Tom Courtenay
Biography
Tom Courtenay is an English actor whose early screen work helped define the British New Wave. Born in Kingston upon Hull, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his stage debut with the Old Vic in 1960 before his first film, Private Potter, in 1962. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) won him the BAFTA for most promising newcomer, and Billy Liar (1963) brought the BAFTA for best actor. He earned a supporting actor Academy Award nomination for Doctor Zhivago (1965). For The Dresser (1983) he won a Golden Globe and received Academy Award and BAFTA nominations. Later films include Last Orders (2001), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Quartet (2012), and 45 Years (2015). On television he won British Academy Television Awards for A Rather English Marriage (1998) and Unforgotten (2015), and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Little Dorrit (2008).
89years old
Turns 90 on February 25in 130 days
- Born Kingston upon Hull
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
Movie Career
- Films
- 29
- Career span
- 60 years1962 to 2022
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A first
Courtenay was the first to record "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," singing it for the TV play The Lads before Decca released it as a 45 rpm single.
First role
Courtenay first appeared on stage in 1960, performing with the Old Vic theater company at the Lyceum in Edinburgh. The following year he replaced Albert Finney as the title character in Billy Liar at the Cambridge Theatre.
First role
Caspar Wrede, a Finnish-born director, first noticed Courtenay while he was still at RADA, and later directed him in Private Potter, which was Courtenay's film debut in 1962.
A first
In 2019 Courtenay took his first voice role, playing Prince Philip in The Queen's Corgi, and he also appeared in The Aeronauts with Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne.
Tom Courtenay movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Five actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Michael Gambon's page
Ray Winstone's page
John Mills's page
Geoffrey Bayldon's page
Leonard Rossiter's page
Christopher Lee's page
Also two films together21 more actors
- Michael CaineKing of Thieves (2018) and Last Orders (2001)
- Christopher PlummerNicholas Nickleby (2002) and The Night of the Generals (1967)
- Jim BroadbentKing of Thieves (2018) and Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
- Charlotte Rampling45 Years (2015) and Night Train to Lisbon (2013)
- Harry AndrewsSir John Mills' Moving Memories (2000) and A Dandy in Aspic (1968)
- Albert FinneyA Rather English Marriage (1998) and The Dresser (1983)
- James FoxKing Rat (1965) and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
- Dirk BogardeSir John Mills' Moving Memories (2000) and King and Country (1964)
- Julie ChristieDoctor Zhivago (1965) and Billy Liar (1963)
- Omar SharifThe Night of the Generals (1967) and Doctor Zhivago (1965)
- Pip TorrensGambit (2012) and Flood (2007)
- Robert CarlyleThe Legend of Barney Thomson (2015) and Flood (2007)
- Eileen AtkinsLet Him Have It (1991) and The Dresser (1983)
- Penelope WiltonSummerland (2020) and The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
- James VilliersOtley (1969) and King and Country (1964)
- Edward HardwickeLet Him Have It (1991) and Otley (1969)
- George InnesLast Orders (2001) and Billy Liar (1963)
- Stephen McColeThe Legend of Barney Thomson (2015) and Last Orders (2001)
- James BolamOtley (1969) and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
- James CossinsOtley (1969) and A Dandy in Aspic (1968)
- Sheridan SmithThe Railway Children Return (2022) and Quartet (2012)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Tom Courtenay's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$600 million
16 of the 29 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 29 films: 16 worldwide figure; 3 us gross only; 2 never in cinemas; 8 figure not found.
- 16Worldwide figure
- 3US gross only
- 2Never in cinemas
- 8Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 98% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$372M62.0% of the total
- 2$112M18.6% of the total
- 3$60M9.9% of the total
- 4$23M3.9% of the total
- 5$8.3M1.4% of the total
- 6$4.6M0.8% of the total
- 7$4.3M0.7% of the total
- 8$3.7M0.6% of the total
$12.4 millionfrom the other 8 films with a worldwide figure, 2% of the total
Awards
Five awards and honors from 2015 to 2026, four of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAFTA | |||
| 2016 | Best Supporting Actor | Unforgotten on Masterpiece | Won |
| Berlin Film Festival | |||
| 2026 | Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance | Queen at Sea | Won |
| 2015 | Silver Bear for Best Actor | 45 Years | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | |||
| Volpi Cup for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Other honors | |||
| Knight Bachelor | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.