Edward Ashley-Cooper


Edward Montague Hussey Cooper was an actor descended from an English family but born in Australia. Known by his professional name of Edward Ashley, Cooper performed in 60 films for Metro Goldwyn Mayer including Pride and Prejudice where he played George Wickham.

Origins

Edward Montague Hussey Cooper was born on 12 August 1904 in Sydney, Australia, the son of Edward Montague Hussey Cooper and Violet Coghill Maddrell. His father, Edward was a Master Mariner and a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve, who worked as a second officer for the P&O Steam Navigation Company in Australia.
Despite his use of the surname Ashley-Cooper, there was no link to the Earl of Shaftesbury.

Career

Edward Ashley made a number of films in the United Kingdom before moving to California, United States, in 1940 where his first big role was George Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. After this his career consisted of a large number of mainly supporting roles until 1988, including a recurring character in the Maverick television series called "Nobby Ned Wingate" in the late 1950s.

Selected filmography

Edward Ashley died early 5 May 2000, aged 93, from congestive heart failure and was cremated with the remains scattered at sea, off the coast of San Diego County, California, on May 9, 2000. He and his former wife, Nora Swinburne, died within 4 days of each other. Ashley married actress Renee Torres in 1943 in Acapulco, Mexico. The couple returned to Acapulco in 1947 when Ashley was filming "Tarzan And The Mermaids." Torres died in San Diego County, California, where the couple lived, preceding Edward in death in 1998. They lived in Oceanside, California.