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Ernest Cossart

Ernest Cossart

Actor · Died January 21, 1951, aged 74 · Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK

Ernest Cossart came to Hollywood to play a succession of butlers, valets and man-servants with names like Binns, Jeepers or Brassett. In fact, if you saw Angel (1937) or Letter of Introduction (1938), you may have assumed that he simply stepped from one movie set to another. Always at home donning bat-wing collars, cut-away coats and striped trousers, portly, beetle-browed Ernest Cossart was America's notion of the perfect English 'gentleman's gentleman' (along with fellow émigrés Arthur Treacher, Barnett Parker, Eric Blore and Alan Mowbray, though perhaps a little less condescending). With ancestors deriving from Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, Russia, and England, Ernest Cossart was born Emil Gottfried Adolph von Holst in Cheltenham, England, the son of a prominent musician. His brother Gustav Holst became a famous composer and music teacher. Emil adopted the stage name 'Ernest Cossart' after a brief spell as clerk for a wine merchant. He gave his first theatrical performance in 1896, then acted with provincial repertory companies before moving to the U.S. in 1908. His career on Broadway got off to a flying start with a leading role (as a colonel of Hussars) in the musical comedy "The Girls of Gottenberg". For the next twenty years (interrupted only by wartime service with the Canadian Army), his name remained high up in the list of credits. Cossart's Hollywood career did not eventuate until 1935, when he was signed by Paramount. Except for occasional loan-outs, he remained with this, the most cosmopolitan of the studios, until 1945. Aside from butling, Cossart could also be relied upon to effectively impersonate Roman Catholic priests (Father McGee in The Jolson Story (1946)), chimney sweeps (Tom Clink in Tower of London (1939), uttering the famous line "Better have a black face than be worried about black deeds") and waiters (Champagne Waltz (1937)). Easily one of his best roles was as the irascible, but kind-hearted Irish father of Ginger Rogers in Kitty Foyle (1940). Cossart retired from acting in 1949, having made his curtain call in the flop Broadway play "The Ivy Green". He died two years later in New York at the age of 74.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
September 24, 1876
Died
January 21, 1951 (aged 74)
From
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 10% in 30 days

What are Ernest Cossart's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
38%
Self
20%
Power
18%
Morality
15%
Society
8%
Survival
2%
Romantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 9 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 7 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Romantic
7
Warm
5
Melancholic
5
Bittersweet
5
Tense
4
Other
12

How their films linger

Feel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ernest Cossart's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ernest Cossart's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

39 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • John Loves Mary(1949)

    as Oscar Dugan

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Love from a Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Billings

  • The Jolson Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Father McGee

  • It's Your America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as English Pub Proprietor (uncredited)

  • Cluny Brown(1946)

    as Syrette

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Love Letters(1945)

    as Bishop

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Girl of the Limberlost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Roger Henley

  • Tonight and Every Night(1945)

    as Sam Royce

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Knickerbocker Holiday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Tienhoven

  • Kings Row(1942)

    as Pa Monaghan

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Skylark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Theodore

  • One Foot in Heaven(1941)

    as John E. Morris

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Charley's Aunt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Brassett

  • Kitty Foyle(1940)

    as Pop

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Tom Brown's School Days(1940)

    as Squire Brown

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • A Bill of Divorcement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Rev. Dr. Pumphrey

  • The Light That Failed(1939)

    as Beeton

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Tower of London(1939)

    as Tom Clink

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Lady of the Tropics(1939)

    as Father Antoine

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Magnificent Fraud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Duval

  • Three Smart Girls Grow Up(1939)

    as Binns

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Never Say Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Jeepers

  • Zaza (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Marchand

  • Letter of Introduction(1938)

    as Andrews, the Butler

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Angel(1937)

    as Christopher 'Chris' Wilton

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Carnival Queen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Spaulding

  • The Lady Fights Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Commissioner Allan

  • As Good as Married (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Quinn

  • Top of the Town(1937)

    as Augustus Borden

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Champagne Waltz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Waiter

  • Three Smart Girls(1936)

    as Binns

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Murder with Pictures(1936)

    as Stanley Redfield

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • My American Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Adolphe

  • Palm Springs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Starkey

  • Desire(1936)

    as Aristide Duvalle

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Great Ziegfeld(1936)

    as Sidney

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Two for Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Homps

  • Accent on Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Flogdell

  • The Scoundrel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Jimmy Clay

Career shape

Star power in the 87th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 39 titles from 1935 to 1949.

Biggest box office

Cluny Brown (1946)

$17K worldwide

Highest rated

Cluny Brown (1946)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting39 of 39: 39 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score64th

By decade

1930s23 · acting1940s16 · acting

Billing

usually 9th · top billed in 0% of 9 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Ernest Cossart's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Top of the Town (1937)

51st percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Cluny Brown (1946)

Midcredits 92nd · 80% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 51. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Ernest Cossart work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ernest Cossart's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ernst Lubitsch shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers