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Ian Pirie

Ian Pirie

Actor · Born January 15, 1966 (60) · Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

Married to the actress Victoria Donovan. He turned professional in 1996 when, with no formal training, landed a role in the critically acclaimed, West End revival of "Jesus Christ Superstar" in London. He understudied and played Valjean in the legendary London musical. Played Quasimodo in Notre Dame de Paris at The Dominion Theatre. Has performed in two different productions of Macbeth, at The Globe and in Edward Hall's version with Sean Bean and Samantha Bond. He toured America with The RSC in The Canterbury Tales, later touring the US in the multi-award winning "Black Watch", directed by John Tiffany, appearing as The Officer,. Television credits include series regular: Captain Dragonetti in David S. Goyer's Da Vinci's Demons. (3 seasons) Elfrick in World Without End directed by Michael Caton Jones. Roles in Endeavour, Misfits, Ripper Street, Five Daughters, Dalziel and Pascoe, The Knock, Eastenders, Casuality, Holby City, The Bill, Family Affairs, and his proudest moment in 4 episodes in the iconic Grange Hill. Die Another Day, Gangs Of New York, Les Miserables and The Dark Night are some of the blockbuster movies in which he has appeared. Has featured in a number of Independent feature films of critical acclaim, including as Chae Strachan in Sunset Song, directed by the iconic Terence Davies, and Tommy's Honour, which won best film at The Scottish BAFTA's in 2017, directed by Jason Connery. Other features include : I am Soldier, Pressure, Who Needs Enemies, The Wee Man, The Last Photograph, Hummingbird, Winter Ridge. In 2018 he can be seen in The Terror on AMC and appears as Brian McClay in the Movie Calibre starring Jack Lowden. He is represented by Sophie Austin at United Agents and managed by Lena Roklin in the US.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 15, 1966 (60)
From
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
32 on MovieCove · 39 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 64 days to Oct 27Down 32% in 30 days

What are Ian Pirie's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: 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
Morality
27%
Survival
26%
Self
18%
Power
10%
Bonds
9%
Ideas
8%
Society
3%
Grief3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 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 1 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 5 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 5

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 1

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

A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 3

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

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 5

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Melancholic
5
Dread
4
Cold
2
Hopeful
2
Other
4

How their films linger

Haunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous5

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 Ian Pirie's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 31 of their 32 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ian Pirie'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

39 credits, 32 with a MovieCove page.

  • Robin Hood(2025)

    Show as Uncle Gamewell

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all shows

  • The Primrose Railway Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Thomas Brown

  • The Gold(2023)

    Show 1 episode · as Capitaine Siegrist

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Consecration(2023)

    as Vincent

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Catch(2023)

    Show 4 episodes · as Bob

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all shows

  • Mayfair Witches(2023)

    Show 4 episodes · as Ian Mayfair

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • Granite Harbour(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · as Bill Gifford

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • The English(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Keir Grant

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • The Road Dance(2021)

    as Constable MacRae

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Halo(2022)

    Show 2 episodes · as Professor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • The Leerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as The Leerie

  • The Matrix Resurrections(2021)

    as Lieutenant

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Last Duel(2021)

    as Henri

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Yellowbird (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as William

  • Miss Scarlet(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · as Superintendent Monro

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Guilt(2019)

    Show 4 episodes · as Sandy

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • The Capture(2019)

    Show 3 episodes · as Kenny Shaw

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Chernobyl(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Site Officer Masha

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • The Spanish Princess(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · as George Douglas

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Calibre(2018)

    as Brian McClay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Winter Ridge(2018)

    as Mike Evans

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Tommy's Honour(2016)

    as Willie Park

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Sunset Song(2015)

    as Chae Strachan

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Pressure(2015)

    as Karsen

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • I Am Soldier(2014)

    as Major Pritchard

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Who Needs Enemies(2013)

    as Tom

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Redemption(2013)

    as Pimp

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Ripper Street(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Jenkins

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Les Misérables(2012)

    as Babet

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • World Without End (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 8 episodes · as Elfric

  • Misfits(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as DI Roberts

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Dread(2009)

    as Husband (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Dark Knight(2008)

    as Corrections Officer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Gangs of New York(2002)

    as Slaughter Housers Leader

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Die Another Day(2002)

    as Creep

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Life Support (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Drunk

  • Dalziel and Pascoe(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Jake Hawkins

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Love Unlimited (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Peter Miller

  • The Vanished (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer · as The Man

Career shape

Star power in the 94th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 37 titles, 35 of them dated from 1996 to 2024; peak year 2022.

Biggest box office

Consecration (2023)

$2.4M worldwide

Highest rated

The Road Dance (2021)

Midcredits 81st

Most popular right now

Robin Hood (2025)

Film career

19962024

Peak 2022 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 2 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
Acting37 of 37: 36 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score67thWriting1 of 37: 0 only writing, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s2 · acting2000s5 · acting2010s14 · acting2020s14 · acting

Billing

usually 15th · top billed in 0% of 12 roles
0217

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 Ian Pirie's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

20thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 32 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 32 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

Who Needs Enemies (2013)

79th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Dark Knight (2008)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 35. 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 Ian Pirie's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles9–62 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 53 · moderateMedian 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 Ian Pirie work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ian Pirie's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Danny Huston shares the most, 2.

Actors

Producers