Bill Paterson: movies and TV shows
Bill Paterson has 183 credits in the archive: 114 films and 69 TV series, from 1964 to 2026. Highest rated: Born and Bred (9.0/10).
Career timeline
1964 – 2026 · busiest year: 1995 (7 credits)
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Full filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Type | Rating | Age then |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ladies First | Louis | Film | 6.0 | 81 |
| 2025 | Being Stanley Baxter | Self | Film | — | 80 |
| 2025 | The Repair Shop on the Road | Self - Narrator | TV | — | 80 |
| 2025 | The House Was Not Hungry Then | Father | Film | 4.2 | 80 |
| 2024 | Arthur's Whisky | Henry | Film | 5.6 | 79 |
| 2024 | Children of the Wicker Man | Self | Film | — | 79 |
| 2023 | A Bear Named Wojtek | Zoo Director (voice) | Film | 8.0 | 78 |
| 2022 | House of the Dragon | Lord Lyman Beesbury | TV | 8.4 | 77 |
| 2022 | The Sandman | Dr. John Hathaway | TV | 7.9 | 77 |
| 2022 | Halo | Ackerson's Dad | TV | 8.2 | 77 |
| 2022 | The Spirit of 1926 | Family Lawyer | Film | — | 77 |
| 2021 | The Colour Room | Gordon Forsythe | Film | 6.1 | 76 |
| 2021 | Britain’s Scenic Railways | Narrator | TV | — | 76 |
| 2020 | Love Sarah | Felix | Film | 6.2 | 75 |
| 2020 | Rebecca | Dr. Baker | Film | 6.3 | 75 |
| 2020 | Between the Covers | Self | TV | 5.5 | 75 |
| 2020 | Marionette | Dr. Mandelbaum | Film | 6.3 | 75 |
| 2019 | Good Omens | Tadfield Neighbourhood Watch | TV | 8.0 | 74 |
| 2019 | Brassic | Tony Tillerton | TV | 8.4 | 74 |
| 2019 | Guilt | Roy Lynch | TV | 6.6 | 74 |
| 2019 | The Day Mountbatten Died | Narrator (voice) | Film | 10.0 | 74 |
| 2018 | Zanzibar | Mr Green | Film | — | 73 |
| 2018 | Wonderdate | Kolodon | Film | 6.0 | 73 |
| 2018 | Happy New Year, Colin Burstead | Gordon Burstead | Film | 6.4 | 73 |
| 2017 | The Repair Shop | Narrator (voice) | TV | 7.0 | 72 |
| 2017 | Urban Myths | Sir Arthur Conan Doyle | TV | 7.4 | 72 |
| 2017 | The Man Who Invented Christmas | Mr. Grimsby | Film | 6.8 | 72 |
| 2016 | Fleabag | Dad | TV | 8.3 | 71 |
| 2016 | Dad's Army | Private Frazer | Film | 5.0 | 71 |
| 2016 | Churchill's Secret | Lord Moran | Film | 6.3 | 71 |
| 2016 | The Rebel | Charles | TV | 7.2 | 71 |
| 2015 | High-Rise | Mercer | Film | 5.6 | 70 |
| 2015 | Hitler on Trial: The Truth Behind the Story | Film | — | 70 | |
| 2015 | The Vote | Simon Featherstone | Film | 8.4 | 70 |
| 2014 | Outlander | Ned Gowan | TV | 8.2 | 69 |
| 2014 | Inside No. 9 | Mr. Green | TV | 8.1 | 69 |
| 2014 | Scot Squad | Sir Neville Archibald | TV | 6.8 | 69 |
| 2014 | 37 Days | Lord Morley | TV | 7.5 | 69 |
| 2014 | Documenting John Grierson | Narrator | Film | — | 69 |
| 2013 | Shetland | James Perez | TV | 7.5 | 68 |
| 2013 | The List | Reg Troughton | Film | 4.3 | 68 |
| 2012 | Dirk Gently | Professor Jericho | TV | 7.1 | 67 |
