Frequently cast as a working-class hard man, British actor Ray Winstone gained his first dose of international recognition for his brutal portrayal of an abusive, alcoholic family patriarch in Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth (1997).
Born in Hackney, London, on February 19, 1957, Winstone spent much of his youth as an amateur boxer. He first stepped into the ring at the age of 12 and over the course of the next several years won over 80 medals and trophies. Reportedly deciding to give acting a try because he was tired of getting hit, Winstone studied drama for a couple of years at the Corona School. He got his first break when director Alan Clarke cast him in the BBC's televised production of Scum (1977), a harsh depiction of life in a Borstal for young offenders. Due to its content, the film was banned before being released theatrically two years later. Winstone began appearing in other films that same year, notably the Who's Quadrophenia.
Winstone continued to work in both film and television throughout the next decade, doing most of his work in countless TV series. In 1994, he earned strong notices for his starring role in Ken Loach's Ladybird, Ladybird. Three years later, Winstone's harrowing performance in Oldman's Nil by Mouth garnered him a Best Actor BAFTA nomination, as well as recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. He subsequently could be seen in a number of diverse projects, ranging from Face, Antonia Bird's 1997 crime drama, to the romantic comedy Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence (1998) to Tim Roth's The War Zone (1999), in which Winstone earned further acclaim as the abusive patriarch of a wildly dysfunctional family. Also in 1999, he could be seen playing a loan shark who gives Anjelica Huston a hard time in Huston's Agnes Browne.
Winstone gained wide international notice for his starring role in 2000's Sexy Beast, holding his own opposite Ben Kingsley, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance. He followed that up with a well-received part in 2001's Last Orders and parlayed his success into a supporting role in Anthony Minghella's 2003 star-studded Civil War drama Cold Mountain.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | NOT YET RELEASED | |||
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13
Actor |
2011 | |||
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Hugo
Actor |
2011 | |||
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Rango
Voice |
2011 | |||
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Edge of Darkness
Actor |
2010 | |||
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London Boulevard
Actor |
2010 | |||
| 2010 | ||||
| 2010 | ||||
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Tracker
Actor |
2010 | |||
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44 Inch Chest
Actor, Executive Producer |
2009 | |||
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The Devil's Tomb
Actor |
2009 | |||
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Compulsion
Actor, Executive Producer |
2008 | |||
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Fool's Gold
Actor |
2008 | |||
| 2008 | ||||
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Beowulf
Actor |
2007 | |||
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Breaking and Entering
Actor |
2006 | |||
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The Departed
Actor |
2006 | |||
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Sweeney Todd
Actor |
2005 | |||
| 2005 | ||||
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The Proposition
Actor |
2005 | |||
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Disappeared
Actor |
2004 | |||
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Doogal
Voice |
2004 | |||
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King Arthur
Actor |
2004 | |||
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Cold Mountain
Actor |
2003 | |||
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Henry VIII
Actor |
2003 | |||
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Ripley's Game
Actor |
2002 | |||
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Last Orders
Actor |
2001 | |||
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The Martins
Actor |
2001 | |||
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Love, Honour and Obey
Actor |
2000 | |||
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Sexy Beast
Actor |
2000 | |||
| 2000 | ||||
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Tough Love
Actor |
2000 | |||
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Agnes Browne
Actor |
1999 | |||
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Fanny and Elvis
Actor |
1999 | |||
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The War Zone
Actor |
1999 | |||
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Tube Tales
Actor |
1999 | |||
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Darkness Falls
Actor |
1998 | |||
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Final Cut
Actor |
1998 | |||
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The Sea Change
Actor |
1998 | |||
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The Very Thought of You
Actor |
1998 | |||
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Woundings
Actor |
1998 | |||
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Face
Actor |
1997 | |||
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Macbeth on the Estate
Actor |
1997 | |||
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Nil by Mouth
Actor |
1997 | |||
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Our Boy
Actor |
1997 | |||
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Ladybird, Ladybird
Actor |
1994 | |||
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Black and Blue
Actor |
1992 | |||
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Double Cross
Actor |
1992 | |||
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The Swords of Wayland
Actor |
1986 | |||
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Number One
Actor |
1984 | |||
| 1982 | ||||
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Quadrophenia
Actor |
1979 | |||
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Scum
Actor |
1979 | |||
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That Summer
Actor |
1979 |























