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Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew Winstone (/ˈwɪnstən/; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage, and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is known for his "hard man" roles, usually delivered in his distinctive London accent.
Besides playing gangster roles, Winstone has also worked in comedy (Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence) and as the romantic lead (Fanny and Elvis). He starred as Henry VIII in the 2003 TV serial of the same name. He has appeared in many TV shows, including Robin of Sherwood (1984 to 1986), The Bill, Boon, Ever Decreasing Circles, One Foot in the Grave, Home To Roost, Birds of a Feather, Kavanagh QC, and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Winstone received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination for his performance in Nil by Mouth (1997). He also starred in the British independent films Scum (1979), Quadrophenia (1979), The War Zone (1999), Last Orders (2001), and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010). Winstone's other notable films include Sexy Beast (2000), Ripley's Game (2002), Cold Mountain (2003), King Arthur (2004), The Departed (2006), Beowulf (2007), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Hugo (2011), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Black Widow (2021), and Damsel (2024).
Winstone was born on 19 February 1957 in Hackney Hospital, London. He first lived in Caistor Park Road, Stratford E15, and attended Portway infants and junior school. He moved to Enfield when he was seven. His mother, Margaret (née Richardson; 1932–1985) had a job emptying fruit machines, and his father, Raymond J. Winstone (1933–2015), ran a fruit-and-vegetable business.
Winstone has recounted how, as a child, he used to play with his friends on bomb sites (empty plots of land with rubble from Second World War bombs). He joined Brimsdown Primary School and in 1968, enrolled to Edmonton County School, which had changed from a grammar school to a comprehensive upon his arrival. He also attended Corona Theatre School. He did not take to school, eventually leaving with a single CSE (grade 2) in drama.
He recounted an early encounter with a notorious gangster:
"I was still a baby the day Ronnie Kray came round to see Dad, but I've been told this story so many times I can see it unfolding in my mind. Everyone was on their best behaviour, but then Ronnie picked me up, and by all accounts I pissed all over him. He had a new mac on, which had probably cost a few bob, and I absolutely covered it. The room fell silent, then Ronnie cracked up, so everyone knew it was safe to join in."
Winstone had an early affinity for acting; his father would take him to the cinema every Wednesday afternoon. Later, he viewed Albert Finney in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, and said: "I thought, 'I could be that geezer'." His other major influences included John Wayne, James Cagney, and Edward G. Robinson. After borrowing extra tuition money from a friend's mother, a drama teacher, Winstone took to the stage, appearing as a Cockney newspaper seller in a production of Emil and the Detectives.
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Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew Winstone (/ˈwɪnstən/; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage, and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is known for his "hard man" roles, usually delivered in his distinctive London accent.
Besides playing gangster roles, Winstone has also worked in comedy (Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence) and as the romantic lead (Fanny and Elvis). He starred as Henry VIII in the 2003 TV serial of the same name. He has appeared in many TV shows, including Robin of Sherwood (1984 to 1986), The Bill, Boon, Ever Decreasing Circles, One Foot in the Grave, Home To Roost, Birds of a Feather, Kavanagh QC, and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
Winstone received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination for his performance in Nil by Mouth (1997). He also starred in the British independent films Scum (1979), Quadrophenia (1979), The War Zone (1999), Last Orders (2001), and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010). Winstone's other notable films include Sexy Beast (2000), Ripley's Game (2002), Cold Mountain (2003), King Arthur (2004), The Departed (2006), Beowulf (2007), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Hugo (2011), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Black Widow (2021), and Damsel (2024).
Winstone was born on 19 February 1957 in Hackney Hospital, London. He first lived in Caistor Park Road, Stratford E15, and attended Portway infants and junior school. He moved to Enfield when he was seven. His mother, Margaret (née Richardson; 1932–1985) had a job emptying fruit machines, and his father, Raymond J. Winstone (1933–2015), ran a fruit-and-vegetable business.
Winstone has recounted how, as a child, he used to play with his friends on bomb sites (empty plots of land with rubble from Second World War bombs). He joined Brimsdown Primary School and in 1968, enrolled to Edmonton County School, which had changed from a grammar school to a comprehensive upon his arrival. He also attended Corona Theatre School. He did not take to school, eventually leaving with a single CSE (grade 2) in drama.
He recounted an early encounter with a notorious gangster:
"I was still a baby the day Ronnie Kray came round to see Dad, but I've been told this story so many times I can see it unfolding in my mind. Everyone was on their best behaviour, but then Ronnie picked me up, and by all accounts I pissed all over him. He had a new mac on, which had probably cost a few bob, and I absolutely covered it. The room fell silent, then Ronnie cracked up, so everyone knew it was safe to join in."
Winstone had an early affinity for acting; his father would take him to the cinema every Wednesday afternoon. Later, he viewed Albert Finney in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, and said: "I thought, 'I could be that geezer'." His other major influences included John Wayne, James Cagney, and Edward G. Robinson. After borrowing extra tuition money from a friend's mother, a drama teacher, Winstone took to the stage, appearing as a Cockney newspaper seller in a production of Emil and the Detectives.
