Edward Ashley-Cooper
Edward Montague Hussey Cooper (August 12, 1906 – May 5, 2000) was an Australian born actor, later active in Britain and the United States. Known by his professional name of Edward Ashley (to avoid confusion with a fellow actor Edward Cooper), Cooper performed in 60 films for Metro Goldwyn Mayer including "Pride and Prejudice" (1940) where he played George Wickham. Origins. Edward Montague Hussey Cooper was born on 12 August 1906 in Sydney, Australia, the son of Edward Montague Hussey Cooper and Violet Coghill Maddrell. His father, Edward (known as Montague) 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 . Death. Edward Ashley died early 5 May 2000, aged 95, 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. 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.