Paul Copley
Acting
1944-11-25 · Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, England, UK
Paul is a long established and much respected British actor and voiceover artist. Born in Denby Dale, West Riding of Yorkshire, on 25th November 1944 he grew up beside a dairy farm. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family. He went to Penistone Grammar School, then the Northern Counties College of Education in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he received an Associate of the Drama Board (ADB) in Drama. He taught English and Drama in Walthamstow, before he joined the Leeds Playhouse Theatre-in-education Company in 1971. In 1976, Paul won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a New Play for his role in John Wilson's For King and Country. With many and varied roles to follow, Paul soon established himself as one of the UK's leading stage, film, television and radio actors. In 2011-2015 Paul gained worldwide recognition appearing in 16 episodes of the hugely popular television series Downton Abbey playing the popular role of farmer Mr Mason. Paul is married to the actress Natasha Pyne. They married in 1972, after both performing in a Leeds Playhouse production of Frank Wedekind's Lulu, adapted by Peter Barnes, directed by Bill Hays in 1971.
Filmography
Big Winners
2025 · Movie
Play for Today
2025 · Series
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
2025 · Movie
Rose Ayling-Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks
2025 · Series
Ticker
2023 · Movie
DI Ray
2022 · Series
Downton Abbey: A New Era
2022 · Movie
The Infectious Imagination of Henry Bramble
2021 · Movie
Enola Holmes
2020 · Movie
Ropeless
2020 · Movie
On the Edge
2018 · Series
Trust Me
2017 · Series
Broken
2017 · Series
Reg
2016 · Movie
The Nest Egg
2016 · Movie
The Sound of Music Live!
2015 · Movie
The Coroner
2015 · Series
Code of a Killer
2015 · Series
The 12 Days of Christine
2015 · Movie
Inside No. 9
2014 · Series
Father Brown
2013 · Series
Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork
2013 · Series
Last Tango in Halifax
2012 · Series
First Encounter: King Lear
2012 · Movie
White Heat
2012 · Series
Call the Midwife
2012 · Series
Vera
2011 · Series
Downton Abbey
2010 · Series
Moving On
2009 · Series
Survivors
2008 · Series
Inspector George Gently
2008 · Series
The Shadow in the North
2007 · Movie
Kingdom
2007 · Series
Torchwood
2006 · Series
When Kim & Aggie Went To Hospital
2006 · Movie
The Street
2006 · Series
Johnny and the Bomb
2006 · Series
Life on Mars
2006 · Series
Marian, Again
2005 · Movie
Dead Man Weds
2005 · Series
Shameless
2004 · Series
New Tricks
2004 · Series
The Key
2003 · Movie
How Clean Is Your House?
2003 · Series
Burn It
2003 · Series
The Afternoon Play
2003 · Series
The Royal
2003 · Series
Hornblower: Duty
2003 · Movie
Hornblower: Loyalty
2003 · Movie
Nice Guy Eddie
2002 · Series
Born and Bred
2002 · Series
The Many Lives of Albert Walker
2002 · Movie
Waking the Dead
2001 · Series
Messiah
2001 · Series
Hornblower: Retribution
2001 · Movie
Hornblower: Mutiny
2001 · Movie
Blow Dry
2001 · Movie
Hornblower: The Frogs and the Lobsters
1999 · Movie
Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil
1999 · Movie
Queer as Folk
1999 · Series
Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant
1998 · Movie
The Worst Witch
1998 · Series
Hornblower
1998 · Series
Hornblower: The Even Chance
1998 · Movie
Written in Blood
1998 · Movie
The Lakes
1997 · Series
Midsomer Murders
1997 · Series
This Life
1996 · Series
Dalziel and Pascoe
1996 · Series
Silent Witness
1996 · Series
Jude
1996 · Movie
Roughnecks
1994 · Series
A Pinch of Snuff
1994 · Movie
The Remains of the Day
1993 · Movie
Cracker
1993 · Series
Harry
1993 · Series
Peak Practice
1993 · Series
Heartbeat
1992 · Series
How's Business
1991 · Movie
Stay Lucky
1989 · Series
The Paradise Club
1989 · Series
Testimony of a Child
1989 · Movie
Young Charlie Chaplin
1989 · Series
Theban Plays: Oedipus at Colonus
1986 · Movie
Casualty
1986 · Series
Silas Marner
1985 · Movie
The Bright Side
1985 · Series
Which Side Are You On?
1985 · Movie
Bird Fancier
1985 · Movie
The Bill
1984 · Series
Big Deal
1984 · Series
The Gathering Seed
1983 · Series
Doll’s Eye
1983 · Movie
Ends and Means
1983 · Movie
Ghost in the Water
1982 · Movie
P.Q. 17
1981 · Movie
A Room for the Winter
1981 · Movie
Tenko
1981 · Series
West End Tales
1981 · Series
A Brush with Mr. Porter on the Road to El Dorado
1981 · Movie
Happy
1980 · Movie
Death of a Princess
1980 · Movie
Minder
1979 · Series
Cries from a Watchtower
1979 · Movie
Black Jack
1979 · Movie
Turning Year Tales
1979 · Series
Zulu Dawn
1979 · Movie
After Julius
1979 · Series
Pillion
1979 · Movie
On a Paving Stone Mounted
1978 · Movie
Travellers
1978 · Movie
Strangers
1978 · Series
Mucking Out
1978 · Movie
The Turkey Who Lives on the Hill
1978 · Movie
Destiny
1978 · Movie
Some Enchanted Evening
1978 · Movie
A Christmas Carol
1977 · Movie
Treasure Island
1977 · Series
Premiere
1977 · Series
BBC2 Play of the Week
1977 · Series
Secret Army
1977 · Series
A Bridge Too Far
1977 · Movie
Arnhem: The Story of an Escape
1976 · Movie
The Chester Mystery Plays
1976 · Movie
Trinity Tales
1975 · Series
Days of Hope
1975 · Series
Alfie Darling
1975 · Movie
Diane
1975 · Movie
Churchill's People
1974 · Series
Playhouse
1974 · Series
Second City Firsts
1973 · Series
Father Dear Father
1973 · Movie
Speech Day
1973 · Movie
Play for Today
1970 · Series
ITV Playhouse
1967 · Series
BBC Play of the Month
1965 · Series
Dangerous Journey
Movie