--- name: "Ray McAnally" canonical: "https://film.one/person/ray-mcanally" fi1m_id: "ray-mcanally" imdb_id: "nm0564044" tmdb_id: 40008 wikidata_id: "Q1530604" roles: ["Actor"] born: "30 March 1926" died: "15 June 1989" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 64 average_as: "actor" average_over: 4 updated: "2026-10-07T11:08:46.435252+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ray McAnally ## Identity Ray McAnally - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/ray-mcanally - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** ray-mcanally - **IMDb ID:** nm0564044 - **TMDB ID:** 40008 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1530604 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_McAnally, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1530604, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564044/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/40008 Actor. Born 30 March 1926 in Buncrana, County Donegal, Ireland. Died 15 June 1989. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 30 March 1926, Buncrana, County Donegal, Ireland - **Died:** 15 June 1989 - **Active:** 1986–1989 - **BAFTA Film Awards:** 2 BAFTAs (2 won) - **Average Fi1m score:** 64, as actor, over 4 titles - **Fi1m against the critics:** 67 to 64 across 3 titles - **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 2 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Action 2, Drama 2, Adventure 1, Comedy 1, Fantasy 1, History 1 - **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $53m across 4 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_McAnally, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1530604, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564044/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/40008 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Mission*](https://film.one/film/the-mission-1986.md) (64) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Ray McAnally > Ray McAnally gives men in authority a recognisable human presence, without making a display of the effort. We value how much he can do in a supporting part, even when the writing gives him little help. In *The Mission* (1986), Ray McAnally’s Cardinal Altamirano has enough individual presence to make us attend to the man doing the deciding. That matters in a drama whose people struggle to compete with the landscape. We wanted more time with him, because he made the exercise of authority feel like something a person had to think through. His performance is one reason to persevere with Roland Joffé’s film, though it cannot put right the script. The international attention came in the mid-1980s, after extensive work in British and Irish television from the 1960s. An earlier supporting part in *Billy Budd* (1962) belongs to a much longer working life than the late run of prominent roles might suggest. *The Mission* was the breakthrough, followed by Rick Pym, a con-man father, in *A Perfect Spy* (1987), and Harry Perkins in *A Very British Coup* (1988). He also played Christy Brown’s father in *My Left Foot* (1989). Television and complex supporting parts suited an actor whose low-key manner kept attention on the character. The difficulty with *The Mission* is that Robert Bolt’s script needs more than discreet assistance from its actors. McAnally supplies individuality and Jeremy Irons supplies some of the feeling the writing misses, but too much of the drama remains underdeveloped. Stuart Craig’s production design gives them a credible historical setting without distracting from their work. Yet the landscape is what stays with us most clearly, which is a problem for a film that needs its people and their dealings to hold our interest. McAnally could move from gangsters to authority figures and make English accents convincing, but versatility alone is a poor reason to spend an evening with an actor. We value the way his quiet acting keeps our attention on the character, particularly when the writing offers less help than it should. Start with *The Mission*, with fair warning that we rate his contribution more highly than the drama around it. ## Biography Ray McAnally (30 March 1926 – 15 June 1989) was an Irish actor. He began his career on the stage, making his debut at 18 and appearing in more than 150 roles at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre between 1947 and 1963. He also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company. McAnally entered films in the 1950s and became widely recognised in the 1980s for supporting roles including Cardinal Altamirano in *The Mission* (1986), Mr Brown in *My Left Foot* (1989) and the Warden in *We’re No Angels* (1989). He received BAFTA Awards for Best Supporting Actor for *The Mission* and *My Left Foot*, and a BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor for *A Very British Coup* (1988). *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (4) - *My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown* (1989), Fi1m 85, as Mr. Brown — [page](https://film.one/film/my-left-foot-the-story-of-christy-brown.md) - *High Spirits* (1988), Fi1m 52, as Plunkett Senior — [page](https://film.one/film/high-spirits.md) - *The Fourth Protocol* (1987), Fi1m 57, as General Karpov — [page](https://film.one/film/the-fourth-protocol.md) - *The Mission* (1986), Fi1m 64, as Cardinal Altamirano — [page](https://film.one/film/the-mission-1986.md) ## Complete filmography (55) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Great Expectations* (1989), series, as Mr Jaggers - *We're No Angels* (1989), as Warden - *My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown* (1989), as Mr. Brown — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/my-left-foot-the-story-of-christy-brown.md) - *Venus Peter* (1989), as Grandpa - *High Spirits* (1988), as Plunkett Senior — Fi1m 52, [page](https://film.one/film/high-spirits.md) - *Jack the Ripper* (1988), series, as Sir William Gull - *A Very British Coup* (1988), series, as Harry Perkins - *Taffin* (1988), as O'Rourke - *Last of the Summer Wine: Big Day at Dream Acres* (1987), as Tramp - *White Mischief* (1987), as Morris - *A Perfect Spy* (1987), series, as Rick Pym - *The Sicilian* (1987), as Trezza - *Scout* (1987), as Palmer - *The Fourth Protocol* (1987), as General Karpov — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/the-fourth-protocol.md) - *Empire State* (1987), as Frank - *The Mission* (1986), as Cardinal Altamirano — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-mission-1986.md) - *No Surrender* (1985), as Billy McRacken - *Cal* (1984), as Cyril Dunlop - *Angel* (1982), as Bloom - *The Sleep of Death* (1980), as Inspector Carmingac - *Invasion* (1980), as Smrkovsky - *The Outsider* (1979), as MacWhirter - *Dick Turpin* (1979), series, as Tyson Sarney - *Strangers* (1978), series, as Miro Blandisch - *Dial M for Murder* (1974), series, as Sanford - *Pollyanna* (1973), series, as John Pendleton - *The Death of Adolf Hitler* (1973), as Dr. Gebhardt - *Fear Is the Key* (1972), as Ruthven - *Crown Court* (1972), series, Actor - *Justice* (1971), series, as Captain Bell - *Barlow* (1971), series, as Commander Benson - *Quest for Love* (1971), as Jack Kahn - *The Sinners* (1970), series, as Charlie Cashman - *The Looking Glass War* (1970), as Undersecretary of State - *Strange Report* (1969), series, as Lars - *ITV Saturday Night Theatre* (1969), series, as Ian Drummond, Dr. Gebhardt - *Spindoe* (1968), series, as Alec Spindoe - *Man in a Suitcase* (1967), series, Actor - *ITV Playhouse* (1967), series, as Cmd. Bucher - *Brendan Behan's Dublin* (1966), as Narrator - *Insurrection* (1966), series, as Studio co-ordinator - *He Who Rides a Tiger* (1965), as Orphanage Superintendent - *Gideon's Way* (1965), series, as Mickey Keston - *Public Eye* (1965), series, as Tyson - *Theatre 625* (1964), series, as Newman - *The Human Jungle* (1963), series, as Alan Prescott - *Billy Budd* (1962), as William O'Daniel, Maintopman - *The Naked Edge* (1961), as Donald Heath - *Murder in Eden* (1961), as Inspector Sharkey - *The Avengers* (1961), series, as Creswell, Arcos — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-avengers-1961.md) - *Shake Hands with the Devil* (1959), as Paddy Nolan - *Sea of Sand* (1958), as Sgt. Hardy - *She Didn't Say No!* (1958), as Jim Power - *Professor Tim* (1957), as Hugh O'Cahan - *Armchair Theatre* (1956), series, Actor ## Awards ### BAFTA Film Awards — 2 won - 1990: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (won), for *My Left Foot* - 1987: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (won), for *The Mission* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/ray-mcanally