Kevin McNally
Acting · Directing · Crew · Writing
Born April 27, 1956, Bristol, England, UK
Kevin McNally (born 27 April 1956) is an English actor. He is best known for his role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (2003–2017). He grew up in Birmingham where he attended Redhill and Mapledene Junior schools and Central Grammar School for Boys. At the age of 16, he got his first job at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. A year later he received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In 1975 he won the Best Actor Bancroft Gold Medal for his stage performance. McNally's most notable stage performances in London's West End include his appearance as Alan Bennett opposite Maggie Smith in 'The Lady in the Van' and opposite Juliette Binoche in 'Naked'. He also starred as Richard in Terry Johnson's 'Dead Funny' at the Savoy Theatre. Since 1976 McNally has been involved in numerous TV productions beginning with his portrayal of the Roman ruler Castor, son of Tiberius, in the acclaimed BBC history series I, Claudius (1976) and his portrayal of Drake Carne in the popular series Poldark (1975). His career on television ascended after his work in Masada (1981) and in the cult TV series Doctor Who: The Twin Dilemma (1984). During the 1980s and 1990s McNally established himself as a reputable and versatile actor on both the British and American TV. He played a broad variety of leading and supporting characters ranging from the Soviet politician Kirov in Stalin (1992) to homicide detective Jack Taylor in Chiller (1995), and from an insecure son, Alan Hook, in TV series Dad (1997) to a convicted murderer James Hopkin in Bloodlines (2005). His portrayal of Frank Worsley in Shackleton (2002) as well as the role of Harry Woolf in Life on Mars (2006) are among his best known works for television. Between 2011 - 2012 he appeared in three episodes of Downton Abbey as Horrace Bryant. In 1977 McNally made his big screen debut as HMS Ranger Crewman in the James Bond adventure The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). After having played bit parts in more than twenty feature films, McNally shot to international fame as pirate Joshamee Gibbs, his best known film role, in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006). He returned in the role Joshamee Gibbs in the third installment of the 'Pirates' franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). Kevin McNally has been enjoying a happy family life with Scottish actress Phyllis Logan and his two children. He resides with his family in Chiswick, London, England.
Filmography
- 2026Well Being — Director
- 2025Frayed — George
- 2025Fudge Sundae — David
- 2025Largo — Angus
- Miss Austen — Mr. Austen
- 2025The Wingfeather Saga: The Journey Begins — Podo Helmer (voice)
- 2024Apartment 7A — Roman Castevet
- Beyond Paradise — George Ellis
- 2023Bloody Fury — Bloody Fury (voice)
- 2023Exterminate — Director
- Stonehouse — Harold Wilson
- 2022Curse of the Macbeths — Duncan
- 2022Musketeer — Porthos
- 2022On Your Behalf — Detective McHendry
- The Wingfeather Saga — Podo Helmer (voice)
- 2021Decrypted — Colonel Pike
- 2021Painted Beauty — Det. Greene
- 2021You Really Got Me — Older James
- Alex Rider — Max Grendel
- Catherine the Great — Alexei Orlov
- 2019Robert the Bruce — Old Sean
- Das Boot — Jack Greenwood, Greenwood Senior
- The ABC Murders — Inspector Japp
- The Outpost — The Blacksmith
- 2017King Lear: Live at Shakespeare's Globe — Lear
- 2017Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales — Joshamee Gibbs
- The Good Fight — Franz Mendelssohn
- Designated Survivor — Harris Cochrane
- Fleabag — Older Man
- 2016Macbeth Unhinged — Duncan
- Power Monkeys — Spencer
- The Crown — Bernard Ingham
- 2016The Man Who Knew Infinity — Major MacMahon
- 2015Legend — Harold Wilson
- Unforgotten — James Hollis
- 20141946 — Karl
- 2014Marked — Brian Cruft
- TURN: Washington's Spies — Judge Richard Woodhull
- 2013Bounty Killer — Daft Willy
- Count Arthur Strong — Ernest
- Endeavour — Kenny / Superintendent Jolliphant
- 2013The Challenger Disaster — Lawrence Mulloy
- The Mill — Mr. Timperley
- 2012Hamilton: In the Interest of the Nation — Harold Smith
- Room at the Top — Mr. Brown
- 2012The Raven — Maddux
- Last Man Standing
- 2011Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides — Joshamee Gibbs
- 2011Poe — Kyle Kilpatrick
- Downton Abbey — Horace Bryant
- Big Top — Dad
- Demons
- 2009Margaret — Kenneth Clarke
- Wuthering Heights — Mr Earnshaw
- 2008Tu£sday — Jerry
- 2008Valkyrie — Carl-Friedrich Goerdeler
- Burn Notice — James Vanek
- 2007Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End — Gibbs
- 2007The Murder of Princess Diana — Charles Davis
- 2006Irish Jam — Lord Hailstock
- Life on Mars — Harry Woolf
- 2006Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest — Gibbs
- 2006Scoop — Mike Tinsley
- Bloodlines — James Hopkin
- 2005Dead Fish — Frank Rosenheim (as Kevin R. McNally)
- Doctor Who — Professor Jericho
- Supernatural — Frank Devereaux, Frank Devereaux (voice)
- 2004De-Lovely — Gerald Murphy
- New Tricks — Fred Blackledge
- 2004The Phantom of the Opera — Buquet
- 2003Crust — Bill Simmonds
- 2003Johnny English — Prime Minister
- 2003Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl — Joshamee Gibbs
- Shackleton — Frank Worsley
- Spooks — Robert Osborne
- 24 — Russian Agent
- Bedtime — Simon
- 2001Conspiracy — Martin Luther
- 2001High Heels and Low Lifes — Mason
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Steven Watt
- Lock, Stock... — Writer
- 2000The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: My First Adventure — Walter Harris (archive footage)
- Up Rising
- 2000When the Sky Falls — Tom Hamilton
- 1999Entrapment — Haas
- 1998Sliding Doors — Paul
- Dad — Alan Hook
- Midsomer Murders — Orville Tudway, Gerald Farquaharson
- 1997Spice World — Policeman
- Underworld
- Frontiers — Supt. Graham Kirsten
- Silent Witness — Professor Peter Cherry
- 1996The Precious Blood — Billy McVea
- Chiller — Jack Taylor
- 1995Eleven Men Against Eleven — Jake Leach
- Ghosts — Craig Byatt
- 1995Number Six — Jack Taylor
- 1995The Smiths — Clive Smith
- 1994All Things Bright and Beautiful — Tommy O'Neill
- Jo Brand Through the Cakehole
- 1994Return to Blood River — Terry
- 1993Abraham — Nahor
- Abraham — Nahor
- Full Stretch — Baz Levick
- 1992A Masculine Ending — Andrew Gardner
- 1992Common Pursuit
- 1992Stalin — Kirov
- Bottom — Sex Shop Assistant
- Murder Most Horrid — Insp Turner, Mr Bogleby
- 1990Jekyll & Hyde — Sergeant Hornby
- 1990Murder East - Murder West — Regine's Boyfriend in the East
- Tygo Road — Adam Hartley
- A Bit of Fry & Laurie
- Act of Will — Vincent Crowther
- 1989Dream Baby — Slick
- 1989The Hangover — Colin
- Hard Cases — Richard Pearce
- The Contract — Johnny Donoghue
- 1988Thin Air — Mark Gentian
- Thin Air — Mark Gentian
- 1987Cry Freedom — Ken
- The New Statesman — Colonel Gromyko
- Casualty — Tom Bennod
- 1985Not Quite Paradise — Pete
- Screen Two — Stuart Thorn, Tommy O'Neill, Billy McVea, Terry
- 1985The Berlin Affair — Heinz von Hollendorf
- Diana — Jan Leigh
- 1984Doctor Who: The Twin Dilemma — Hugo Lang
- A Brother's Tale — Bonny Taylor
- 1983The Bad Sister — Tony
- The Hard Word — Nigel Wood
- 1982Commitments — Hugh
- 1982Enigma — Bruno
- 1982Praying Mantis — Bernard
- Masada — Norbanus
- Maria Marten or Murder in the Red Barn — Bill
- 1980The Long Good Friday — Irish Youth
- Minder — Richards, Writer
- 1979Where the Heart Is — Paul
- 1977The Spy Who Loved Me — HMS Ranger Crewman
- I, Claudius — Castor
- Plays for Britain — Johnny
- 1976The Chester Mystery Plays
- The Duchess of Duke Street — Tom Prince
- 1976The Paradise Run — Johnny
- Poldark — Drake Carne
- Survivors — Jeff Kane
- ITV Playhouse — Paul
- BBC Play of the Month
- Doctor Who — Hugo Lang
- Z-Cars
- Death on the Dearborn — Sheriff Wilson
- New George — Francis
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Secrets of the Lamp — Thanks
- Plaster — Edward Perry
- Reflections — Sid
- The Devil Is In The Detail — Apollyon
Appearances as themselves (11)
- 2024Bottom: Exposed — Self
- 2023Hancock: Very Nearly an Armful — Self
- 2013Mel Smith: I've Done Some Things — Self
- Celebrity Antiques Road Trip — Self - Participant
- Movie Connections — Self
- The Alan Titchmarsh Show — Self
- 2006According to Plan: The Harrowing and True Story of Dead Man's Chest — Self
- American Idol — Self
- Pebble Mill — Self
- 1989The Robbie Coltrane Special — Self
- This Morning — Self