| 2012 | Them From That Thing | Various | TV | 6.0 | 67 |
| 2012 | Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games | Narrator | Film | — | 67 |
| 2011 | The Man who Crossed Hitler | Kurt Ohnesorge | Film | 6.5 | 66 |
| 2011 | Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me | Judge Underwood | Film | 5.5 | 66 |
| 2011 | The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema | Narrator (Voice) | Film | — | 66 |
| 2010 | The Michael Ball Show | Self | TV | — | 65 |
| 2010 | Birds Britannia | TV | — | 65 | |
| 2009 | Law & Order: UK | George Castle | TV | 7.0 | 64 |
| 2009 | 1929: The Great Crash | Narrator | Film | 7.2 | 64 |
| 2009 | Creation | Dr. Gully | Film | 6.4 | 64 |
| 2009 | Into the Storm | Clement Attlee | Film | 6.4 | 64 |
| 2009 | Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen | Dr James Niven | Film | 7.3 | 64 |
| 2009 | Ghosts in the Machine | Himself | Film | — | 64 |
| 2008 | Little Dorrit | Mr. Meagles | TV | 7.8 | 63 |
| 2008 | Criminal Justice | Harry Box | TV | 7.6 | 63 |
| 2008 | How to Lose Friends & Alienate People | Richard Young | Film | 6.0 | 63 |
| 2008 | The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen | Self - 'Henry Salt' | Film | 7.8 | 63 |
| 2008 | Gone Fishing | Old Bill | Film | 8.0 | 63 |
| 2008 | The Man Who Lives with Bears | Self - Narrator (voice) | Film | — | 63 |
| 2007 | Intervention | Dr. Martin | Film | 5.5 | 62 |
| 2007 | Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars | Dr Watson | Film | 6.8 | 62 |
| 2007 | The 50 Greatest Television Dramas | Self | Film | — | 62 |
| 2006 | The One Show | Self - Guest | TV | 4.4 | 61 |
| 2006 | Miss Potter | Rupert Potter | Film | 6.6 | 61 |
| 2006 | Amazing Grace | Lord Dundas | Film | 6.9 | 61 |
| 2006 | A War on Science | Narrator (voice) | Film | 8.0 | 61 |
| 2006 | Fascism in Colour | Narrator (voice) | Film | 7.5 | 61 |
| 2005 | Doctor Who | Edwin Bracewell | TV | 7.6 | 60 |
| 2005 | ShakespeaRe-Told | TV | 7.4 | 60 | |
| 2005 | Rag Tale | Tulloch 'Lucky' Lloyd | Film | 3.6 | 60 |
| 2005 | A Passion for Churches | Narrator | TV | — | 60 |
| 2004 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Bradley | TV | 7.8 | 59 |
| 2004 | Shoebox Zoo | The Storyteller (voice) | TV | 7.7 | 59 |
| 2004 | Sea of Souls | Dr. Douglas Monaghan | TV | 8.0 | 59 |
| 2004 | Lie with Me | DCI Collman | TV | — | 59 |
| 2004 | Lie with Me | DCI Collman | Film | 5.7 | 59 |
| 2003 | Bright Young Things | Sir James Brown | Film | 6.3 | 58 |
| 2003 | Canterbury Tales | Theo | TV | 6.9 | 58 |
| 2003 | Trust | John Tilson | TV | 6.5 | 58 |
| 2003 | Danielle Cable: Eyewitness | DI Nick Biddiss | Film | 8.5 | 58 |
| 2002 | Foyle's War | Patrick Jamieson | TV | 7.9 | 57 |
| 2002 | Born and Bred | Harry Woolf | TV | 9.0 | 57 |
| 2002 | Doctor Zhivago | Alexander Maximovich Gromeko | TV | 6.7 | 57 |
| 2002 | The Entity | Film | 8.0 | 57 | |
| 2002 | Home Road Movies | Father | Film | 6.4 | 57 |
| 2002 | Crush | Gerald | Film | 5.6 | 57 |
| 2002 | Battle of the Atlantic | Himself - Narrator | TV | 7.4 | 57 |
| 2001 | Othello | Sinclair Carver | Film | 6.9 | 56 |
| 2001 | The Whistle-Blower | D.I. Neil Sleightholme | Film | 7.8 | 56 |
| 2001 | Rebel Heart | James Connolly | TV | 7.3 | 56 |
| 2001 | Behind Bars | Narrator | Film | — | 56 |
| 2000 | The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne | TV | 7.1 | 55 | |
| 2000 | Complicity | Wallace Byatt | Film | 5.8 | 55 |
| 1999 | Wives and Daughters | Mr Gibson | TV | 7.3 | 54 |
| 1999 | Sunshine | Minister of Justice | Film | 6.4 | 54 |
| 1999 | The Match | Tommy | Film | 6.0 | 54 |
| 1999 | Chrono-Perambulator | Professor Teddy Knox | Film | 10.0 | 54 |
| 1999 | Heart | Mr. Kreitman | Film | 5.4 | 54 |
| 1998 | Hilary and Jackie | Cello Teacher | Film | 6.6 | 53 |
| 1998 | The Animal Train | Walrus | Film | 7.0 | 53 |
| 1997 | Arthouse | Self | TV | — | 52 |
| 1997 | Spice World | Brian | Film | 4.9 | 52 |
| 1997 | Melissa | DCI Cameron | TV | 6.8 | 52 |
| 1997 | Mr White Goes To Westminster | Ben White | Film | 5.0 | 52 |
| 1996 | Chaplin's Goliath | Narrator (voice) | Film | 6.6 | 51 |
| 1996 | The Crow Road | Kenneth McHoan | TV | 6.9 | 51 |
| 1996 | The Writing on the Wall | Bull | Film | 3.6 | 51 |
| 1996 | Victory | Capt. Davidson | Film | 5.2 | 51 |
| 1995 | The Ghostbusters of East Finchley | Joe Small | TV | 7.0 | 50 |
| 1995 | Richard III | Sir Richard Ratcliffe | Film | 6.8 | 50 |
| 1995 | Sharman | James Webb | TV | — | 50 |
| 1995 | Oliver's Travels | Baxter | TV | 6.0 | 50 |
| 1995 | The Turnaround | James Webb | Film | 5.0 | 50 |
| 1995 | The Riddle of the Sands | Narrator | Film | — | 50 |
| 1995 | The Pen | Film | — | 50 | |
| 1994 | Junior Masterchef | TV | 5.5 | 49 | |
| 1994 | Hard Times | Stephen Blackpool | TV | — | 49 |
| 1994 | Hard Times | Stephen Blackpool | Film | 7.7 | 49 |
| 1993 | Wall of Silence | Howard Mullen | Film | 8.0 | 48 |
| 1992 | Chaplin | Stage Manager | Film | 7.4 | 47 |
| 1992 | In Dreams | Dr Gold | Film | 8.5 | 47 |
| 1992 | Tell Tale Hearts | Anthony Steadman | Film | 8.0 | 47 |
| 1992 | God on the Rocks | Kenneth Marsh | Film | 7.0 | 47 |
| 1991 | Murder Most Horrid | Chief Inspector | TV | 6.9 | 46 |
| 1991 | The Object of Beauty | Victor Swayle | Film | 5.2 | 46 |
| 1991 | Shrinks | Matt Hennessey | TV | — | 46 |
| 1991 | Truly Madly Deeply | Sandy | Film | 6.9 | 46 |
| 1990 | The Witches | Mr Jenkins | Film | 6.9 | 45 |
| 1990 | Yellowbacks | Alex McPherson | Film | 8.0 | 45 |
| 1989 | Screen One | PC Howard Mullen | TV | 7.2 | 44 |
| 1989 | Traffik | John Lithgow | TV | 7.6 | 44 |
| 1989 | The Rachel Papers | Gordon Highway | Film | 5.1 | 44 |
| 1989 | The Return of the Musketeers | Charles I | Film | 6.2 | 44 |
| 1989 | Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale | Jordan | Film | 8.3 | 44 |
