Background
Copley was born in Denby Dale, West Riding of Yorkshire, and grew up beside a dairy farm there. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family.
Copley was born in Denby Dale, West Riding of Yorkshire, and grew up beside a dairy farm there. 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 (Asian Development Bank) in Drama. He taught English and Drama in Walthamstow, before he joined the Leeds Playhouse Theatre-in-education Company in 1971. After appearing as Private Wicks in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, he played a small but noticeable role in Zulu Dawn in 1979 as Cpl Storey in the British Army.
In 1980 he appeared in the controversial ATV drama Death of a Princess, playing a British witness to the killing of an Arabian princess and her lover.
He has played Matthews in Hornblower, Ian in Roughnecks and Jerry in This Life and Peter Quinlan in The Lakes. In the critically acclaimed Queer as Folk he played Nathan Maloney"s father, Big Finish"s July 2002 Doctor Who story Spare Parts and in Shameless as a water sports enthusiast.
In 1980 he appeared in the highly successful comedy drama series Minder playing George Palmer in episode The Old School Tie. He narrates the Channel 4 programme, How Clean is Your House?.
He featured in the Independent Television children"s hit show "Best Friends" 5 episodes in 2005-2006, playing the grandfather.
He is a noted perennial Radio 4 radio play actor, usually in gritty or romantic plays or series about hard-working folk set in the north of England, often repeated on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 Extra. Whenever a genial Yorkshire accent has been cast in the British Broadcasting Corporation radio drama department, he has often been summoned. Covering ten series and some seventy six episodes, this ran on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 from 1985 to 1998.
He also narrated the 1985 Yorkshire Television nine part serial adaptation of The Pilgrim"s Progress entitled Dangerous Journey.
On 13 February 2006, Copley appeared as an angry hostage-taker in an episode of the crime drama Life on Mars. Copley appeared in the television Soap Coronation Street on 8 August 2007, portraying a character called Ivor Priestley, and in the television adaptation of The Worst Witch (television series) by Jill Murphy, as wizard and former-frog, Algernon Rowan-Webb.
From 1998 to 2003 appeared as Mathews in the Meridian Television series Hornblower
In 2009 he appeared in the third series of British Broadcasting Corporation One show Torchwood. In 2010 he appeared in an episode of British Broadcasting Corporation One show Casualty and Survivors.
In 2011-2015 he appeared in 16 episodes as Mr.
Mason William Mason"s father in Downton Abbey, and in 2012 played Alan in White Heat. In 2014 he played the part of Malcolm Kenrich in the episode "On Harbour Street" of the television series Vera. He is currently narrating for the Channel 5 programme "The Railway - First Great Western" of which there are 12 episodes.
He also features as the father in Tom Wrigglesworth"s Hang-Ups, a comedy on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4.