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Tom Courtenay

Tom Courtenay

Actor · Born February 25, 1937 (89) · Kingston-Upon-Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK

Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. A notable figure of the British New Wave, he has received numerous accolades, including three BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, two Silver Bears, and a Volpi Cup, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was knighted for his services to cinema and theatre in the 2001 New Year Honours. He came to prominence in the early 1960s with a succession of films including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Billy Liar (1963), and Dr. Zhivago (1965). Since the mid-1960s he has been known primarily for his work in the theatre. Description above from the Wikipedia article Tom Courtenay, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 25, 1937 (89)
From
Kingston-Upon-Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
36 on MovieCove · 61 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 32% in 30 days

What are Tom Courtenay's films like?

Across their 34 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 88th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

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

share of theme weight
Bonds
29%
Self
22%
Morality
17%
Survival
13%
Power
10%
Society
7%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 33 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 14 · Serious 9 · Dark 10

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

Grounded 24 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 13 · Charged 14 · Intense 6

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

Steady 21 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 20 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 5

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 12 · 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 15 · Engaged 16 · 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 13 · Affecting 11 · Heavy 9

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

Resolved 27 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

21 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 7 of 21 analyzed roles.

Mentor
7 of 21
Hero
5 of 21
Ally
3 of 21
Shadow
2 of 21
Trickster
2 of 21
Shapeshifter
1 of 21
Herald
1 of 21
Show the 21 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Melancholic
15
Warm
13
Joyful
8
Contemplative
9
Other
33

How their films linger

Bittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet15
  • Tragic4
  • 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 Tom Courtenay's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 36 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tom Courtenay'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

61 credits, 36 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Queen at Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    as Martin

  • The Railway Children Return(2022)

    as Uncle Walter

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The North Water(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Baxter

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Mandy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 1 episode · as Engineer Woodcock

  • Summerland(2020)

    as Mr. Sullivan

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Cinderella: After Ever After (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as The King

  • The Aeronauts(2019)

    as Arthur Glaisher

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Queen's Corgi(2019)

    as The Duke of Edinburgh (voice)

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • King of Thieves(2018)

    as Kenny Collins

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society(2018)

    as Eben Ramsey

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Grandpa's Great Escape(2018)

    as Grandpa

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Dad's Army(2016)

    as Lance Corporal Jones

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Unforgotten(2015)

    Show 6 episodes · as Eric Slater

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Barney Thomson(2015)

    as Chief Superintendent McManaman

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • 45 Years(2015)

    as Geoff Mercer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Night Train to Lisbon(2013)

    as Older João Eca

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Quartet(2012)

    as Reginald Paget

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Gambit(2012)

    as The Major

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The End of an Era (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Dr Blatella (voice)

  • The Royle Family: The New Sofa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Dave Best Sr.

  • Little Dorrit(2008)

    Show 14 episodes · as Mr. Dorrit

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Golden Compass(2007)

    as Farder Coram

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Flood(2007)

    as Leonard Morrison

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Ready When You Are, Mr McGill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Joe McGill

  • Nicholas Nickleby(2002)

    as Newman Noggs

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Last Orders(2001)

    as Vic

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?(1999)

    as Harold Smith

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • A Rather English Marriage(1998)

    as Roy Southgate

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Famous Fred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Kenneth (voice)

  • The Boy from Mercury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Uncle Tony Cronin

  • The Old Curiosity Shop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Daniel Quilp

  • The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Treasure of the Peacock's Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Bronislaw Malinowski

  • Let Him Have It(1991)

    as William Bentley

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Redemption (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Stan Peachey

  • The Last Butterfly(1991)

    as Antoine Moreau

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Chekhov in Yalta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Anton Chekhov

  • Leonard Part 6(1987)

    as Frayn

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Happy New Year(1987)

    as Edward Saunders

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • ScreenPlay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 1 episode · as Stanley Peachey

  • Me and the Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as George

  • Absent Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Colin

  • Theatre Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Colin

  • The Dresser(1983)

    as Norman

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Chester Mystery Plays (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Jesus

  • I Heard the Owl Call My Name (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Mark Brian

  • Catch Me a Spy(1971)

    as Baxter Clarke

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Stage 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Marlow

  • One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Ivan Denisovich

  • Solo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Otley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Gerald Arthur Otley

  • A Dandy in Aspic(1968)

    as Gatiss

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Day the Fish Came Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as The Navigator

  • The Night of the Generals(1967)

    as Corporal Hartmann

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Doctor Zhivago(1965)

    as Pasha Antipov / Strelnikov

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • King Rat(1965)

    as Grey

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Jesus · as Oswald Alving

  • Operation Crossbow(1965)

    as Robert Henshaw

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • King & Country(1964)

    as Pvt. Arthur Hamp

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Billy Liar(1963)

    as William Terrence 'Billy' Fisher

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner(1962)

    as Colin Smith

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Private Potter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Pvt. Potter

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 61 titles from 1962 to 2026; peak year 2019.

Biggest box office

The Golden Compass (2007)

$372M worldwide

Highest rated

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Queen's Corgi (2019)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19622026

Peak 2019 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 8 MovieCove titles. 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.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting61 of 61: 61 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score71st

By decade

1960s12 · acting1970s6 · acting1980s8 · acting1990s8 · acting2000s8 · acting2010s14 · acting2020s5 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 4% of 28 roles
6267921217

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; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Tom Courtenay's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 33; across their 33 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Midcredits score across 36 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up17
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 36 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Crowd Pleaser18
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

Leonard Part 6 (1987)

70th percentile spread · 80% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 52. 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 Tom Courtenay's work okay for kids?

Across up to 14 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles21–55 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity14 titles11–40 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles10–58 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles21–40 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles22–53 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Tom Courtenay work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tom Courtenay's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ray Winstone shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers