British Actor George Cole, Dies at 90

   LONDON — British actor George Cole, best known for his role as a dishonest businessman in TV series “Minder,” died Wednesday at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, U.K., after a short illness. He was 90.

   Cole played the part of lovable rogue Arthur Daley in “Minder,” in which he starred alongside Dennis Waterman, for 16 years. Cole was BAFTA-nominated for the role in 1983 and 1985. The show often drew audiences of 17 million.

   Cole played another crooked character, Flash Harry, in four movies in the original “St. Trinian’s” school comedy franchise, which ran in the 1950s and ’60s. Other actors appearing in the films included Alastair Sim and Joyce Grenfell.

   “He was one of those characters you never thought you are going to be without, both as an actor and a character,” Cole’s agent Derek Webster told the BBC. “He was a great guy to work with and a real genuine gentleman.”

---- Extract from Variety