Ray Winstone

Raymond Andrew Winstone is an English actor whose career spans five decades. He is widely recognized for playing tough, authoritative figures and gangsters, often characterized by his distinct London accent. Across his extensive screen career, Winstone has tackled a broad range of genres, including comedies, romantic lead roles, historical television dramas, and major international motion pictures.

Born on 19 February 1957 in Hackney, London, Winstone grew up in Stratford and later moved to Enfield. His mother emptied fruit machines, while his father managed a fruit and vegetable business. Outside of school, Winstone took up amateur boxing at age 12 with the Repton Amateur Boxing Club, winning 80 of his 88 matches, becoming a three-time London schoolboy welterweight champion, and competing twice for England. Encouraged by trips to the cinema with his father, he pursued acting, making an early stage appearance in Emil and the Detectives. He briefly studied at the Corona Stage Academy before being expelled.

Winstone began his professional career on stage in 1975 before securing minor television parts, including an appearance on The Sweeney. His major breakthrough came when director Alan Clarke cast him as the main character, Carlin, in the hard-hitting juvenile institution drama Scum, a role he reprised for the film adaptation after the original television version was initially withheld from broadcast. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, he built a varied body of work, starring in films like Quadrophenia and playing Will Scarlet in the television series Robin of Sherwood, alongside guest roles in numerous UK television programs.

His performance in Gary Oldman's 1997 drama Nil by Mouth brought significant critical acclaim, earning Winstone a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He also won a Royal Television Society Best Actor Award for the television movie Our Boy. His portrayal of former thief Gal Dove in the acclaimed 2000 crime drama Sexy Beast brought him international prominence and gained him traction in the American film industry. Over the same era, he appeared in independent films such as The War Zone and Last Orders, as well as stage productions like To the Green Fields Beyond.

Transitioning into high-profile international and Hollywood features, Winstone took on key roles in Cold Mountain, King Arthur, Martin Scorsese's The Departed, Beowulf, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He also voiced character roles in high-profile family films, including Mr. Beaver in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Soldier Sam in The Magic Roundabout. His later mainstream film appearances include Hugo, Snow White and the Huntsman, Black Widow, and Damsel.

Alongside feature films, Winstone has maintained a strong television presence, starring as Henry VIII in a 2003 serial, leading the private detective drama Vincent—which earned an International Emmy—and playing the title role in The Trials of Jimmy Rose. He also co-founded the production companies Size 9 and Flicks, fronted campaigns for commercial brands, and co-founded a sports management firm. Recently, he appeared as Bobby Glass in the 2024 Netflix series The Gentlemen.

Winstone married Elaine McCausland after meeting her during the filming of That Summer in 1979, and the couple has three daughters, two of whom became actresses. He resides in Roydon, Essex. In 2025, Winstone was recognized with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival.