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Ron Donachie

Ron Donachie

Actor · Born April 26, 1956 (70) · Dundee, Tayside, Scotland

Ron Donachie was born Ronald Eaglesham Porter on April 26, 1956 in Dundee, Tayside, Scotland. He was educated at Madras College, St. Andrews and Glasgow University, from where he graduated with an M.A (Hons.) in English Literature and Drama in 1979. After a year working as a navvy, he joined the 7.84 theatre company for John Burrough's "One Big Blow", in which the cast mimicked a traditional, colliery band by singing in six part harmony. The success of the play led to the formation of the acapella band "The Flying Pickets", who had a Christmas number one in 1983. Donachie's decision not to stay with the band and thereby missing out on their success has been described by him as "one of my more brilliant career decisions." Throughout the 1980s, he was a prolific theatre performer all across the United Kingdom, working in Britain's now largely vanished repertory system. This afforded him the opportunity to act in many classical plays which are now rarely performed due to budget constraints and closed theatres. During this period, he appeared in over twenty plays at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre under its famous triumvirate of Giles Havergal, Robert David Macdonald and Phillip Prowse. Like many performers with similar experience, he considers this the happiest, most fruitful and most influential phase of his career. In the 1990s, he became a regular performer on British television, and did not appear on stage again until unexpectedly asked to join the National Theatre company for "Scenes From the Big Picture" in 2003. This ended a gap in live performance of thirteen years. Since then, he has tried to return to the variety of his earlier years with regular live performances interspersing his television and film work. Married on St. Patrick's Day 1989 to Fiona Biggar, the couple have two children: Naomi Porter, a student of Russian, German and French, and Daniel Porter, who now performs in his own right under the name of Daniel Portman. His sister-in-law is the costume designer Trisha Biggar and his brother is the actor Stewart Porter.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
April 26, 1956 (70)
From
Dundee, Tayside, Scotland
Works as
Actor
Titles
51 on MovieCove · 103 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 64 days to Oct 27Down 8% in 30 days

What are Ron Donachie's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Adventure 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
23%
Self
19%
Morality
17%
Survival
16%
Society
14%
Power
11%
Justice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 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 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 5

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 4 · 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 8 · 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 5 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

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 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 5

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles
  • Allyas Angus McAllister in Blandings (2013)
  • Shadowas Don Carpenter in Screw (2022)

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Warm
4
Dread
4
Melancholic
4
Hopeful
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Feel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

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 Ron Donachie's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 39 of their 51 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ron Donachie'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

103 credits, 51 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • I Swear(2025)

    as Headmaster Donald Watkins

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Karen Pirie(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · as Archie Duff

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Rocketry: The Nambi Effect(2022)

    as Col. Cleaver

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Screw(2022)

    Show 12 episodes · as Don Carpenter

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • FBI: International(2021)

    Show 1 episode · as Judge

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows

  • Outlaw King(2018)

    as Robert Wishart, Bishop of Glasgow

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Starhunter ReduX (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 1 episode · as MacDuff

  • Steel Rain(2017)

    as Michael Dobbs

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Loch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 5 episodes · as Iain Sutherland

  • Agatha Raisin(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Ron Allen

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Sunset Song(2015)

    as Uncle Tam

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • What We Did on Our Holiday(2014)

    as Sgt. Murdoch

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Major Bloomberg

  • Atlantis(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Theos

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Filth(2013)

    as Hector

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Father Brown(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Jock Hamilton

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Blandings(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · as Angus McAllister

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Blitz(2011)

    as Sergeant Cross

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Field of Blood(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · as DCI Sullivan

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Vera(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Jesse Hennings

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Game of Thrones(2011)

    Show 13 episodes · as Rodrik Cassel

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Silk(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Alasdair McKinley QC

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Garrow's Law(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Sir Alexander Lamb

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Stone of Destiny(2008)

    as Night Watchman

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Max Manus: Man of War(2008)

    as Oberst John Skinner Wilson

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Daisy Chain(2008)

    as Doctor Ferguson

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Made of Honor(2008)

    as Horse Owner

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Recovery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Len Hamilton

  • Inspector Lewis(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Professor Angus Rawbone

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Party Animals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Flying Scotsman(2006)

    as Scobie

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Chatterley Affair(2006)

    as Mr. Allen Lane

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Waterloo Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 7 episodes · as Billy Byrne

