Farewell to my old mate Arfur: Dennis Waterman leads tributes as fellow Minder star George Cole dies at 90 - months after asking director to hurry up because he wanted to make one more film before he died

• Veteran actor George Cole celebrated his 90th birthday in April this year
• Died at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading with family at his bedside
• Had hoped to star in another film and had urged director to 'get a move on'
• Dennis Waterman described him as one of the 'nicest blokes in the world' and said 'we loved working together'

By Sam Matthew for MailOnline

Published: 05:20 EST, 6 August 2015 | Updated: 07:48 EST, 13 August 2015

Veteran actor George Cole – best known as loveable rogue Arthur Daley from the TV series Minder - has died aged 90 

Mr Cole passed away in hospital with his wife and son at his bedside, following a short illness.

His career has spanned more than 70 years and before his death he had urged a director to 'get a move on,' because he wanted to make one more film.

Scroll down for video 

George Cole -  best known for his portray of Arthur Daley in the ITV drama Minder - has died aged 90

Spencer Hawken told how he had spoken to the veteran star last year to tell him the movie, Road Rage, had been delayed.

'The last time I spoke to George was to let him know the movie had been delayed and he said 'please get a move on, I would like to make another movie before I die',' he said.

'I am absolutely mortified.'

Cole is best remembered for his portrayal of small-time wheeler dealer and crook Arthur Daley in the TV show Minder, alongside his likeable bodyguard Terry McCann, played by Dennis Waterman.

The show, which ran from on and off from 1979 to 1994, brought the criminal underworld of west London to millions of homes up and down the country. 

Paying tribute to Cole, Waterman said: 'F***ing hell it's a long time we've known each other.

'He was just one of the nicest blokes in the world and we loved working together.' 

In a statement, Waterman added: 'I am so sad to hear of George's death. His family must be devastated, and I am absolutely certain that anybody who ever knew him, will feel the same.

'I'm so grateful to have been a friend of this wonderful man. We worked together for many years and my boast is that we laughed all day, every day.

'He was an amazing man, a wonderful actor and besotted with his family. I had the privilege of spending Tuesday afternoon with him and Penny and, although very frail, his wit was as evident as ever. Farewell old friend.'

 It was understood his former co-star was informed of his death last night.

Derek Webster, who represents Waterman said: 'It is with deep regret that I have to announce the sad death of one of our most loved and respected actors.

'George Cole passed away yesterday at the Royal Berkshire Hospital after a short illness. His wife Penny and his son Toby were with him at his bedside.' 

Fellow stars of stage and screen have also paid tribute to the actor, describing him as 'immaculate' and 'unforgettable'. 

Sir Roger Moore said: 'How sad to hear George Cole has gone to that great cutting room in the sky. A lovely actor. A gentleman'.

Veteran actor: Mr Cole was lined-up to star in the movie Road Rage when he passed away 

Mr Cole passed away at Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, Berkshire,  with his wife Penny by his bedside

Family portrait: George Cole pictured with wife Penny, daughter Tara and son Toby in the 1980s

George Cole delivers Arthur Daley's Goodbye Message 1994

Minder came to an end after 107 episodes. Pictured: Cole and Waterman in the hit show

Little Britain comic Matt Lucas said he lived in Cole's old home, writing on Twitter: 'When I found out that George Cole used to live in our flat, I dug out my old Minder poster.'

He added: 'I was such a fan of Minder that me and my friend Nick infiltrated the set in 1991 and got ourselves onscreen!'

And The League Of Gentlemen and Doctor Who star Mark Gatiss said: 'A fond farewell to the marvellous George Cole. Immaculate as the young Scrooge, joyous as Flash Harry, unforgettable as Arthur Daley. RIP.'

Eastenders actress Hannah Waterman, whose father starred alongside Cole, wrote: 'Just heard George Cole has died #devastated such a huge part of my childhood I loved him. My thoughts are with penny and the kids x'

Tony Hall, director general of the BBC, said: 'George Cole was a wonderful actor and he has a very special place in the public's affection. He will be greatly missed.'

Danny Cohen, director of BBC Television, added: 'Growing up I never missed Minder. It was one of the most loved and cherished dramas of its generation, with George Cole at its heart.

'British television and cinema salutes George Cole.' 

