The Stage

Master storyteller Kossoff dies

Published Thursday 31 March 2005 at 13:00 by Patrick Newley

David Kossoff, the actor, writer and storyteller, has died at the age of 85.

The versatile performer had success in film and television and on stage memorably created the Jewish tailor of Wolf Mankowitz’s The Bespoke Overcoat. He co-starred in the hit TV series The Larkins with Peggy Mount and won a Bafta award for his portrayal of the kindly tailor in the film A Kid for Two Farthings.

In the early sixties he started reading Bible stories on BBC Radio. They became so popular that they became a TV series and a series of bestselling books. He also starred in several one-man shows in London and on Broadway, including With One Eyebrow Slightly Up and A Funny Kind of Evening With David Kossoff.

Asked by Who’s Who in the Theatre to name his favourite parts he replied “big ones” and described his hobby as “writing bestsellers”.

He died at his home in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, on March 23. Kossoff was predeceased by his wife Margaret and his son Paul - one of his three children - who was lead in the rock group Free.

• One of Britain’s most famous concert pianists, Dame Moura Lympany, died on March 28, aged 89. Dame Moura’s career spanned seven decades and she appeared at all the most imporant music centres and with many of the world’s finest orchestras and conductors.

She made her debut at the age of 12 playing Mendelssohns’ G Minor Concerto in Harrogate and at 15 was appearing at the Queen’s Hall under the direction of Sir Henry Wood.

She made more than 50 records in her career and her two most recent recordings for EMI of Best Loved Classics sold more than 150,000 copies worldwide.

Full obituaries of both performers will appear in a future issue of The Stage.