Who is James Cosmo? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: James Ronald Gordon Copeland

Age: 75 Years, 75 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Annie Harris (m. 2000)

father: James Copeland

mother: Helen Goodlet Findlay

children: Ethan Cosmo, Findlay Cosmo

Born Country: Scotland

Actors Scottish Men

Height: 6'2" (188 cm), 6'2" Males

Notable Alumni: The Royal Scottish Academy

More Facts

education: The Royal Scottish Academy

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Rise to Stardom

James Cosmo, who was neither interested in school nor the job he did at Arnott Young shipbreakers in Dalmuir, wanted to give acting a try after realizing that business or law was not for him. However, his actor father, with whom he was not particularly close, was not very encouraging, probably because he understood the struggles of the field. Nevertheless, he agreed to introduce James to the director of the series 'Dr Finlay’s Casebook', in which he was working at the time, adding, "After this, you are on your own, son”. Then a teenager, James took his mother's middle name Helen and changed his surname to Cosmo, and gave the opportunity his best, never to look back.

He began his television journey with roles such as Charlie Milne in 'Ransom for a Pretty Girl' (1966) and Dalmahoy in 'St. Ives' (1967), and also occasionally got small film roles like Jamie in 'Battle of Britain' (1969). In the following years, he had significant roles on television shows such as 'Orde Wingate', 'Warship', 'Midnight Is a Place', 'Dick Barton: Special Agent', 'Thundercloud', 'The Nightmare Man', 'King's Royal', 'Running Scared', 'Winners and Losers', 'The Justice Game' and 'The Sharp End'. One of his notable early film roles was as Angus Macleod in the 1986 fantasy action adventure film 'Highlander'. However, he had a major breakthrough when he got a call from Mel Gibson in 1994, following which he played the role of Campbell in 'Braveheart' in 1995.

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Later Career

Following the success of 'Braveheart', James Cosmo worked in films and on television consistently. Some of his later notable films include 'Trainspotting' (1996), 'One More Kiss' (1999), 'To End All Wars' (2001), 'All the Queen's Men' (2001), 'Troy' (2004), 'The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby' (2005), 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (2005), 'The Last Legion' (2007), 'The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising' (2007), '2081' (2009), 'Citadel' (2012) and 'Hammer of the Gods' (2013).

On television, he had major roles in 'Roughnecks', 'Ivanhoe', 'Ain't Misbehavin'', 'Soldier Soldier', 'Cleopatra', 'Rebus', and 'Little House on the Prairie'. Recently, he again earned recognition for working on popular television shows such as 'Sons of Anarchy' and 'Game of Thrones', and in the film 'Wonder Woman'. He also reprised his role in 'T2: Trainspotting'. Despite all the success he has achieved, he still cannot help feeling like an outsider who "never went to drama school" and "was getting away with it".

Family & Personal Life

James Cosmo was born as James Ronald Gordon Copeland on October 27, 1947, in Dumbarton Cottage Hospital, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, to actor James Copeland and his wife Helen. He has a sister named Laura. He attended Hartfield Primary School in Dumbarton. He and his sister lived with his mother in Glasgow until he was eight, when they travelled to London in a gypsy wagon to live with his father, who got work in West End theatre.

James Cosmo remembers playing cricket with Sean Connery on Hampstead Heath while his father drank in the pub with Peter O’Toole. He moved back to Glasgow at the age of 11, and while his parents did not split up, his mother took up job at Singers sewing machine factory in Clydebank. He attended school for some time, but eventually left "by mutual consent". He then worked at Arnott Young shipbreakers in Dalmuir. Even after he began working in theatre, he went back to the building site or took bar work in stints.

Talking to Stacy Francis on 'Celebrity Big Brother' in January 2017, James Cosmo said that he was a violent person before he met his current wife Annie Harris, a TV production secretary. James Cosmo and Annie Harris tied the knot on May 24, 2000. They have two children together, sons Ethan and Findlay. His older son Ethan has already begun acting.

James Cosmo Biography