# Trevor Cooper
**Trevor Cooper** (born 1953 in London, England) is an English actor whose career of more than four decades spans stage, television, film, radio, and voiceover, with screen roles including Colin Devis in *Star Cops*, Len Clifton in *This Country*, and Sergeant Wolfe in *Call the Midwife*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178430) • [2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953, London, England, UK[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178430) |
| Earlier career | Studied law at Kingston Polytechnic, gained a masters degree in Law at Warwick University, and lectured in law at South Bank Polytechnic before turning to acting[3](https://www.kaldorcity.com/people/tcinterview.html) |
| Signature TV role | Colin Devis in *Star Cops* (1987), reprised in Big Finish audio and podcast versions from 2018[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178430) |
| Comedy role | Len Clifton in *This Country*, three series, 11 episodes, written by and starring his niece and nephew Daisy May and Charlie Cooper[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) • [4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/trevor_cooper/) |
| Notable films | *Gangs of New York*, *Drowning by Numbers*, *Happy-Go-Lucky*, *Somers Town*, *Wuthering Heights* (1992)[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) |
| Radio | Winner of the Carleton Hobbs Award for radio drama; seasons with the BBC radio rep company[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) |
| Training | The Drama Studio, Ealing[5](https://www.ahatalent.co.uk/actor/trevor-cooper/) |
## Route into acting
Cooper's path to the stage ran through law. While studying law at Kingston Polytechnic he became involved with the department's theater work, writing a panto one year and then taking the lead role of Macheath in a student production of *The Threepenny Opera*. During rehearsals he concluded that acting could be a livelihood, though he had not considered it before and says he hated law and lawyers.[3](https://www.kaldorcity.com/people/tcinterview.html)
After completing a masters degree in law at Warwick University, he lectured in law for two years at South Bank Polytechnic intending to save money for drama school; instead, by his own account, he spent the earnings on gambling, took out a bank loan, and repaid it over the following decade.[3](https://www.kaldorcity.com/people/tcinterview.html) Soho Voices, his voice agency, dates his formal departure from a law career to 1979.[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) His agent's page lists his training as the Drama Studio in Ealing.[5](https://www.ahatalent.co.uk/actor/trevor-cooper/)
## Television
**Early career.** Cooper's screen work from the early 1980s includes *[Minder](https://www.edgepedia.org/minder-tv-series)*, *Baal*, *Moonlighting*, *Smiley's People*, and recurring roles in *The Bill* across several years, playing five different characters in that series.[6](https://wolfblood.fandom.com/wiki/Trevor_Cooper) His part in *Doctor Who*'s "Revelation of the Daleks" (1985) came after director Graeme Harper was steered toward him; Cooper recalled competing for the role against the substantially larger actor [Pat Roach](https://www.edgepedia.org/pat-roach), and Harper chose him, telling him he was "more interesting".[3](https://www.kaldorcity.com/people/tcinterview.html)
In 1987 he played Colin Devis, the head of Star Cop law enforcement, in the BBC science fiction series *Star Cops*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178430) More than thirty years later he reprised the character in audio form, recording four seasons of *Star Cops* for Big Finish along with other [Doctor Who](https://www.edgepedia.org/doctor-who) audio productions.[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/)
**Comedy and later television.** Cooper became a familiar supporting presence in British comedy. His credits include *Drop the Dead Donkey*, *Chelmsford 123*, *A Perfect State*, *Duck Patrol*, *Trevor's World of Sport*, *Fortysomething*, *The Wrong Mans*, *Ballot Monkeys*, *Boomers*, and *Inside No. 9*, where he played George Waterhouse in "The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge".[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/trevor_cooper/) In the mockumentary series *This Country* he played Len Clifton across three series and the 2018 special, a total of 11 episodes.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/trevor_cooper/) The series was written by and stars his niece [Daisy May Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/daisy-may-cooper) and nephew [Charlie Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-cooper-actor).[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) He also appeared in *The Windsors* Royal Wedding Special in 2018 and as Derek in *The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin* in 2024.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/trevor_cooper/)
In drama he played Sergeant Wolfe in three seasons of *Call the Midwife*.[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) Other television work includes *Vikings* as Earl Bjarni, *Downton Abbey*, *Wolfblood* as Grandad MacKenzie in the fifth series, *Hetty Feather*, *Partners in Crime*, and the 2022 *Why Didn't They Ask Evans?* adaptation as the Coroner.[5](https://www.ahatalent.co.uk/actor/trevor-cooper/) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/14803/trevor-cooper)
## Film and theater
Cooper's film work ranges from [Peter Greenaway](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-greenaway)'s *Drowning by Numbers* (1988) and Martin Scorsese's *Gangs of New York* to [Mike Leigh](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-leigh)'s *Happy-Go-Lucky* (2008) and [Shane Meadows](https://www.edgepedia.org/shane-meadows)'s *Somers Town* (2009); he also appeared in Terence Davies's *A Quiet Passion* (2016), *Vanity Fair*, *Dear Wendy*, and *The Emperor's New Clothes*.[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) • [4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/trevor_cooper/)
On stage he has worked extensively at the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company), the National Theatre, and in the West End. His theater credits include the Olivier Award-winning productions *Chimerica* (Almeida and West End), *Death of a Salesman* (Young Vic and West End), and [Martin McDonagh](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-mcdonagh)'s *The Lieutenant of Inishmore* (RSC and West End). He appeared off Broadway with [Michael Gambon](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-gambon) and Eileen Atkins in *All That Fall*, and in 2005 played Arthur Barraclough in David Edgar's *Playing With Fire* at the National Theatre's Olivier, directed by Michael Attenborough.[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178430)
## Radio and voice work
Cooper won the Carleton Hobbs Award for radio drama and spent seasons with the BBC radio repertory company.[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/) He was a writer on the [BBC Radio 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-radio-2) sketch show *The News Huddlines* in the early 1980s, credited across three of its series.[4](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/trevor_cooper/) In voiceover he recorded several television advertisements for Made.com, and his agency lists his delivery style as conversational, deep, and reassuring, in an accent classed as English-South.[2](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/)
## References
1. [Trevor Cooper (I) – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0178430)
2. [Trevor Cooper – Soho Voices](https://sohovoices.co.uk/artists/trevor-cooper/)
3. [Rough Justice: Interview with Trevor Cooper – Kaldor City](https://www.kaldorcity.com/people/tcinterview.html)
4. [Trevor Cooper – British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/trevor_cooper/)
5. [Trevor Cooper – AHA Talent](https://www.ahatalent.co.uk/actor/trevor-cooper/)
6. [Trevor Cooper – Wolfblood Wiki](https://wolfblood.fandom.com/wiki/Trevor_Cooper)
7. [Trevor Cooper – TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/14803/trevor-cooper)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames C to D*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license