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Minder star George Cole revealed that he hated the character Arthur Daley who made him famous in the 80s.
In his autobiography The World Was My Lobster , Cole wrote that he couldn’t understand the appeal of his dodgy, wheeler-dealer character.
“He was a dreadful character,” he wrote. “I don’t understand how he became so popular.
“It used to be worrying when I got letters from young kids saying Arthur Daley was just like their dad. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
“He behaved terribly to people who got in the way of him making a quick quid - and the audience still loved him.”
Show all 28 1 /28Notable deaths in 2015 Notable deaths in 2015 Lemmy The Motorhead lead singer and bass player (real name Ian Kilmister) died at home in Los Angeles on 28 December, age 70. He had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer only two days before.
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Czech goalkeeper who played for Newcastle United between 1991 and 1998. He died on 29 December, aged 47, after suffering a cardiac arrest nine days earlier while jogging in Ostrava.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Brooke McCarter American actor, best known for the role of Paul in the 1987 vampire film The Lost Boys, died on 22 December in Tampa, Florida from a respiratory condition. He was 52.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Holly Woodlawn Puerto Rican-born transgender actress and cabaret artiste most famous for being name checked in the opening lines of Lou Reed’s 1972 classic Walk on the Wild Side. Died on 6 December from cancer. She was 69.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Howard Kendall British former footballer and manager widely regarded as the most successful boss in the history of Everton Football Club. He died on 17 October, age 69.
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Sue Lloyd Roberts died of cancer on 13 October, aged 63. She was a British television journalist who contributed reports to BBC programmes and, earlier in her career, worked for ITN
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Notable deaths in 2015 Gordon Honeycombe Broadcaster Gordon Honeycombe died aged 79. His death was announced on 9 October. Along with being a newscaster, he was also an author, playwright and stage actor
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Notable deaths in 2015 Jim Diamond Glasgow-born singer Jim Diamond died on 8 October, aged 63. The songwriter was best known for his hits 'I Won't Let You Down', 'I Should Have Known Better', 'Hi Ho Silver'
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Notable deaths in 2015 Jackie Collins Jackie Collins, the best-selling author, died from breast cancer on 19 September, aged 77. She wrote 32 books, all of which were best-sellers.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Brian Close Brian Close, the former England, Yorkshire and Somerset cricket captain, passed away on 13 September, aged 84
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Notable deaths in 2015 Yvonne Craig, The actress, who played Batgirl in Batman TV series, died on 17 August, aged 78
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Notable deaths in 2015 Justin Wilson, The former Formula One driver Justin Wilson died on 24 August a day after suffering serious head injuries when struck by debris during an IndyCar race. He was 37.
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Notable deaths in 2015 Kitty McGeever The Emmerdale actress passed away on 16 August, aged 48
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Notable deaths in 2015 E’Dena Hines The actress and granddaughter to Morgan Freeman, was stabbed to death on 16 August. She was 33
Cole’s agent, Derek Webster, confirmed the actor passed away in Royal Berkshire hospital after a short illness, surrounded by his family.
He played the iconic character in 11 series from 1979 to 1994.
His career spanned over seven decades, and included appearances in four of the St Trinian ’s films in the 1950s and a role opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the 1963 film Cleopatra .
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