Today is the birthday of Silksoundbooks star audio book reader George Cole who was born in Tooting, South London, on 22 April 1925.

In a career that has spanned over 70 years, George has proved that starting as a child actor is no bar to a lifetime of success. He took to the stage at the age of 14 in the chorus of White Horse Inn in Blackpool and appeared in his first movie a year later. The film, Cottage To Let, starred Alastair Sim who was to became George’s mentor, indeed he attributes his success to his friendship with Sim and went on to make a further ten films with him.

Not only has George appeared in over 40 films, he has found huge success with his TV work. Probably his most famous role was as dodgy car dealer Arthur Daley in the long running series Minder in which he co-starred with Dennis Waterman.

A couple of years ago the series was remade by the UK's Channel Five and apparently George was 'not very happy' that the producers hadn't consulted him or co-star about the remake.

For Silksoundbooks, George Cole delivers stunning performances of Charles Dickens’ famous Christmas classics - A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth.

All of here at Silksoundbooks would like to wish George a very happy birthday.