Date of birth: 19-03-1921 Date of death: 15-04-1984
Tommy Cooper was a true original - the trademark Fez, that distinctive laugh, the clumsy, bewildered delivery, and, of course, the catchphrases make him one of the most instantly recognisable of all comedy icons. He didn't have to say anything to make his audience laugh, his appearance alone was enough.
Like many others, Cooper's first foray into showbusiness was with the forces. After serving as an apprentice shipmaker he joined Horse Guards, from where he became part of the entertainments unit.
It was while entertaining the troops, at a Naafi show in Egypt, that the fez became part of his look. Legend has it that he simply lost the pith helmet he had intended to wear, and grabbed the waiter's hat instead.
The tale of how he adopted his maladroit stage act is equally apocryphal . He supposedly botched an audition as a serious magician so badly that everyone thought it was deliberately hilarious.
If the persona came about by accident, Cooper was meticulous in honing it for every last laugh. A notoriously demanding perfectionist, he would be the bane of those working alongside him.
He was a hard worker, too. On demob in 1947 he joined London's Windmill Theatre - the devilishly hard venue where so many comics learned their craft, performing to uninterested punters between the strip shows. Cooper reputedly performed up to 52 shows a week there.
Tours, TV and a role in Eric Syke's film The Plank followed as, throughout the Sixties and Seventies, he cemented his place in the public's affections. In 1969 he was voted ITV's Personality of the Year.
His appetite for work was so voracious that few were surprised that his death came on stage, doing what he loved. And such was his reputation as a relentless joker that when he collapsed during that televised show, most of the audience thought it was just another of his gags.
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Tommy Cooper, who's that?
American comic Isabel Klein gets an introduction to the British comedy great
As a comic, I’m no stranger to feeling foolish. In fact, the whole idea behind the show I’m taking to Edinburgh is exposing my own delusional vision of fame and fortune as a Hollywood star.
But, having someone explain Tommy Cooper to me at the age of 26? Well, that made me feel particularly absurd.
When describing my show, Showstopper, to PR star Carla Speight, she said, ‘Oh so it’s kind of similar to Tommy Cooper’s act.’ I had to admit I didn’t know who she was talking about. Clearly sensing my ignorance, I noticed an incredulous look in her eye. Maybe she didn’t want to take me as a client after all.
Luckily, she agreed to give me the benefit of the doubt and suggested I do some Tommy Cooper research.
I typed Tommy Cooper into the YouTube search bar and was inundated with videos of a towering, wide-eyed comic wearing a fez. I clicked on the first video that popped up on my screen, The Best of Tommy Cooper. It felt like the perfect place to start.
That five-minute video turned into three (possibly four) hours of watching Tommy Cooper clips. I was enamoured with this jolly man. I loved the way he laughed at himself, how no joke was too simple, and how he held the audience in the palm of his hand.
Tommy Cooper is one of the most endearing performers I’ve ever watched. His ability to persevere through every prop ‘breaking’ and trick ‘mishap’ makes you root for him. I started to take notes: he took his time in the right moments; he never missed a chance to interact with the audience and even his slightest looks were effortlessly funny. It’s clear that ever single step was part of the plan, though the audience would never have known.
It takes a lot of skill, to master comedic timing. Every single minute detail he was in control of, though the audience had no idea what was going to happen next. That showed the level of dedication and honing his talents, like nothing I’ve ever seen before and it’s clear how he won over the hearts of audiences and became a British comedy legend.
As I continued watching his videos, I noticed one from 1984 titled 'Tommy Cooper death'. That couldn’t be real, right? A Google search quickly clarified the title. Tommy Copper did pass away at the age of 63 from a heart attack on live TV. He was doing a performance in front of a live audience! It was unbelievable. Literally. No one watching in the studio or on TV could believe it at the time (I might be overexplaining here, but for the person out there, like me, who’s not familiar with Tommy Cooper, the explanation is for you).
I tried to reframe his death in my head. Maybe he died doing what he loved? Still, while it was a tragic event, the optics are poignant. His unwavering commitment to physical humour was so convincing that the audience didn’t know he was having a heart attack.
I can understand why the traumatic loss of this legend, beloved by millions, was grieved in the UK as if people had lost a member of their family. His heartbroken friends noted that Tommy Cooper was an actual funny man in real life, and they described him as ‘an original eccentric’.
Tommy Cooper’s drive to ‘commit to the bit’ was unparalleled. He provides the ultimate lesson in self-deprecation. One can only imagine the popularity he could have attained in my generation’s global outreach of social media, YouTube, Netflix, and TikTok.
I’m grateful, and frankly humbled, that Carla sees similarities between our acts. Tommy Cooper created a character who entertained audiences as a bad magician striving to do good magic. I play the character of a bad actress striving to do good acting – both in service of making the audience laugh. I also love to commit to the bit.
I’m no Tommy Cooper. We all know that he was no Houdini or Blane or Copperfield but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a magician.
He brought true magic to the stage, making people believe in the impossible. As a person who is also described by friends as an original eccentric, I hope to bring a little magic to Edinburgh as well.
• Isabel Klein is performing her debut show, Showstopper at 4.20pm every day at the Gilded Balloon Teviot throughout Edinburgh Fringe. Tickets Here
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