Born in 1925 Cole, who was adopted as a baby and grew up in Morden, south London, began his career in musical theatre when he left school, before getting his break in films in the 1940s.

As a 14-year-old he was taken in by comedy star Alastair Sim and his wife Naomi, who became a second mother to him, and Cole went on to star in a series of films and theatre shows with the Scottish star.

Cole appeared in the 1943 film The Demi-Paradise opposite Laurence Olivier and in Olivier's film version of Henry V the following year, before serving with the Royal Air Force from 1944 to 1947.

His role as the spiv 'Flash Harry' in four of the St Trinian's films in the 1950s proved an early prototype for his Arthur Daley character, and he played the character Flavius in the 1963 epic Cleopatra, opposite Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison.  

'ONE OF THE NICEST BLOKES IN THE WORLD,' DENNIS WATERMAN PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS GREAT FRIEND

Dennis Waterman today paid tribute to Minder co-star George Cole, 'one of the nicest blokes in the world', who has died aged 90. 

Waterman, 67, who played bodyguard 'Terry' alongside Cole's 'Arthur Daley' for nearly a decade, said the pair remained great friends until his death.

He last saw Cole and his wife Penny on Tuesday when he visited the couple at their home. 

'I popped down on Tuesday afternoon. Penny greeted me at the front door and said 'This is going to come as a shock to you. He's very, very frail.''

'It was a bit of a shock he was looking so very frail.

'Penny asked if he would like a drink. He said: 'I'd like a bottle of whisky, but I know you wont give me that.''

'One of the the nicest blokes in the world': Dennis Waterman, pictured with George Cole in Minder, pays tribute to the star

He added he was grateful to have seen George so close to his death: 'I was unbelievably lucky to say I would pop down on Tuesday.'

Speaking after Cole's death was announced this afternoon Waterman said: 'F***ing hell it's a long time we've known each other.

'He was just one of the nicest blokes in the world and we loved working together.'

The pair remained good friends after Waterman left the show in 1989.

The pair first met on the Minder set in 1981, after Waterman's rise to fame in The Sweeney.

'When I was first told he was going to do Minder my first thought was 'he's too posh', but then I heard he was born in Tooting.

'Whenever I talk about Minder I guiltily have to say when me and George worked together we laughed all day long.

'When we first met we had three days of seeing how the other bloke worked and saw how similar we were and we got on like a house on fire.

'He was just a wonderful, smashing, lovely man.'

Great Friends: The pair remained close, even after Waterman left the show

The hit show ran for 15 years, with over 100 episode across 10 seasons.

Cole played the leading character, Daley, throughout with audiences peaking at over 16 million.

His co-star said: 'When you start a TV series we didn't think how it's going to turn out. Then you get going and you think 'this is quite good', then Minder became huge.

'George always took it in his stride, he didn't got to all the social events, he liked to go home.

'Every third Friday I made him go to the pub and have a drink with the crew.

'He was tired of drivers always getting lost taking him home so he would drive himself. He would say I'll buy everyone a drink and then I'll go home and finish off a bottle.

'But he was totally loved by everyone who worked with him.'

Cole became a household name for his portrayal of the dodgy second-hand car dealer.

'George always said there was nothing of Arthur Daley in him - that was slightly untrue, he made a few quid here and there when he was in the RAF, if you know what I mean,' Waterman said.

Minder returned to screens with a remake in 2009 starring Shane Ritchie.

However the original wheeler-dealer kept tight-lipped about his opinion on modern crime drama.

'He didn't talk about it that much. On Tuesday afternoon I did talk to Penny (Cole's wife) about how little there is to watch on telly.'

Cole lived in Oxfordshire for most of his life and dedicated himself to his private passions after stepping back from acting.

Waterman said: 'He loved horse racing, that was his big hobby, crosswords and his family.

'George was quite difficult to get out of his house, that was where he was happiest.'  

Star in the making: Wearing a flat cap,  a young George Cole, right, and the rising star at 26-years-old, left 

Cole playing the spiv 'Flash Harry' in The Pure Hell of St Trinian's alongside Dawn Beret

Big screen: George Cole starring in the 1953 British comedy film Will Any Gentleman

Mr Cole pictured starring alongside fellow veteran actor David Jason in 1987

During the 1970s Mr Cole became a sought after actor and regularly appeared on both the big and small screen. 

