Best known for playing spectral detective Marty Hopkirk, British actor and writer Kenneth Cope was a regular on TV screens for decades. The Liverpool-born, Bristol-trained actor played character roles in films and TV series from the 1950s on, getting his first big break when landing the part of Jed Stone on Coronation Street: he played the character from 1961-66, before reprising the role in 2008. Cope landed his leading role in detective TV series
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) through sheer chance: the production team had been unable to find the right actor, but one of them ended up at the table beside Cope at a restaurant that night. The show ran for two years and retains a cult following. Cope, who had also been a part of the
Carry On film team, went on to appear in shows such as
Brookside,
Doctors,
The Bill and
Last of the Summer Wine. Cope married actress Renny Lister; their two sons achieved prominence as musicians and daughter Martha is an actress in her own right. Cope died on September 11 aged 93. — Agencies
