Bill Nighy
Born December 12, 1949 (Age: 76)
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Caterham, Surrey, England, UK
Biography
William Francis Nighy (born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received numerous awards, including two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with The Illuminatus! in 1977. There he gained acclaim for his roles in David Hare's Pravda in 1985, Harold Pinter's Betrayal in 1991, Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, and Anton Chekov's The Seagull in 1994. He received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance in Blue/Orange in 2001. He made his Broadway debut in Hare's The Vertical Hour in 2006, and returned in the 2015 revival of Hare's Skylight earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination. Early film roles include in the comedies Still Crazy (1998), and Blow Dry (1999) before his breakout role in Love Actually (2003) which earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He soon gained recognition portraying Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2006-2007), and Viktor in the Underworld film series (2003-2009). Other films include Shaun of the Dead (2004), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), The Constant Gardener (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Hot Fuzz (2007), Valkyrie (2008), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), About Time (2013), Emma (2020), and Living (2022), the last of these earning him his first career Academy Award nomination. Nighy has gained acclaim for his roles in television earning a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his performance in BBC One series State of Play (2003), and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the BBC film Gideon's Daughter (2007). He's also known for his roles in HBO's The Girl in the Café (2006) and PBS's Page Eight (2012).
William Francis Nighy (born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received numerous awards, including two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award.
Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with The Illuminatus! in 1977. There he gained acclaim for his roles in David Hare's Pravda in 1985, Harold Pinter's Betrayal in 1991, Tom Stoppard's Arcadia in 1993, and Anton Chekov's The Seagull in 1994. He received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance in Blue/Orange in 2001. He made his Broadway debut in Hare's The Vertical Hour in 2006, and returned in the 2015 revival of Hare's Skylight earning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination.
Early film roles include in the comedies Still Crazy (1998), and Blow Dry (1999) before his breakout role in Love Actually (2003) which earned him a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. He soon gained recognition portraying Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2006-2007), and Viktor in the Underworld film series (2003-2009). Other films include Shaun of the Dead (2004), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), The Constant Gardener (2005), Notes on a Scandal (2006), Hot Fuzz (2007), Valkyrie (2008), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), About Time (2013), Emma (2020), and Living (2022), the last of these earning him his first career Academy Award nomination.
Nighy has gained acclaim for his roles in television earning a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his performance in BBC One series State of Play (2003), and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the BBC film Gideon's Daughter (2007). He's also known for his roles in HBO's The Girl in the Café (2006) and PBS's Page Eight (2012).
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Filmography
Bulk
2026
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as The Voice
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Age: 76
Shelter
2026
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as Manafort
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Age: 76
The Wild Robot
2024
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as Longneck (voice)
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Age: 74
Gracie & Pedro: Pets to the Rescue
2024
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as Conrad (voice)
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Age: 74
10 Lives
2024
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as Professor Craven (voice)
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Age: 74
The First Omen
2024
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as Cardinal Lawrence
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Age: 74
Living
2022
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as Williams
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Age: 72
Christmas Magic at Kew Gardens
2021
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as Self - Narrator (voice)
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Age: 72
Minamata
2020
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as Robert "Bob" Hayes
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Age: 70
Emma.
