Ralph Cosham obit

Obituary: Actor Ralph Cosham, 78

He was not on the list.

Reston-based actor Ralph Cosham died on Tuesday after an illness. He was 78.

Cosham, a British-born former journalist, was a regular for many years in productions at Washington’s Arena Stage and Shakespeare Theatre.

Since 1992, Cosham’s distinctive voice had been used for more than 100 audiobook recordings, some using the pseudonym Geoffrey Howard.

He won an Audio Publisher’s Audie Award for best mystery and AudioFile Earphones and Library Journal awards for best audiobook.

Some of the classics Cosham recorded in recent years: The Time Machine, Heart of Darkness, Frankenstein, Around the World in Eighty Days, Alice in Wonderland, and Watership Down.

His best-known audiobooks were as the voice of Armand Gamache in Candadian author Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series.

He recorded many of the books in his home studio in Reston.

“For me, if you don’t get Gamache, the series is lost to you, Penny told the Washington Post earlier this year. “Ralph brings him alive, I think, because he understands Gamache.”

Cosham also appeared in several movies. Among his film credits: Supreme Court Justice Jensen in The Pelican Brief (1993); a driver in Shadow Conspiracy (1997); Judge Assel Steward in Suspect (1987); a Marine Lieutenant in Starman (1984).

In voice acting he was featured in the video game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as the Breton males, including characters such as Jauffre, the Grandmaster of the Blades, and Vicente Valtieri; Dr. Guervich in Death Without Consent (2005); he played the voice part "townspeople 3" in Pirates of the Caribbean (2003).

In acting he was a driver in Shadow Conspiracy (1997); Supreme Court Justice Jensen in The Pelican Brief (1993), Judge Assel Steward in Suspect (1987); a Marine Lieutenant in Starman (1984); and played the part of Braddock's Captain in the mini TV series George Washington (1984)

Cosham is the husband of Beverly Cosham, accomplished actress and singer. Beverly Cosham is the Chair of the Reston Community Center Board of Governors and a 2011 “Best of Reston” Honoree.

Filmography

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1983      Kennedy              Dr. Clark               TV Mini-Series, 5 episodes

1984      George Washington        Braddock's Captain          TV Mini-Series

1984      Starman               Marine Lieutenant          

1987      Suspect                Judge Assel Stewart       

1991      A Woman Named Jackie                Dr. Wilson           TV Mini-Series

1993      The Pelican Brief               Justice Jensen   

1997      Shadow Conspiracy         Driver   

2003      Pirates of the Caribbean                Townspeople 3 Video Game, Voice

2006      The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion       Jauffre / Vicente Valtieri / Male Bretons                 Video Game, Voice

2007      Death Without Consent                 Dr. Guervich       (final film role)