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David Butler

Writer and actor · Died May 27, 2006, aged 78 · Larkhall, Lanarkshire, Scotland

David did his national service in the RAF and started to train as a pilot officer but his eye sight wasn't good enough. He ended up being posted to Singapore where he led jungle patrols against terrorists in Malaya in 1953. He became an actor and had a long running part as Dr Nick Williams in the television series of Emergency Ward 10. He eventually turned to writing scripts amongst which were those for 'Black Beauty', 'Within These Walls', 'Edward the Seventh', 'Disraelli,' 'Lillie', and 'We'll Meet Again'

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
November 12, 1927
Died
May 27, 2006 (aged 78)
From
Larkhall, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Works as
Writer and actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 34% in 30 days

What are David Butler's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
33%
Power
29%
Society
14%
Survival
13%
Self
11%
Oppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFaith2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 4

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 4

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Melancholic
5
Dread
3
Thrilling
2
Hopeful
3
Other
3

How their films linger

Hopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous1

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 David Butler's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Butler's 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

33 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • Blood Royal: William the Conqueror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Writer

  • Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 6 episodes · Writer

  • Partners in Crime(1983)

    Show 2 episodes · Adaptation · Writer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • The Scarlet and the Black(1983)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Marco Polo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 8 episodes · Screenplay

  • We'll Meet Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show Creator

  • Lion of the Desert(1980)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Further Adventures of Oliver Twist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Show 13 episodes · Writer

  • Bear Island(1979)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Lillie(1978)

    Show 9 episodes · Creator · Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Betzi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Adaptation

  • Disraeli (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Writer

  • Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic(1978)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Jesus of Nazareth(1977)

    Show 4 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Jubilee 1977 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • The Dame of Sark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Writer

  • Voyage of the Damned(1976)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Duchess of Duke Street(1976)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • The Legend of Robin Hood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 6 episodes · Writer

  • Edward the King(1975)

    Show 9 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Within These Walls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show Creator

  • Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood(1973)

    Screenplay · as Will Stukely

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Strauss Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 4 episodes · Writer

  • Crown Court (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 3 episodes · as William Hathaway

  • The Protectors(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • The Adventures of Black Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 8 episodes · Writer

  • Van der Valk(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Crucible of Horror(1971)

    as Gregson

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Six Wives of Henry VIII(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Christopher Mont

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Who-Dun-It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • The Main Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Peter McWilliam

  • Orlando (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer

  • The Set Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Police Driver

Career shape

A full career of 32 titles from 1963 to 1990.

Highest rated

Lion of the Desert (1980)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Jesus of Nazareth (1977)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 32: 5 only acting, 1 with another roleWriting25 of 32: 23 only writing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score74thOther crew3 of 32: 2 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1960s4 · 2 acting · 2 crew1970s20 · 4 acting · 17 crew1980s7 · crew1990s1 · crew

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.

How do David Butler's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 44th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 15 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor, writer

Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood (1973)

75th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Lion of the Desert (1980)

Midcredits 98th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 45/100 and the plot and story 55/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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.

Who does David Butler work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Butler's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Gielgud shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers

Producers