Doe and Hope

Description

Tommy Cooper was born Thomas Frederick Cooper in Caerphilly, Wales on March 19, 1921. He was born 2 months prematurely and the doctors warned he might not make it through infancy. However, his resilient nature allowed him to endure and survive.

He served initially in Montgomery's Desert Rats in Egypt. He became part of the NAAFI entertainment party and developed a magic act incorporating comedy. In 1947, when Cooper was demobilized after seven years of military service, he took up show business. He would later add a popular monologue about his military days as "Cooper the Trooper." He worked in variety theatres around the country and at London's Windmill Theatre, where he performed 52 shows per week.

Tommy is obsessed with cheese ‘I bought some Armageddon cheese today, and it said on the packet. 'Best before End' he famously joked.

We present Tommy Cooper, comedian, magician and Water Rat, in slightly tired condition, having just gorged on babybel cheese, reading the latest publication of The Owl and smoking a cigar, all in his trademark fez just like that.