Ray McAnally (30 March 1926 – 15 June 1989) was an Irish actor. He was the recipient of three

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

in the late 1980s: two

BAFTA Film Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

for Best Supporting Actor (for ''The Mission'' in 1986 and ''My Left Foot'' in 1989), and a BAFTA Television Award for Best Actor for '' A Very British Coup'' in 1989. In 2020, he was ranked at number 34 on ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

''s list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

Background

Ray McAnally was born in

Buncrana Buncrana ( ; ) is a town in Inishowen in the north of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. The town sits on the eastern shores of Lough Swilly, being northwest of Derry and north of Letterkenny. I ...

, a seaside town located on the

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfor ...

peninsula of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and brought up in the nearby town of Moville from the age of three. The son of a bank manager, he was educated at St Eunan's College in Letterkenny where he wrote, produced and staged a musical called ''Madame Screwball'' at the age of 16. He entered

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland. The college and national seminary on its grounds are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was of ...

at the age of 18 but left after a short time having decided that the priesthood was not his vocation. He joined the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

in 1947 where he met and married actress

Ronnie Masterson Ronnie Masterson (4 April 1926 – 10 February 2014) was an Irish people, Irish actress. Masterson was born in Dublin. She trained at the Abbey Theatre and first appeared on stage there in 1944. At the Abbey, she met and then married actor Ray ...

Acting career

McAnally and Masterson later formed Old Quay Productions and presented an assortment of classic plays in the 1960s and 1970s. He made his West End theatre debut in 1962 with ''A Nice Bunch of Cheap Flowers'' and gave a well-received performance as George in ''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of middle-aged couple Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they rece ...

'', opposite

Constance Cummings Constance Cummings CBE (May 15, 1910 – November 23, 2005) was an American-British actress with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life Cummings was born on 15 May 1910 in Seattle, Washington, the only daughter and younger child of Kate ...

, at the Piccadilly Theatre. On television he was a familiar face, often in glossy thriller series like '' The Avengers'', ''

Man in a Suitcase ''Man in a Suitcase'' is a British television private eye thriller series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment. It originally aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV from 27 September 1967 to 17 April 1968. American Broadcast ...

'' and '' Strange Report''. In 1968 he took the title role in ''

Spindoe ''Spindoe'' is a British television series shown on ITV in the spring of 1968. It was named after the lead character, Alec Spindoe, a South London gangster; the plot of the series showed how Spindoe re-established his gangland empire after he ...

'', a series charting the return to power of an English gangster, Alec Spindoe, after a five-year prison term. This was a spin-off from another series, '' The Fellows'' (1967) in which McAnally appeared as the Spindoe character in several episodes. He could render English accents very convincingly. In 1976 McAnally appeared in the

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

daytime series ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...

''. He played the character of Robert Scard, a

confidence trick A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irrespons ...

ster found guilty of

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

. In 1988, a century after the

Whitechapel Murders The Whitechapel murders were committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel District (Metropolis), Whitechapel district in the East End of London between 3 April 1888 and 13 February 1891. At various points some or all of these eleven unso ...

, he appeared in the television mini-series ''

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

''. McAnally played

William Gull Sir William Withey Gull, 1st Baronet (31 December 181629 January 1890) was an English physician. Of modest family origins, he established a lucrative private practice and served as Governor of Guy's Hospital, Fullerian Professor of Physiology a ...

, a Physician-in-Ordinary to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

, who the program claimed was the killer. McAnally regularly acted in the Abbey Theatre and at Irish festivals, but in the last decade of life he achieved award-winning notice on TV and films. His performance as Cardinal Altamirano in the film '' The Mission'' (1986) earned him

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

and

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

awards. He earned a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

nomination for his role in the BBC's '' A Perfect Spy'' and the

ScreenPlay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

drama ''

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

'' in 1988 for the 1987 BAFTA Awards. Then in 1989 he won the 1988 BAFTA for Best Actor for his performance in '' A Very British Coup'', a role that also brought him a Jacob's Award, and just three months before his sudden death. In the last year of his life, he portrayed the father of Christy Brown in the award-winning film ''

My Left Foot ''My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown'' is a 1989 Biographical film, biographical Comedy drama, comedy-drama film directed by Jim Sheridan (in his director debut) adapted by Sheridan and Shane Connaughton from My Left Foot (book), the 195 ...

''.