He first appeared with his Minder co-star Dennis Waterman in the 1971 film Freight. 

Just eight years later they were cast together in the hit ITV show, Minder.

The twice married star was awarded an O.B.E. in 1992 for services to drama

Cole's character, an ambitious but feckless small-time crook, spent each episode dreaming up another get-rich-quick scheme while avoiding the attentions of the police - in the form of Patrick Malahide's Mr Chisholm - and the never seen but often mentioned 'er indoors. 

It was one of the most popular programmes of the decade, garnering around 17.5 million viewers at its peak. 

In 1983 its stars even entered the charts with their duet 'What Are We Gonna Get 'Er Indoors?' which reached number 21.

Waterman eventually left the show, with Gary Webster stepping into the role for the last two series.

Minder came to an end after 15 years and 107 episodes because Cole wanted to spend more time with his own 'Er Indoors - his wife Penny.

Mr Cole, who was awarded an O.B.E by the Queen for services to drama in 1992, was twice married.

He continued working in later life, taking guest roles in shows such as Midsomer Murders, New Tricks - which also starred Waterman - and Heartbeat.

In January last year Mrs Cole told how her husband had become 'deeply depressed' after becoming embroiled in a dispute with a neighbour.

He was said to have become sick with worry about a saw mill being built next to him home in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

'This is the last thing we need. It has made us both unwell,' Mrs Cole said.

'George has fallen and knocked himself and he is on hefty medication for other health problems. This is shaking what he values.'  

GEORGE COLE HAD A GLITTERING SHOWBIZ CAREER THAT SPANNED 70 YEARS  

George Cole pictured with Dennis Waterman

The Minder star was just 10 days old when he was put up for adoption and went to live with the Cole family.

He grew up in a council flat in Morden, south London, and started performing music hall routines on stage as a child with his parents who were both amateur musicians. 

He began acting when he left school aged 14 and got a job as an understudy in a musical in Blackpool, sharing his dressing room with the animal extras - two goats and six pigeons.

In 1941, at 15, he got his first major role in Cottage to Let, where he starred alongside Alastair Sim.

While still a teenager Sim took Cole under his wing - plucking the young actor from Blitz-hit London and took him in to his Oxfordshire home as an unofficial evacuee.

He stayed with Scottish star and his family until he was in his late 20s and attributed his early success to his mentor.

In total they appeared in 11 films together, including St Trinian's - a series based on the fictional girls' school created by cartoonist Ronald Searle

Cole appeared in the 1943 film The Demi-Paradise opposite Laurence Olivier and in Olivier's film version of Henry V the following year, before serving with the Royal Air Force from 1944 to 1947. 

He found real fame in the 1950s playing wheeler-dealer Flash Harry in the St Trinian's films, but will be best remembered for his part playing another cockney wideboy decades later.

His portrayal of camel-coated, cigar-puffing used car salesman Arthur Daley entertained viewers for more than 10 years with millions tuning in to watch him and Dennis Waterman's Terry McCann - the long-suffering minder of the title.

The show attracted around 17.5 million viewers at its peak and was shown in 70 countries. 

Daley-isms such as 'nice little earner' became a regular part of the language. 

His ''Er Indoors' catch-phrase was even adopted into the Oxford Dictionary of modern slang, meaning 'one's wife or girlfriend, a domineering woman'. 

But when Waterman was cast before George Cole he suggested Denholm Elliott for the role of Daley. He thought Cole would be too 'posh'.  

Guest stars included Adam Faith, Jimmy Nail, Suzi Quatro, Billy Connolly and Jackie Collins. No-one ever turned down a cameo role. 

Waterman eventually left the show, which ran from 1979 to 1994, with Gary Webster stepping into the role for the last two series.  

He went on to be a regular on stage, screen and radio and worked almost non-stop for more than 70 years. 

Cole, who was made an OBE in 1992, was twice married.

He tied the knot with actress Eileen Moore in 1954 and the couple divorced in 1962. Five years later he and Penny Morrell  said 'I do,' and the couple remained happily married until his death. 

In 2013 he published his autobiography The World Was My Lobster. 

Comments (1189)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now