The role which best epitomised James Cossins was the fussy, repressed
Brown in Die alles zur Sau machen (1971). He began movie
acting in the mid '60s and featured in such films as Richard Lester's
Wie ich den Krieg gewann (1967),
Hammer's
Bestien lauern vor Caracas (1968), the
Jack Wild vehicle Melody (1971) and the
aforementioned cult classic
Die alles zur Sau machen (1971) with Richard Burton. He
was also particular effective as a driving test examiner in the comedy
thriller Ein Pechvogel namens Otley (1969) with
Tom Courtenay.
His contribution was usually limited to no more than a few minutes of
screentime but he was always effective. On television he was quite
prolific putting in appearances in, to name just a few,
Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone (1961),
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973),
Bless This House (1971),
Jim Bergerac ermittelt (1981),
Der Aufpasser (1979) and perhaps most
memorably,
Das verrückte Hotel - Fawlty Towers (1975). He was a
specialist in officious, blustering characters. In 1974 he joined a
number of British character actors to have featured in a Bond movie,
playing Colthorpe in
Der Mann mit dem goldenen Colt (1974).
It was five years before he returned to cinema screens in
Der große Eisenbahnraub (1978).
After appearing as Lord Carnaryon in
Der Fluch der Sphinx (1981) he made his last big film in
1982, Gandhi (1982), though he was far
down the cast list. Two more films of little note were to follow,
Diebstahl im großen Stil (1987) and
Immaculate Conception (1992)
before his final appearance in the TV movie
Unnatural Causes (1993)
in 1993. He died in 1997.