| 1988 | The Play on One | Alex McPherson | TV | 6.0 | 43 |
| 1988 | The Adventures of Baron Munchausen | Henry Salt | Film | 7.0 | 43 |
| 1988 | The Modern World: Ten Great Writers | Titorelli | TV | 8.0 | 43 |
| 1988 | Byrne About Byrne | Father/F.S. McDade | Film | — | 43 |
| 1988 | Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' | Titorelli | Film | — | 43 |
| 1988 | Just Ask for Diamond | Chief Inspector Snape | Film | 5.6 | 43 |
| 1987 | Lily My Love | Colin | Film | — | 42 |
| 1987 | Friendship's Death | Sullivan | Film | 6.9 | 42 |
| 1987 | Hidden City | Anthony | Film | 5.4 | 42 |
| 1987 | Coming Up Roses | Mr. Valentine | Film | 6.7 | 42 |
| 1987 | The Story of a Recluse | The Producer | Film | — | 42 |
| 1987 | The Interrogation of John | Det. Supt. Chase | Film | — | 42 |
| 1986 | ScreenPlay | Colin | TV | 6.0 | 41 |
| 1986 | ScreenPlay | Det. Supt. Chase | TV | 6.0 | 41 |
| 1986 | The Singing Detective | Dr Gibbon | TV | 7.5 | 41 |
| 1986 | Defence of the Realm | Jack Macleod | Film | 6.5 | 41 |
| 1986 | God's Chosen Car Park | Victor Rosen | Film | — | 41 |
| 1985 | Dutch Girls | Mr Mole | Film | 4.1 | 40 |
| 1985 | Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman | Self | Film | — | 40 |
| 1984 | The Killing Fields | Dr. MacEntire | Film | 7.5 | 39 |
| 1984 | A Private Function | Wormold | Film | 6.4 | 39 |
| 1984 | Comfort and Joy | Alan | Film | 6.6 | 39 |
| 1983 | Auf Wiedersehen, Pet | Ally Fraser | TV | 7.9 | 38 |
| 1983 | The Ploughman's Lunch | Lecturer | Film | 5.1 | 38 |
| 1982 | Smiley's People | Lauder Strickland | TV | 7.7 | 37 |
| 1981 | The Cherry Orchard | Lopakhin | Film | 7.0 | 36 |
| 1981 | United Kingdom | Tony | Film | 7.0 | 36 |
| 1979 | One Fine Day | Third Man in Lift | Film | 5.3 | 34 |
| 1978 | Licking Hitler | Archie MacLean | Film | — | 33 |
| 1978 | Life of Shakespeare | King James I | TV | — | 33 |
| 1978 | The Odd Job | Sergeant Mull | Film | 5.9 | 33 |
| 1978 | The Vanishing Army | Girling | Film | — | 33 |
| 1978 | Jackie McCafferty's Romance | Bus Conductor | Film | — | 33 |
| 1977 | BBC2 Play of the Week | Girling | TV | 7.0 | 32 |
| 1977 | The Thin End of the Wedge | Luke | Film | — | 32 |
| 1977 | The Garden Beyond | Jim Finlayson | Film | — | 32 |
| 1974 | Suilven Spring | Film | — | 29 | |
| 1974 | Clydescope | Model Boat Show Commentator (voice) (uncredited) | Film | 7.0 | 29 |
| 1974 | The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil | Various | Film | 8.0 | 29 |
| 1973 | Passing Places | Film | — | 28 | |
| 1970 | Play for Today | Luke | TV | 6.6 | 25 |
| 1970 | Play for Today | Archie MacLean | TV | 6.6 | 25 |
| 1967 | Omnibus | TV | 7.2 | 22 | |
| 1964 | Horizon | TV | 7.4 | 19 | |
| Kill Jackie | Owain | TV | — | — | |
| The White Room | Jackie Jordan | Film | — | — | |
| Tomb Raider | Winston | TV | — | — |