David Morrissey
Known for
David Morrissey is an English actor born in Liverpool, known for combining charisma with menace in morally ambiguous roles. He gained international attention as The Governor, the charming but ruthless antagonist of 'The Walking Dead', a performance that made him one of the show's most memorable villains. Morrissey has also built a respected career in British television and film, including the political thriller 'State of Play' and the acclaimed miniseries 'The Missing'. He remains a versatile presence across both genre television and prestige British drama.
David Morrissey
36 Movies
44 Series
David Morrissey is an English actor born in Liverpool, known for combining charisma with menace in morally ambiguous roles. He gained international attention as The Governor, the charming but ruthless antagonist of 'The Walking Dead', a performance that made him one of the show's most memorable villains. Morrissey has also built a respected career in British television and film, including the political thriller 'State of Play' and the acclaimed miniseries 'The Missing'. He remains a versatile presence across both genre television and prestige British drama.
Movies
Plays Thomas Heatherley
The Woman in Cabin 10
2025
Plays Thomas Howard - Duke of Norfolk
The Other Boleyn Girl
2008
Plays Doug
The Reaping
2007
Plays Dunlop
Blitz
2011
Plays Michael Glass
Basic Instinct 2
2006
Plays Bothos
Centurion
2010
Plays Sam Napier
Slingshot
2024
Plays Captain Thomas Hamilton
The Water Horse
2007
Plays Sam Griffin
Derailed
2005
Plays Bobby Dykins
Nowhere Boy
2009
Plays Captain Günther Weber
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
2001
Plays Thomas Geiger
Welcome to the Punch
2013
Plays Macbeth
Macbeth
2011
Plays Gorka
Dampyr
2022
Plays Kiffer Finzi
Hilary and Jackie
1998
Plays Cyprion's Man
Being Human
1994
Plays Little John
Robin Hood
1991
Plays Bellamy
Drowning by Numbers
1988
Plays Rob
Fanny & Elvis
1999
Plays Jon
The Ones Below
2016
Plays Fred Ridgeway
The Colour Room
2021
Plays Jackson Lake
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
2008
Plays Dad
Is Anybody There?
2009
Plays Bill Norman
Earthbound
2012
Plays Tom Keylock
Stoned
2005
Plays Fergus
Born Romantic
2000
Plays Murray Lomax
The Commissioner
1998
Plays Dick Crick
Waterland
1992
Plays Mark Antony
National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar
2018
Plays Harry
National Theatre Live: Hangmen
2016
Plays DI Tom Thorne
Thorne: Scaredycat
2010
Plays Pete
Some Voices
2000
Plays Henry Joyce
The Suicide Club
2000
TV Shows
Plays Philip Blake
The Walking Dead
2010
Plays General Aulus Plautius
Britannia
2018
Plays DCS Ian St Clair
Sherwood
2022
Plays Malcolm
Daddy Issues
2024
Plays DI Mal Craig
Five Days
2007
Plays Tobias Shepherd
Extant
2014
Plays Danny Brogan
Meadowlands
2007
Plays Shaun
Holding On
1997
Plays Sam Webster
The Missing
2014
Plays Gerry Birch
The Knock
1994
Plays Ripley Holden
Blackpool
2004
Plays Stephen Collins
State of Play
2003
Creator
Plays Tom Thorne
Thorne
2010
Plays Stephen Finney
Finney
1994
Plays Walter Blackett
The Singapore Grip
2020
Plays Michael Polly
Gone
2026
Plays DS Jim 'Lew' Lewyn
Out of the Blue
1995
Plays Billy Rizley
One Summer
1983
Plays ACC George Oldfield
The Long Shadow
2023
Plays Clive Goss
Tip Toe
2026
Plays DC Lawrence 'Larry' Jackson
Framed
1992
Plays Murray Devlin
The Field of Blood
2011
Plays Tyador Borlú
The City and the City
2018
Plays Dave Dewston
Murder
2002
Plays Narrator (Voice)
Zero Hour
2004
Plays Colonel Brandon
Sense and Sensibility
2008
Producer
Plays Vince McKee
The Driver
2014
Plays Robert Carne
South Riding
2011
Plays Narrator
Rock 'n' Roll America
2015
Plays Narrator
Manhunt
2025
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The Woman in Cabin 10
Full Filmography
Tip Toe
Clive Goss · 5 episodes
2026–
TV
Gone
Michael Polly · 6 episodes
2026–
TV
The Woman in Cabin 10
Thomas Heatherley
2025
Film
Prime Target
Professor Robert Mallinder · 3 episodes
2025–
TV
Manhunt
Narrator · 3 episodes
2025–
TV
Slingshot
Sam Napier
2024
Film
Daddy Issues
Malcolm · 12 episodes
2024–
TV
The Long Shadow
DCS George Oldfield · 1 episode
2023–
TV
Dampyr
Gorka
2022
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is David Morrissey and where are they from?
David Morrissey is 62 years old, born on June 21, 1964 in Everton, Liverpool, England, UK.
What are the most famous roles of David Morrissey?
David Morrissey is best known for roles in The Other Boleyn Girl, Blitz, Centurion.
How many movies has David Morrissey been in?
Over a 39-year career (since 1987), David Morrissey has appeared in 36 movies and 41 TV shows.
What was David Morrissey's first movie?
The career of David Morrissey began with Cause Célèbre (1987).
What is David Morrissey's most recent movie or series?
David Morrissey's most recent release is Tip Toe, which premiered on May 31, 2026.
What TV shows has David Morrissey appeared in?
On television, David Morrissey has appeared in The Walking Dead, Good Omens, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Extant.
David Morrissey
1964-06-21 · Everton, Liverpool, England, UK
David Mark Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and director. Morrissey grew up in the Kensington and Knotty Ash areas of Liverpool. He learned to act at the Everyman Youth Theatre, alongside Ian Hart, Mark and Stephen McGann, and Cathy Tyson. At the age of 18, he and Hart were cast in the television series One Summer (1983), which won them recognition throughout the country. After making One Summer, Morrissey attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
Throughout the 1990s, he often portrayed policemen and soldiers, though took other defining roles such as Bradley Headstone in Our Mutual Friend (1998) and Christopher Finzi in Hilary and Jackie (1998). More film parts followed, including roles in Some Voices (2000) and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), before he played the critically acclaimed roles of Stephen Collins in State of Play (2003) and Gordon Brown in The Deal (2003). The former won him a nomination at the British Academy Television Awards and the latter a Best Actor award at the Royal Television Society Awards. His film roles have not always been acclaimed; his appearance as the male lead in Basic Instinct 2 (2006) was widely criticised, and The Reaping (2007) bombed at the box office. Since then, he has had leading roles in Sense and Sensibility (2008), Red Riding (2009) and Five Days (2010), acted in the films Nowhere Boy (2009) and Centurion (2010), and produced and starred in the crime drama Thorne (2010). He returned to the stage in 2008 for a run of Neil LaBute's In a Dark Dark House and will take the title role in the Liverpool Everyman's production of Macbeth in 2011.
As a director Morrissey has helmed short films, and the dramas Sweet Revenge (2001) and Passer By (2004) for the BBC. His feature debut, Don't Worry About Me, premiered at the 2009 London Film Festival and was broadcast on BBC television in March 2010. He is married to the novelist Esther Freud, has three children and is a patron of numerous charities.David Morrissey, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia