Philip Davis (born 30 July 1953) is an English actor, writer, director and narrator. He is perhaps best known for his lead roles in the television dramas Whitechapel (2009–2013) and Silk (2012–2014).
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (August 2019) |
Phil Davis | |
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Born | Philip Davis (1953-07-30) 30 July 1953 (age 69) |
Occupation | Actor, writer, director, narrator |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Davis was born in Highgate, London, and brought up in Thurrock, Essex. His father worked for Procter & Gamble in a soap factory and his mother was a hospital dining room supervisor. From the age of eight, he was interested in acting. He attended Ockendon Courts County Secondary School in South Ockendon, Essex, where he was distracted in class but enjoyed school plays. He was also a member of both the National Youth Theatre and Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop.[1]
In 1977, he was cast in the lead role of the play Gotcha! about an under-achieving student who holds two teachers hostage on his last day at school. An early film role was as Chalky, a mod who is knocked off his scooter by a rocker in Quadrophenia (1979). He then landed the role of midshipman Edward "Ned" Young in The Bounty (1984); co-star Daniel Day-Lewis later rated him as one of his greatest inspirations. He appeared in the TV series To Have and to Hold with Amanda Redman. He began a long association with Mike Leigh with roles including Cyril the motorcycle courier in High Hopes (1988) and as Stanley, the husband of the abortion care provider in Vera Drake (2004).[1]
He has also made numerous television appearances. More recent roles have seen him mainly cast as disreputable characters, including the mean money lender Smallweed in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House (2005), as Jeff Hope, a cab driver in the first episode of Sherlock (2010), as crime family solicitor Micky Joy in Silk,[1] as Jud, the malevolent servant in Poldark (2015)[2] and as DI Tom Piper in crime drama Black Work.[3]
In 2013 he starred as the human incarnation of the devil in the 5th and final series of BBC Three's Being Human. He also starred alongside Rupert Penry Jones in the TV series Whitechapel. From November 2017 until February 2018, he played Ebenezer Scrooge in David Edgar's new adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Davis married actress Eve Matheson in Hackney, London in 2002. They have a daughter, Amy Elisabeth (born 2002). Davis also has a son, Hugo (born 1996), by a previous partner.[4]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1972 | The Canterbury Tales | second homosexual lover | uncredited |
1973 | Orson Welles Great Mysteries | Johnny Sheeham | |
1974 | Death or Glory Boy | ||
1975 | The Old Curiosity Shop | Tom Scott | |
1977 | Target | Ray | |
1978–1982 | Rumpole of the Bailey | Tony Timson | |
1978 | The Professionals | Billy Turner | |
1979 | Quadrophenia | Chalky | |
1980 | Grown-Ups | Dick | |
1980 | The Flipside of Dominick Hide | 2nd Youth | |
1981 | Bergerac | ||
1982 | Pink Floyd—The Wall | Roadie | |
1984 | The Bounty | Midshipman Edward "Ned" Young | |
1985 | The Doctor and the Devils | Billy Bedlam | |
1985–1986 | Robin of Sherwood | Prince John | |
1986 | Comrades | Young (John) Standfield | |
1987 | Truckers | Cowboy | |
1987 | High Hopes | Cyril | |
1989 | The Firm | "Yeti" | |
1989 | Skulduggery | director and writer | |
1992 | Inspector Morse | episode "Absolute Conviction" | |
1992 | Alien 3 | Kevin | credited as Philip Davis |
1993 | In the Name of the Father | ||
1994–1995 | Moving Story | ||
1995 | ID | director | |
1996 | Secrets & Lies | ||
1996 | Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgment | director | |
1996 | Different for Girls | ||
1997 | Photographing Fairies | ||
1997 | Face | ||
1998 | Real Women | director | |
1999 | Births, Marriages and Deaths | ||
1999 | Hold Back the Night | director | |
2000 | North Square | ||
2002 | Fields of Gold | ||
2002 | Nicholas Nickleby | ||
2002, 2004–2005 | Rose and Maloney | ||
2002 | White Teeth | ||
2002 | The Safe House | ||
2004 | Wall of Silence | ||
2004 | The Baby Juice Express | ||
2004 | Vera Drake | nominated for a BAFTA film award in a supporting role | |
2005 | Casanova | ||
2005 | Bleak House | Smallweed | |
2005 | Like Father Like Son | Paul Barker | |
2005 | Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky | Ernest Eccles | |
2006 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Dr. Kennedy | "Sleeping Murder" (Series 2 Episode 1) |
2006 | Notes on a Scandal | Brian Bangs | |
2006 | Beau Brummell: This Charming Man | Master Servant Robinson | |
2007 | Secret Life | ||
2007 | Five Days | ||
2007 | Cassandra's Dream | Martin Burns | |
2007 | Midsomer Murders | ||
2007 | Inspector George Gently | ||
2007 | All About Me | ||
2008 | Lark Rise to Candleford | ||
2008 | Ashes to Ashes | Chas Cale | series 1 episode 6 |
2008 | The Curse of Steptoe | Wilfrid Brambell | |
2008 | Doctor Who | Lucius Petrus Dextrus | episode "The Fires of Pompeii" |
2009–2013 | Whitechapel | DS Ray Miles | |
2009 | Dead Man Running | ||
2009 | Desperate Romantics | ||
2009 | Collision | ||
2010 | Sherlock | Taxi Driver (Jeff)[8] | "A Study in Pink" (pilot 2009, episode 2010) |
2010 | Another Year | Jack | |
2010 | The Big I Am | Stubbs | |
2010 | My Family | Carl | |
2010 | Brighton Rock | Spicer | |
2011 | Outside Bet | Threads | |
2011 | Merlin | Gleeman | |
2011 | Case Histories | Theo Wyre | episode 1 |
2012–2014 | Silk | Mickey Joy | |
2012 | Fast Girls | ||
2012 | Borrowed Time | ||
2013 | Being Human | Captain Hatch | |
2013 | Having You | directed by Sam Hoare[9] | |
2014 | Death in Paradise | Series 3, episode 8 | |
2014 | New Tricks | "In Vino Veritas" (Series 11, Episode 7) | |
2015 | Age of Kill | Bill Weybridge | |
2015 | Mr. Holmes | Inspector Gilbert | |
2015–2016 | Poldark | Jud Paynter | |
2015 | Dough | Mr Cotton | |
2015–2016 | Mad Dogs | Lawrence | 10 episodes |
2015 | Black Work | DI Tom Piper | |
2016 | Golden Years | Brian | credited as Philip Davis |
2016 | Undercover | Jimmy | |
2017 | Riviera | Inspector Jukes (INTERPOL) | |
2017 | Hampstead | Fyfe | |
2017–present | Who Do You Think You Are? | Narrator | |
2017 | We Can Be Heroes | Grandad Evans | |
2018 | Juliet, Naked | Mayor Terry Barton | |
2019 | Pegasus Bridge | Bernard Montgomery | (post-production) |
2019 | The Rapture | Sir David | (post-production) |
2019 | Deus | Vance | (post-production) |
2019 | Silent Witness | Mick | season 23 episode 4 |
2019 | Knuckledust | Happy | |
2020 | Inside No. 9 | Bill Ryland | Season 5 episode 5 "Thinking Out Loud" |
2020-present | Trying | Victor Ross |
In 1980, Davis recorded "Blown It", which was released on the Elton John-owned label The Rocket Record Company.[10]
General | |
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National libraries | |
Biographical dictionaries | |
Other |