David Morrissey
Known for: Acting
David Mark Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and director. He grew up in the Kensington and Knotty Ash areas of Liverpool. Learning to act at the Everyman Youth Theatre, alongside Ian Hart, Mark and Stephen McGann, and Cathy Tyson. At age 18, he and Hart were cast in the television series One Summer (1983), which won them recognition throughout the country. After making One Summer, Morrissey attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) before acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Throughout the 1990s, he often portrayed policemen and soldiers, though took other defining roles such as Bradley Headstone in Our Mutual Friend (1998) and Christopher Finzi in Hilary and Jackie (1998). More film parts followed, including roles in Some Voices (2000) and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), before he played the critically acclaimed roles of Stephen Collins in State of Play (2003) and Gordon Brown in The Deal (2003). The former won him a nomination at the British Academy Television Awards and the latter a Best Actor award at the Royal Television Society Awards. His film roles have not always been acclaimed; his appearance as the male lead in Basic Instinct 2 (2006) was widely criticised, and The Reaping (2007) bombed at the box office. Since then, he has had leading roles in Sense and Sensibility (2008), Red Riding (2009) and Five Days (2010), acted in the films Nowhere Boy (2009) and Centurion (2010), and produced and starred in the crime drama Thorne (2010). Returning to the stage in 2008, he did a run of Neil LaBute's In a Dark Dark House and the title role in the Liverpool Everyman's production of Macbeth in 2011. As director, Morrissey has helmed short films, and the dramas Sweet Revenge (2001) and Passer By (2004) for the BBC. His feature debut, Don't Worry About Me, premiered at the 2009 London Film Festival and was broadcast on BBC television in March 2010. He is married to novelist Esther Freud, has three children, and is a patron of numerous charities. THEATRE includes Hangmen at the Royal Court; and The Lover / The Collection at Theatre Royal Bath; The End of History at The Royal Court; King John at The Barbican; The School for Scandal and Peer Gynt at The National Theatre; Twelfth Night and Three Days of Rain at the Donmar Warehouse; Macbeth at The Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse; Much Ado About Nothing in The West End; In a Dark Dark House at The Almedia; Julius Caesar at The Bridge. TELEVISION includes Gone, Daddy Issues, Tip Toe, The Siege, The Walking Dead, Prime Target, Sherwood, Red Riding, State of Play (BAFTA nomination for Best Actor), The Missing, The City and The City, Britannia, Extant, and The Driver (also Executive Producer), The Long Shadow, Inside No.9, The Singapore Grip, Good Omens, The 7.39, Our Mutual Friend, Clocking Off, Holding On, State of Play, The Deal, Viva Blackpool, Doctor Who, Sense and Sensibility, The Hollow Crown, True Love, The Field of Blood, South Riding, Thorne: Sleepyhead/Scaredy Cat, One Summer. FILM includes the upcoming The Beatles biopics, Welcome to the Punch, Nowhere Boy, Centurion, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Woman in Cabin 10, The Colour Room, Slingshot, Dampyr, Blitz, The One’s Below, Hilary & Jackie, Some Voices, Born Romantic, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Derailed, Stoned, The Reaping, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep.
Filmography
Series
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self
2005
Series
The Walking Dead
Philip Blake
2010
Series
Agatha Christie's Poirot
John Arbuthnot
1989
Series
The One Show
Self
2006
Series
Would I Lie to You?
Self - Panellist
2007
Series
Inside No. 9
Martin
2014
Series
Good Omens
Captain Vincent
2019
Series
Soccer AM
Self
1995
Series
ScreenPlay
Marcus
1986
Series
ScreenPlay
Judd
1986
Series
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
Self - Guest
2018
Series
Extant
Tobias Shepherd
2014
Series
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Self - Guest
2001
Series
Screen One
DC Norman Mills
1989
Series
Sherwood
DCS Ian St Clair
2022
Series
Prime Target
Professor Robert Mallinder
2025
Series
Between the Lines
1992
Series
The Hollow Crown
Earl of Northumberland
2012
Series
Britannia
General Aulus Plautius
2018
Series
The Storyteller: Greek Myths
Theseus
1991
Series
Sense and Sensibility
Colonel Brandon
2008
Series
Gone
Michael Polly
2026
Series
This World
2004
Series
Tip Toe
Clive Goss
2026
Series
Five Days
DI Mal Craig
2007
Series
Between the Covers
Self
2020
The Siege
Series
The Long Shadow
DCS George Oldfield
2023
Series
The Long Shadow
ACC George Oldfield
2023
Series
The Missing
Sam Webster
2014
Series
Out of the Blue
DS Jim 'Lew' Lewyn
1995
Film
The Other Boleyn Girl
Thomas Howard - Duke of Norfolk
2008
Series
Daddy Issues
Malcolm
2024
Film
The Woman in Cabin 10
Thomas Heatherley
2025
Film
Basic Instinct 2
Michael Glass
2006
Series
Zero Hour
Narrator (Voice)
2004
Film
Centurion
Bothos
2010
Series
Thorne
Tom Thorne
2010
Series
Rob Beckett's Smart TV
Self - Guest
2024
Film
Blitz
Dunlop
2011
Series
Red Riding
DS Maurice Jobson
2009
Film
The Water Horse
Captain Thomas Hamilton
2007
Series
State of Play
Stephen Collins
2003
Film
Derailed
Sam Griffin
2005
Series
The Knock
Gerry Birch
1994
Film
The Reaping
Doug
2007
Series
Our Mutual Friend
Bradley Headstone
1998
Film
Welcome to the Punch
Thomas Geiger
2013
Series
The Singapore Grip
Walter Blackett
2020
Series
Meadowlands
Danny Brogan
2007
Series
Blackpool
Ripley Holden
2004
Series
True Love
Adrian
2012
Series
Doctor Who Greatest Moments
Self
2009
Series
Ellie & Natasia
Dentist
2022
Series
The Driver
Vince McKee
2014
Film
Robin Hood
Little John
1991
Series
The City and the City
Tyador Borlú
2018
Film
Slingshot
Sam Napier
2024
Series
Linda Green
Pete
2001
Film
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Captain Günther Weber
2001
Film
Dampyr
Gorka
2022
Series
South Riding
Robert Carne
2011
Film
Nowhere Boy
Bobby Dykins
2009
Series
One Summer
Billy Rizley
1983
Film
The Oresteia
Christopher Middleton
2026
Series
The Field of Blood
Murray Devlin
2011
Film
Hilary and Jackie
Kiffer Finzi
1998
Film
Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974
Maurice Jobson
2009
Series
Holding On
Shaun
1997
Series
The 7.39
Carl Matthews
2014
Series
Framed
DC Lawrence 'Larry' Jackson
1992
Film
The Walking Dead: The Return
The Governor (archive footage)
2024
Film
Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983
Maurice Jobson
2009
Film
Ronaldo
(voice)
2015
Series
Murder
Dave Dewston
2002
Series
Finney
Stephen Finney
1994
Film
The Ones Below
Jon
2016
Film
Drowning by Numbers
Bellamy
1988
Film
National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar
Mark Antony
2018
Film
Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980
Maurice Jobson
2009
Film
Waterland
Dick Crick
1992
Film
The Storyteller: Greek Myths - Theseus & the Minotaur
Theseus
1991
Film
Being Human
Cyprion's Man
1994
Film
National Theatre Live: Hangmen
Harry
2016
Film
Is Anybody There?
Steve
2009
Film
The Colour Room
Fred Ridgeway
2021
Devil's Advocate
Matthew Salt
1995
Film
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
Jackson Lake
2008
Film
The One That Got Away
Andy "Mac" McNab
1996
Pure Wickedness
Frank Healy
1999
Series
Gods of Tennis
Narrator
2023
Film
The Year London Blew Up
Narrator (voice)
2005
Film
Macbeth
Macbeth
2011
Series
Manhunt
Narrator
2025
Film
Inflicted Kindness
DS Mark Thompson
Film
Some Voices
Pete
2000
The Walking Dead: A Decade of Dead
Self
2013
Film
The Commissioner
Murray Lomax
1998
Film
Viva Blackpool
Ripley Holden
2006
Film
Cause Célèbre
George Bowman
1987
Film
Stoned
Tom Keylock
2005
Film
This Little Life
Richie MacGregor
2003
Film
Fanny & Elvis
Rob
1999
Series
Lion Country: Night and Day
Narrator (voice)
2017
Film
Earthbound
Bill Norman
2012
Film
Zero Hour: Massacre at Columbine High
Narrator
2004
Film
U Be Dead
Dr. Jan Falkowski
2009
Film
Thorne: Scaredycat
DI Tom Thorne
2010
Film
The Suicide Club
Henry Joyce
2000
Film
The Not So Secret Life of the Manic Depressive: 10 Years On
Narrator (voice)
2016
Film
Trust Me - I'm a Politician
Self
2003
Available Light
Marcus
1990
Into the Fire
Michael Ride
1996
Film
Born Romantic
Fergus
2000
Series
Turkey: Empire of Erdogan
Narrator
2023
Big Cat
Leo
1998
Around The World In 60 Mins
Self - Narrator (voice)
2011
Film
London's Burning
Borough Commander
2011
Film
Klopp: The Inside Story
Narrator
2020
Film
The Deal
Gordon Brown
2003
Film
Mrs Mandela
Theunis Swanepoel
2010
Film
Doctor Who Explained
Self
2013
Film
Cooked
(voice)
2010
Film
The Widowmaker
Rob
1990
Film
Clubland
DC Judd
1991
Film
Disaster at Chernobyl
Self - Narrator (voice)
2004
Film
Too Far Gone
Philip Blake (The Govenor)
2013
Film
Jürgen Klopp: Germany's Greatest Export
Self - Narrator (voice)
2020
Gee Gee
Michael
2011
Zero Hour - Terror in Tokyo
Self-Narrator(voice)
2004
Series
Britain's Notorious Prisons
Narrator
2023
Film
Taking Liberties
Narration
2007
Black and Blue
DC Norman Mills
1992
Series
Rock 'n' Roll America
Narrator
2015
Film
Out of Control
Mike
2002
Series
9mm: Guns and Gangs
Narrator
2003
Meet The Immigrants
2008
Secrets of Mexico's Drug War
Narrator
2015
Film
Six Inches of Soil
Narrator (animated sequence)
2024
Film
Out of Town
The Traveller
1988
A Separate Peace
John Brown
2020
Film
Two Tribes
Self
2019