High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! George Edward Cole, OBE (born 22 April 1925, Tooting) is a veteran English film and television actor whose succesful career has spanned over 70 years in show business. He is probably best known as portraying Arthur Daley in the long running ITV hit drama show Minder and Flash Harry in the early St Trinians films. In an interview included in the 2007 DVD release of A Christmas Carol he recounts that he was given up for adoption at the age of ten days, and adopted by Mr and Mrs George Cole. He grew up with a strong Cockney accent that hindered his early performing career. He began appearing in films in the early 1940s, debuting in the 1941 film Cottage to Let. He attributes his career to the British stage and film actor Alastair Sim, who became his mentor.