  • The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby(2005)

    as Laurie

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Love Soup (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Golden Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as David Tremaine

  • Man to Man(2005)

    as Sir Walter Stephenson

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Doctor Who(2005)

    Show 1 episode · as Steward

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Doctor Who Confidential (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Uncle Adolf(2005)

    as Martin Bormann

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Genius of Mozart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 3 episodes · as Joseph Hayden

  • Man Dancin' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Billy Maddison

  • Sea of Souls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Minister

  • Shameless(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Biddy

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Key (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • The Commander (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 17 episodes · Actor

  • Still Game(2002)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Al's Lads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Birch

  • The Inspector Lynley Mysteries(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as John Ross

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Shackleton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Keltie

  • Starhunter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Too Much Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Arnold Wyckoff

  • Beautiful Creatures(2000)

    as Police Pathologist

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Station (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Ticket Man

  • A Shot at Glory(2000)

    as Sportscaster

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Rebus(2000)

    Show 2 episodes · as DC Jack Gunner · as DCS Wilson · as Jack Gunner

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Monarch of the Glen(2000)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Extremely Dangerous (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 4 episodes · as Gebbert

  • The Match(1999)

    as Happy Feet

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Scarlet Pimpernel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 6 episodes · as Arturo Mazarini

  • The Life and Crimes of William Palmer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Leonard Bladon

  • Titanic(1997)

    as Master at Arms

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Ain't Misbehavin' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 3 episodes · as Billy the Book

  • Fierce Creatures(1997)

    as Sergeant Scott

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Ivanhoe(1997)

    Show 6 episodes · as Friar Tuck

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • The Lucky Suit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Actor

  • Silent Witness(1996)

    Show 2 episodes · as DCI Luke Telford

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Governor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 10 episodes · as Russell Morgan

  • Hamish Macbeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 2 episodes · as Zoot McPherrin

  • The Jungle Book(1994)

    as Harley

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Harry Enfield and Chums (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Customer

  • Takin' Over the Asylum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 6 episodes · as Petrie

  • Roughnecks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Dennis

  • Red Eagle(1994)

    as Kelly

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • 99-1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as McLaverty

  • Cracker(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Barney

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • The Bogie Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Davie

  • Me, You and Him (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 6 episodes · as Todd

  • Virtual Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Police Doctor

  • Heartbeat(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Ken Dekin · as Mr. Gordon

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Sweet Nothing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Big Mac

  • The Gravy Train (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 4 episodes · as Hatted Man

  • Crossing to Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as RAF Corporal

  • Stay Lucky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Justice Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 4 episodes · as Alex Patterson

  • The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 2 episodes · as Al Hake

  • The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Al Hake

  • The Zip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as The biker

  • Down Where the Buffalo Go (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as J.D. (Man on Ferry)

  • The Play on One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Drunk on Ferry

  • White Mischief(1987)

    as Club Manager

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Tutti Frutti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 6 episodes · as Dennis Sproul

  • Blood Red Roses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Charles Riggins

  • Casualty(1986)

    Show 1 episode · as PC Pewsey

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • Heavenly Pursuits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Big Man in Bar

  • Comfort and Joy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as George

  • It Could Happen to Anybody (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Big Lick

  • Sakharov (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Actor

  • Those Glory Glory Days(1983)

    as 1961 Spurs Team Member

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 3 episodes · as Calhoun

  • Ill Fares the Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Actor

  • Taggart(1983)

    Show 3 episodes · Actor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Grey Granite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 3 episodes · as Provost James Speight

Career shape

Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 103 titles from 1983 to 2025; peak year 2007.

Biggest box office

The Jungle Book (1994)

$52M worldwide

Highest rated

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect (2022)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Rebus (2000)

Film career

19832025

Peak 2007 · 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.

  • 1984Screen debut· Comfort and Joy

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting103 of 103: 103 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score71st

By decade

1980s20 · acting1990s26 · acting2000s35 · acting2010s17 · acting2020s5 · acting

Billing

usually 13th · top billed in 0% of 19 roles
849909

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 Ron Donachie's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 26; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 51 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up24
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

28 of their 51 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser28
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

Red Eagle (1994)

69th percentile spread · 22% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

I Swear (2025)

Midcredits 99th · 96% liked

Reviewers score the acting 72/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 43. 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 Ron Donachie's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 39 · moderateMedian of all films: 32
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 63 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Ron Donachie work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ron Donachie's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter Mullan shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers