Acting

Billy Murray

Born 6 October 1941 · Forest Gate, London, England, UK · 85

Billy Murray (William Albert Murray, born October 6, 1941, Forest Gate, Essex, England) is an English actor who grew up in Upton Park, east London, one of three children of Timothy and Vera Murray; his father was a plasterer, nightclub bouncer, and boxing champion. After leaving school at fourteen, he worked as a shelf-stacker at a Co-Op supermarket and at the local docks cleaning oil tankers before enrolling at the East 15 Acting School. He is best known for playing Don Beech in The Bill (1995–2004), Captain John Price in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video game series, and Johnny Allen in EastEnders (2005–2006). He is often typecast in "hard man" roles and has been active since 1963. He was married to Maureen from 1967 to 1996, and to Elaine Hoyer since 1998. His notable film credits include Performance (1970) (Mick Jagger, James Fox), McVicar (1980) (Michael Caine, Ian McShane), Essex Boys (2000) (Sean Bean, Ray Winstone), Rise of the Footsoldier (2007) (Craig Fairbrass, Terry Stone), One in the Chamber (2012) (Ray Winstone, Michael Fassbender), We Still Steal the Old Way (2016) (Ray Winstone, John Simm), Nemesis (2021) (Ray Winstone, Danny Trejo), and Renegades (2022) (Lee Majors, Danny Trejo). On television he is best known for his nine-year run as Don Beech on The Bill (1995–2004), his role as Johnny Allen on EastEnders (2005–2006), and appearances in Midsomer Murders, Doctor Who, and Line of Duty.