Skip to content
MovieCove
Douglas Reith

Douglas Reith

Actor · Born July 16, 1953 (73) · Melton, Suffolk, England, UK

Screen Actors Guild Award nominee

Douglas Reith is a British actor and teacher. He is best known for his role as Lord Merton in the television series Downton Abbey (2010–2015), as well as its two follow-up films. Reith was born in Melton, Suffolk. He studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He began acting in the late 1970s, beginning with an appearance in International Velvet (1978) alongside Tatum O'Neal and Christopher Plummer. He worked as an announcer and presenter at BBC Radio 3 for five years before leaving to study Greats at Christ Church, Oxford for four years beginning in 1989. He worked as a teacher, including at Westminster School, before resuming his acting career. Reith joined the cast of Downton Abbey as Lord Merton in 2012, and alongside the cast was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards. He reprised the role in the films Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022). In 2017, Reith was cast in Tim Burton's live-action remake Dumbo (2019). In 2019, he was cast in SAS: Red Notice (2021).

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 16, 1953 (73)
From
Melton, Suffolk, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 12% in 30 days

What are Douglas Reith's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
24%
Bonds
22%
Survival
22%
Self
13%
Morality
12%
Power
7%
Family bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 1

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · 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 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
3
Melancholic
3
Contemplative
3
Warm
3
Bittersweet
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Bittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet3
  • 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 Douglas Reith's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Douglas Reith'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, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale(2025)

    as Lord Merton

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Downton Abbey: A New Era(2022)

    as Lord Merton

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The War Below(2021)

    as Field Marshal Haig

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • SAS: Rise of the Black Swan(2021)

    as Sir Charles Whiteside

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Professor T(2021)

    Show 24 episodes · as Dean

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Downton Abbey(2019)

    as Lord Merton

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Pandora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Prescott Fleming

  • Dumbo(2019)

    as Sotheby

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Fearless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 6 episodes · as Justice Angus Hill

  • The Crown(2016)

    Show 1 episode · as Admiral Leach

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Agatha Raisin(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Lord Pendlebury

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Serial Teachers 2(2015)

    as Le chef de la sécurité

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Outlander(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Professor Brown

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Rush(2013)

    as Awards Presenter

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • W.E.(2011)

    as Lord Brownlow

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Downton Abbey(2010)

    Show 8 episodes · as Lord Merton

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Enid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as BBC Interviewer

  • Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Metellus

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • The Queen(2006)

    as Lord Airlie

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Queen's Sister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Horace Featherstonehaugh

  • Elizabeth I(2005)

    Show 2 episodes · as Jude · as Judge

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Rose and Maloney(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Sir Andrew Ross

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Bloodlines: Legacy of a Lord (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Actor

  • The Prince and the Pauper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 6 episodes · as Chamberlain

  • Cold Warrior (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Ferris

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

    as Jimmy Martin

  • An Englishman Abroad(1983)

    as Toby

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Happy Autumn Fields (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    as Fitzgeorge

  • Minder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · as Bellars

  • International Velvet(1978)

    as Howard

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Rentaghost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as Auctioneer

  • Rumpole of the Bailey(1978)

    Show 1 episode · as Sergeant Downs

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Fitzgeorge

Career shape

Star power in the 94th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 33 titles from 1974 to 2025; peak year 2020.

Biggest box office

Dumbo (2019)

$353M worldwide

Highest rated

The Queen (2006)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Professor T (2021)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19742025

Peak 2020 · steadily prominent in film for years. 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
Acting33 of 33: 33 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rd

By decade

1970s5 · acting1980s4 · acting1990s2 · acting2000s6 · acting2010s11 · acting2020s5 · acting

Billing

usually 13th · top billed in 0% of 12 roles
7818

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.

Awards

Nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2017, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Douglas Reith's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 12; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 21 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

W.E. (2011)

60th percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Rush (2013)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 80/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 85, detractors 58. 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.