

He is best known as PC Tony Stamp in the ITV police drama The Bill, a role he played initially as a recurring character from 1984, and then as a regular from 1988 until 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/drama/the-bill/interviews/a-quick-chat-with-the-bill-stalwart-graham-cole/7294|title=A Quick Chat with Graham Cole|date=2009-10-27|publisher=TV Quick|accessdate=2009-11-03|location=United Kingdom}} Cole appeared in more episodes of the programme than any other actor, appearing in 1,202 episodes. He had previously spent 12 years in Repertory Theatre, and musicals.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

He presented and narrated the police video programme Police Stop!. He appeared regularly on Noel's House Party in sketches with Andrew Paul. Cole has also made a guest appearance in ITV series Law & Order: UK as a barman in one episode.

File:GColePanto.jpg in 2015]]

In his early career in the late 1970s Cole appeared as the Emperor of China in a season of Aladdin at the Grand Theatre in Swansea. Other pantomime appearances have included the role of "Beast" in Beauty & The Beast at the Woodville Halls in Gravesend, Kent. He played Scrooge at Garrick Theatre, Lichfield in 2012 and Abanazer for Theatre Royal, Norwich, 2013–2014. He played General Waverley in Irving Berlin's White Christmas at The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. He later returned to the role at The Dominion Theatre, London.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

Cole starred in the gangster-horror film Evil Never Dies in 2014, as DI David Bracken, a film that also starred Katy Manning, P.H. Moriarty and former The Bill colleague Tony Scannell. Cole made appearances in Doctors (2015) and Holby City (2018), before starring in the romantic-drama film 23 Walks in 2020 with Alison Steadman.

Personal life

Cole is a member of the showbusiness charity the Grand Order of Water Rats and held the title King Rat in 2009. He is President of the National Holiday Fund, which takes sick and disabled children to Disney World in Florida. He has been a patron of ChildLine for over 25 years and is the president of Greater London South East Scout County.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

Cole supports emergency service charities with his patronage. He is a patron of the Orphans' Gift Fund South East London Boroughs of the Constables Branch Board of the Metropolitan Police. He is a Voluntary Police Cadets ambassador.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1997 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel.{{Cite web |title=This Is Your Life[06/10/97] (1997) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8af9f43e |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223000620/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8af9f43e |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 February 2023 |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=BFI |language=en}}

Cole was awarded an OBE in 2010 for his continuing work with charities. He is married and has two children.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

Filmography

=Film=

Year	Title	Role	Notes
class="wikitable sortable"
1987	The Living Daylights	Agent	Uncredited
1987	Hope and Glory	Audience Member	Uncredited
1989	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade	Henchman	Uncredited
1997	The Usual Children	Dad
2010 \|Derelict \|Tarsus \|Short film
2014	Evil Never Dies	DI David Bracken
2016 \|Zunz \|Melville \|Short film
2020	23 Walks	Jimmy
2022 \|Broken Glass \|Tom \|Short film

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"

!Year

!Title

!Role

! class="unsortable" |Notes

1976

|The Canal Children

|Mick Murphy

|Episode: "Poor Man's Morris"

1979

|Secret Army

|German soldier in cafe

Guerilla (uncredited)

|2 episodes

1980

|Citizen Smith

|Uncredited

|Episode: "Prisoners"

1981

|Kessler

|Hotel surveillance man

1981

|Blake's 7

|Federation Trooper

Gerren's Associate

|2 episodes

1982

|Smiley's People

|Agent in office (uncredited)

|Episode: "A Mother's Assistance"

1982

|Only Fools and Horses

|Customers Officer

|Episode: "It Never Rains..."

1983

|Rumpole of the Bailey

|Pressman (uncredited)

|Episode: "Rumpole and the Old Boy Net"

1984

|Tucker's Luck

|2nd Policeman

|Episode: "The Hump"

1984

|Minder

|Party Guest (uncredited)

|Episode: "A Well Fashioned Fit-Up"

1980–1984

|Doctor Who

|Various

|22 episodes

1984

|Fresh Fields

|Mr. Winter (uncredited)

|Episode: "Something in the Oven"

1984

|The Young Ones

|Ghost Body (uncredited)

|Episode: "Cash"

1982–1984

|The Gentle Touch

|Detective

Gay Vigilante (uncredited)

|2 episodes

1986

|Casualty

|Junior Doctor

|Episode: "Gas"

1982–1987

|The Kenny Everett Television Show

|Bus Passenger

|2 episodes

1988

|Crossfire

|Terrorist (uncredited)

|Episode: "The Motive, Not the Deed"

1988

|Hot Metal

|Crucible employee (uncredited)

|Episode: "Crown of Thorns"

1998

|Sooty & Co.

|Maurice

|Episode: "Delgrub"

1992–1999

|Noel's House Party

|Man at the Door

|7 episodes

2001

|Sooty

|Police Detective

2004

|The Bill @ 21

|PC Tony Stamp

|Television film

A two day event to celebrate the 21st anniversary of 'The Bill', including episodes, clips and specially filmed intros by past and present cast members

2007

|The Dame Edna Treatment

|Tony Stamp

|Episode: #1.6

1984–2009

|The Bill

|PC Tony Stamp

|1206 episodes

2012

|Doctor Who: The Lost Stories

|Ebbko

|Episode: "The Guardians of Prophecy"