James Cosmo – Everything you need to know about The Name Of The Rose actor and Game of Thrones star
JAMES Cosmo's career has spanned over 50 years - with his most recognised recent role being Jeor Mormont in Game of Thrones.
And now he's coming back to our screens in new BBC The Name of the Rose. Here's everything you need to know about James Cosmo...
Who is James Cosmo playing in The Name of the Rose?
James is taking on the role of Jorge of Burgos in the BBC miniseries.
The production is described by movie site IMDb as:
"In 1327, an enlightened friar and his young apprentice investigate a series of mysterious deaths at an abbey risking the wrath of a powerful Inquisitor.
"Television adaptation of Umberto Eco's novel 'The Name of the Rose'."
Who is James Cosmo?
James was born in Dunbartonshire, Scotland in May 1948 to actor father James Copeland, and grew up with acting in his blood.
He grew up between Highgate, north London and Clydebank, Scotland and one recalled that as a little boy “I used to play cricket with Sean Connery on Hampstead Heath and Dad was always in the pub with Peter O’Toole”.
He left school at 15 to work in a shipbreakers’ yard but decided to try his luck as an actor instead.
Is James married and what does he do in his spare time?
James has been married to wife Annie since 2000 and they have two sons, Findlay and Ethan.
They lived in Twickenham, south west London before moving to Chertsey in Surrey in the Nineties.
James likes to fly-fish and play archery, which he does with his good friend, radio presenter James Whale.
How did James Cosmo get into acting?
When he was 17 he landed a part in the Scottish drama series Dr Finlay’s Casebook, in which his father was starring.
He then made his made his movie debut when he was 21 in the 1969 war classic Battle of Britain, before getting bit parts in various films and TV shows.
He also starred as Alex Geddes in Scottish soap opera Take The High Road in the early Eighties.
Where did James get his big break?
In 1994 he got a called from Mel Gibson offering him a part in Braveheart – although he almost didn’t take the call.
Off the back of his role as Campbell in the Oscar-winning movie, Hollywood began to pay attention to James and the job offers began to flood in.
He went on to star in Troy alongside Brad Pitt, Brian Cox and Orlando Bloom, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
What has James Cosmo been in?
In 1995 he was cast a bit closer to home after he took the role of Mark Renton’s father in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting.
He has reprised the role for the 20th anniversary sequel, released in January 2017.
He also starred alongside fellow Scot Susan Boyle in The Christmas Candle.
James's most notable recent role came in the HBO award-winning drama Game of Thrones.
In 2011 he was cast as Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and spent most of his time filming in Belfast.
His character was killed off after a mutiny from the men of the Night Watch in 2013.
The Scottish actor's wider profile was boosted by his time on Celebrity Big Brother, where he came in fourth place.
He went on to star as Harry Woods alongside Control actor Sam Riley and Kate Bosworth in SS-GB, based on Len Deighton's novel.
In 2018 he appeared in Hold The Sunset and The Durrells on the BBC and ITV .
