"In Memoriam..."

George Cole as "Arthur Daley" in "Minder"

Legendary British actor George Cole died last month at age 90.  Although George Cole was not well known on this side of the pond despite several Hollywood roles, I knew his career well...

As a lonely and reserved teenager and later a young man struggling to deal with the reality of my being gay, I sought solace in television and films.  Here in Detroit in the 70s, 80s and 90s there was an incredible variety of television available due to our proximity to Canada.  Just across the Detroit River lies Windsor, Ontario and CBET-TV channel 9, part of the Canadian CBC network. Interestingly in those bygone days of broadcast television, CBET-9 famously had the strongest TV signal in the greater Detroit area due it's transmitter being located on the Windsor side of the Detroit riverfront.

The CBC ran many British television programs concurrently with their run in the UK (Coronation Street is still a mainstay on the network).  In addition, our local PBS affiliate, WTVS ran many older UK series ("Doctor In The House," "Are You Being Served?," etc) in the evenings and late night.  As a result, I became a fan of many British shows and one of the most memorable of these and perhaps the one that most influenced my young life was "Minder" starring George Cole as the inimitable "Arthur Daley," shady London wheeler-dealer.

"Minder" was one of the UK's most popular dramedy series throughout it's run from 1979 through the 90s. It's still incredibly popular in syndicated re-runs in Britain and surprisingly in Germany.  At the time I was so captivated with the show that I literally wanted to be "Arthur Daley."  In the 90s. I was a bit of a wheeler-dealer and real estate investor myself, and in homage to my love for the show "Minder," I named my holding company after "Arthur."

Yesterday, while watching "Minder" episodes on YouTube, I discovered that George Cole had passed away last month and I had to reflect on the joy that his portrayal of "Arthur Edward Daley" had brought me for so many years. George Cole was an incredibly successful and preeminent actor, beloved in the UK and far beyond.  He will be missed, but his talent and the memories will live on for many years.

"You Lose Some, You Win Some" - One of my favorite episodes of "Minder" which dealt with homosexuality and homophobia in a surprisingly open, carefree and entertaining way.

Thanks for the memories, George!

Obituary