Ray Burdis (born August 23, 1958 in London) is an English Actor, Screenwriter Director and Film Producer. Ray Burdis started his Acting career at the age of eleven years old where he trained at the famous Anna Scher Theatre in Islington. His first major role was at the age of sixteen, in the hit Thames TV production of You Must Be Joking, alongside a young 'Birds of a Feather', Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, which he co created, wrote and starred in. He also starred with Quadrophenia's Phil Daniels in Four Idle Hands, at the time having two hit TV network shows running alternately in the same hour An actor from adolescence, he starred in an episode of the classic BBC sitcom Steptoe and Son before he turned 16. He first came to real prominence when he took the part of cowardly inmate Eckersley in the controversial movie Scum in 1979. He had played the same role two years earlier in a BBC version of the story, although this was not transmitted for many years due to its nature, hence the cinematic re-make. He later had a small role alongside Daniel Day-Lewis in the film Gandhi. Burdis, whose younger brother Mark was a teenage heart-throb in the early 1980s with a leading role in children's drama Grange Hill, then played a supporting role as Richard, a gay neighbour in Channel 4's short-lived sitcom "Dream Stuffing" in 1984 (which featured a theme song performed by the late Kirsty MacColl). After this, he played ambitious photographer Nick Tyler in the BBC comedy Three Up, Two Down. His character was the son and son-in-law respectively of the two lead characters, played by Michael Elphick and Angela Thorne. As a second string to his acting Ray co - formed Fugitive as an independent Film, Television and Music Production Company which started life as a premier music video producer, producing videos for internationally renowned artists such as Elton John, Queen, Tina Turner, George Michael, etc, placing itself in the Top 5 international music video production companies. Ray Burdis' first foray into television drama was creating the series 'The Fear', for Euston Films, which was broadcast on the ITV Network. The series was critically acclaimed and was based on the unpublicised real-life gangster scene in the late 1980s. Ray Burdis has subsequently concentrated more on writing - producing and directing. He was the producer of The Krays, the critically-acclaimed biopic of the East End gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray, and also co-wrote-produced and directed the movies Final Cut and Love, Honour and Obey starring the cream of British and International cinema - Jude Law, Jonny Lee Miller, Kathy Burke, Ray Winstone, Rhys Ifans. He also created, co wrote, produced, directed and starred in the television police fly on the wall docu-comedy Operation Good Guys for three seasons - which was awarded the Silver Rose for Best Sitcom and the Prix de la Presse, voted for by the International Press, at the Montreux Golden Rose Festival. Turning his hand once again to acting he went on to star in Manchild for two seasons - a BBC comedy drama with Nigel Havers, Anthony Head and Don Warrington. Ray Burdis wrote and directed the film, 'The Wee Man', starring Martin Compston and John Hannah, which won two Scottish BAFTAs. Contemporary titles include 'To Be Someone', described in IMDb as "A light-hearted adventure movie set in the world of Mods", was shot in Oct of 2020. Ray has also completed the film 'Miss The Kiss', starring Charlie Clapham, John Hannah and Martin Kemp, to be released in the spring of 2023. Ray's next project in the director's chair is 'The Last Tandem in Paris', expected to start production in the summer of 2023.
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Biography from IMDb.
- August 23, 1958 (68)
- London, England, UK
- Actor, director, producer and writer
- 15 on MovieCove · 59 credits in all
What are Ray Burdis' films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Survival.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 8
Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 7
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3
Gentle 2 · Charged 0 · Intense 8
Steady 2 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1
Casual 3 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 7
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous4
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 Ray Burdis' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).
- The Reflecting Skin (1990) · producer · free
- Wolcott (1981) · actor · free
- The Wee Man (2013) · director, writer · free
- Final Cut (1998) · actor, director, writer, producer · free
- The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) · producer · free
- Death Machine (1994) · actor, producer · free
- Choose Irvine (2023) · director · free
- BritBox
Subscription and free streaming for Ray Burdis' 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
59 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.
A Gangster's Kiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Choose Irvine(2023)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Kick Out the Jams: The Story of XFM (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
To Be Someone(2020)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
The Wee Man(2013)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Afternoon Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Manchild (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Urban Gothic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Love, Honor and Obey(2000)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
My Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Final Cut(1998)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Operation Good Guys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Death Machine(1994)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Reflecting Skin(1990)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Krays(1990)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Universe of Dermot Finn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
The Fear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Visiting Mr Beak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
God's Chosen Car Park (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Casualty(1986)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows
John Lennon: A Journey in the Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Three Up, Two Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Now And Then (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Gandhi(1982)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Ties (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Going Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Wolcott(1981)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Mary's Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Minder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Scum(1979)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The Police (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The Music Machine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The Vanishing Army (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
20 Times More Likely (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Panic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Safety and the Supervisor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Professionals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Scum(1991)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
There's No Place... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
BBC2 Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
A Good Human Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
The Sunday Drama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Nicholas Nickleby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Pressure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
City of Fear! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
4 Idle Hands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Eleanor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Centre Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
The Trouble with 2b: Part Five, Thirty Years Younger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
The Trouble with 2b: Part One, Happy Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
The Trouble with 2b: Part Six, Blackboard Jungle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
The Trouble with 2b: Part Three, Trial of Strength (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Steptoe and Son (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Dream Stuffing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 75th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 58 titles, 57 of them dated from 1962 to 2024; peak year 1978.
Film career
Peak 1978 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1977Screen debut· Scum
Billing
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 Ray Burdis' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
6 of their 15 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved4
- Universally Panned1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 34. 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.
Is Ray Burdis' work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Ray Burdis work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ray Burdis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Dominic Anciano shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Dominic AncianoShared titles: Love, Honor and Obey (2000), Final Cut (1998), The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995), Death Machine (1994), The Krays (1990), The Reflecting Skin (1990)See all 6 shared titles with Dominic Anciano
- Philip RidleyShared titles: The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995), The Krays (1990), The Reflecting Skin (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Philip Ridley
- Alan ClarkeShared titles: Scum (1991), Scum (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Alan Clarke
Writers
- Roy MintonShared titles: Scum (1991), Scum (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Roy Minton
Actors
- Ray WinstoneShared titles: Love, Honor and Obey (2000), Final Cut (1998), Scum (1991), Scum (1979)See all 4 shared titles with Ray Winstone
- Perry BensonShared titles: To Be Someone (2020), Love, Honor and Obey (2000), Final Cut (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Perry Benson
- Laura McMonagleShared titles: To Be Someone (2020), The Wee Man (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Laura McMonagle
- Jude LawShared titles: Love, Honor and Obey (2000), Final Cut (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Jude Law
Composers and cinematographers
- John BeckettShared titles: To Be Someone (2020), The Wee Man (2013), Final Cut (1998)See all 3 shared titles with John Beckett
- Ali AsadShared titles: To Be Someone (2020), The Wee Man (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Ali Asad
- John WardShared titles: Love, Honor and Obey (2000), Final Cut (1998)See all 2 shared titles with John Ward
- John de BormanShared titles: The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995), Death Machine (1994)See all 2 shared titles with John de Borman
Producers
- Jim BeachShared titles: Love, Honor and Obey (2000), Final Cut (1998), The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995), Death Machine (1994), The Krays (1990), The Reflecting Skin (1990)See all 6 shared titles with Jim Beach
- Nigel GreenShared titles: The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995), Death Machine (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Nigel Green
- Stuart St PaulShared titles: Death Machine (1994), The Krays (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Stuart St Paul