2020
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as Mr. Woodhouse
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Age: 70
StarDog and TurboCat
2019
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as Sinclair (voice)
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Age: 69
Hope Gap
2019
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as Edward
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Age: 69
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
2019
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as Howard Clifford
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Age: 69
The Bookshop
2017
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as Mr. Brundish
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Age: 67
Their Finest
2017
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as Ambrose Hilliard / Uncle Frank
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Age: 67
The Limehouse Golem
2016
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as John Kildare
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Age: 66
Norm of the North
2016
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as Socrates (voice)
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Age: 66
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
2015
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as Douglas Ainslie
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Age: 65
Pride
2014
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as Cliff
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Age: 64
I, Frankenstein
2014
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as Naberius
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Age: 64
About Time
2013
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as Dad
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Age: 63
The World's End
2013
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as The Network (voice)
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Age: 63
Jack the Giant Slayer
2013
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as General Fallon
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Age: 63
Total Recall
2012
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as Matthias
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Age: 62
Wrath of the Titans
2012
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as Hephaestus
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Age: 62
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
2012
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as Douglas Ainslie
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Age: 62
Arthur Christmas
2011
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as Grandsanta (voice)
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Age: 61
Real Creatures of Dirt
2011
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as Self / Rattlesnake Jake
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Age: 61
The Man with the Stolen Heart
2011
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as Narrator
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Age: 61
Rango
2011
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as Rattlesnake Jake (voice)
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Age: 61
Chalet Girl
2011
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as Richard Madsen
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Age: 61
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010
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as Rufus Scrimgeour
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Age: 60
Wild Target
2010
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as Victor Maynard
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Age: 60
Astro Boy
2009
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as Dr. Elefun / Robotsky (voice)
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Age: 59
G-Force
2009
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as Leonard Saber
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Age: 59
The Boat That Rocked
2009
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as Quentin
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Age: 59
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
2009
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as Viktor
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Age: 59
Valkyrie
2008
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as Friedrich Olbricht
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Age: 59
Conclusive: We Made Hot Fuzz
2007
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as Self
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Age: 57
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
2007
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as Davy Jones
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Age: 57
Hot Fuzz
2007
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as Met Chief Inspector
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Age: 57
Notes on a Scandal
2006
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as Richard Hart
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Age: 57
Flushed Away
2006
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as Whitey (voice)
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Age: 56
Stormbreaker
2006
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as Alan Blunt
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Age: 56
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2006
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as Davy Jones
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Age: 56
We Love Cigarettes
2006
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as Narrator
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Age: 56
Underworld: Evolution
2006
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as Viktor
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Age: 56
Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener
2006
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as Self
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Age: 56
Don't Crash: The Documentary of the Making of the Movie of the Book of the Radio Series of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'
2005
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as Self
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Age: 55
The Constant Gardener
2005
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as Sir Bernard Pellegrin
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Age: 55
Inside 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'
2005
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as Self
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Age: 55
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
2005
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as Slartibartfast
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Age: 55
The Magic Roundabout
2005
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as Dylan (voice)
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Age: 55
Enduring Love
2004
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as Robin
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Age: 54
Ready When You Are, Mr McGill
2004
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as Phil Parish
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Age: 54
Peter Ustinov: The Parkinson Interviews
2004
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as Self - Narrator
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Age: 54
Shaun of the Dead
2004
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as Phillip
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Age: 54
Burst
2004
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as Maxwell's Fan 22
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Age: 54
Underworld
2003
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as Viktor
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Age: 53
Love Actually
2003
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as Billy Mack
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Age: 53
I Capture the Castle
2003
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as James Mortmain
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Age: 53
Lawless Heart
2002
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as Dan
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Age: 52
AKA
2002
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as Uncle Louis Gryffoyn
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Age: 52
Blow Dry
2001
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as Ray Robertson
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Age: 51
Longitude
2000
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as Lord Sandwich
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Age: 50
No Image
The Bass Player
1999
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as
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Age: 49
Still Crazy
1998
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as Ray Simms
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Age: 48
FairyTale: A True Story
1997
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as Edward Gardner
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Age: 47
True Blue
1996
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as Jeremy Saville
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Age: 46
Alive and Kicking
1996
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as Tristan
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Age: 46
Being Human
1994
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as Julian
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Age: 44
The Maitlands
1993
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as Roger Maitland
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Age: 43
Don't Leave Me This Way
1993
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as John Tracey
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Age: 43
Unnatural Causes
1993
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as Oliver Latham
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Age: 43
A Masculine Ending
1992
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as John Tracey
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Age: 42
Absolute Hell
1991
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as Hugh Marriner
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Age: 41
Antonia and Jane
1990
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as Howard Nash
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Age: 40
The Phantom of the Opera
1989
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as Martin Barton
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Age: 39
Mack the Knife
1989
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as Tiger Brown
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Age: 39
Thirteen at Dinner
1985
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as Ronald Marsh
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Age: 35
Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil
1985
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as Helmut Hoffmann
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Age: 35
Curse of the Pink Panther
1983
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as ENT Doctor
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Age: 33
Eye of the Needle
1981
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as Squadron Leader Blenkinsop
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Age: 31
Standing in for Henry
1980
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as Bruno
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Age: 31
Little Lord Fauntleroy
1980
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as Officer
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Age: 30
No Image
Fox
1980
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as Colin Street
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Age: 30
Death Watch
1980
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as Katherine's Co-worker (uncredited)
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Age: 30
Dreams of Leaving
1980
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as William
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Age: 30
Deasey (Desperate)
1979
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as Deasy
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Age: 29
Soldiers Talking, Cleanly
1978
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as Bill
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Age: 28