Death

McAnally died suddenly of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on 15 June 1989, aged 63, at his home, which he shared with Irish actress Britta Smith. He remained married to actress

until his death, although they lived apart. He received a posthumous

for Best Supporting Actor for his last film ''

'' in 1990. At the time of his death he was due to play 'Bull' McCabe in

Jim Sheridan Jim Sheridan (born 6 February 1949) is an Irish people, Irish playwright and filmmaker. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed three critically acclaimed films set in Ireland, ''My Left Foot'' (1989), ''The Field (1990 film), The Field'' (19 ...

's film '' The Field''. The part eventually went to

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

, who received an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

nomination for his performance. McAnally had also been cast in the lead role of ''First and Last'', a drama about a man who walked from

Land's End to John o' Groats Land's End to John o' Groats is the traversal of the length of the island of Great Britain between two List of extreme points of the United Kingdom#Extreme points within the UK, extremities, in the southwest and northeast. The traditional di ...

. Almost a third of the filming had been completed when he died but the whole play had to be refilmed, with

Joss Ackland Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland (29 February 1928 – 19 November 2023) was an English actor who appeared in more than 130 film, radio and television roles. He was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for portraying ...

taking the role instead. McAnally had four children: Conor, Aonghus, Máire, and Niamh. Conor is a producer, based in Texas, and Aonghus is a television and radio presenter/producer in Ireland.

Filmography

* ''Professor Tim'' (1957) – Hugh O'Cahan * '' She Didn't Say No!'' (1958) – Jim Power * '' Sea of Sand'' (1958) – Sgt. Hardy * '' Shake Hands with the Devil'' (1959) – Paddy Nolan * ''

The Naked Edge ''The Naked Edge'' is a 1961 thriller film starring Gary Cooper (in his final film role) and Deborah Kerr. The film was a United Kingdom, British-American co-production distributed by United Artists, directed by Michael Anderson (director), Micha ...

'' (1961) – Donald Heath * '' Murder in Eden'' (1961) – Inspector Sharkey * ''

Billy Budd ''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'', also known as ''Billy Budd, Foretopman'', is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed vers ...

'' (1962) – William O'Daniel – Maintopman * ''

He Who Rides a Tiger ''He Who Rides a Tiger'' is a 1965 British crime drama directed by Charles Crichton, and starring Tom Bell (actor), Tom Bell and Judi Dench. It was written by Trevor Peacock. Plot On his release from Peter Rayston returns to his life as a hous ...

'' (1965) – Orphanage Superintendent * '' The Looking Glass War'' (1970) – Undersecretary of State * '' Quest for Love'' (1971) – Jack Kahn * '' Fear Is the Key'' (1972) – Ruthven * ''Pollyanna'' (1973) – John Pendleton * ''

'' (1976, TV drama: 'Scard') – Robert E. Scard * '' The Outsider'' (1979) – MacWhirter * ''The Sleep of Death'' (1980) – Inspector Carmingac * ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'' (1982) – Bloom * ''

Cal Cal or CAL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty * "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov * ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...

'' (1984) – Cyril Dunlop * '' No Surrender'' (1985) – Billy McRacken * '' The Mission'' (1986) – Cardinal Altamirano * ''

Empire State The Empire State is a nickname for the U.S. state of New York, adopted in the 1800s. It has been incorporated into the names of several state buildings and events. The source of the nickname is unknown and has puzzled many historians; as Ameri ...

'' (1987) – Frank * '' The Fourth Protocol'' (1987) – General Yevgeny Sergeyevich Karpov * ''

The Sicilian ''The Sicilian'' is a novel by American author Mario Puzo. Published in 1984 by Random House, Random House Publishing Group (), it is based on the life of Sicilians, Sicilian Banditry, bandit Salvatore Giuliano. It is set in the same universe ...

'' (1987) – Trezza * '' White Mischief'' (1987) – Morris * ''

'' (1987) – Palmer * '' A Perfect Spy'' (1987, TV Series) – Rick Pym * ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...

'' (1987, Christmas Special ''Big Day at Dream Acres'') – The Tramp * '' Taffin'' (1988) – O'Rourke * '' A Very British Coup'' (1988, British TV series) – The Cabinet – Harry Perkins * ''

'' (1988, TV Movie) – Sir William Gull * '' High Spirits'' (1988) – Plunkett Senior * ''

'' (1989) – Mr. Brown * '' Venus Peter'' (1989) – Grandpa * '' We're No Angels'' (1989) – Warden (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McAnally, Ray 1926 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Irish male actors Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winners Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners Burials at St. Fintan's Cemetery, Sutton Irish male film actors Irish male stage actors Irish male television actors Jacob's Award winners Male actors from County Donegal People educated at St Eunan's College People from Buncrana