Peter McNamara

Peter McNamara


in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, UK
Peter McNamara, born in London and attended the National Youth Theatre and trained at LAMDA. Possibly best known as Ralph Passmore, the nemesis of Tucker Jenkin's in Tucker's Luck (1983), the spin off series of Phil Redmond's Grange Hill (1978). Peter was known for his fantastic singing voice in many theatre musical productions including South Pacific. He started out his long list of jobs as a supporting artist, working on such films as Quadrophenia (1979), The Shining (1980), Chariots of Fire (1981) and Star Wars (1977), before being cast in Grange Hill (1978). He worked frequently with Christopher Menaul who cast him as a Chelsea skinhead Rory in The Treatment (1984) and previously Tucker's Luck (1983). He became a well respected character actor in a career that eventually spanned four decades, he was often called upon to play the menacing hard-man and when Denzel Washington came to London to work on For Queen & Country (1988), Peter was asked to show him around and guide him on the Cockney accent. In 1990, Peter starred as Kenno in the controversial football hooligan film, Arrivederci Millwall (1990), one of the first films to tackle that subject. He went onto play Jimmy Cadogan in the children's TV series; Oasis (1993) in 1993 and a spot on 99-1 (1994) which reunited him with Arrivederci Millwall (1990) director Charles McDougall. Despite his hard-man roles Peter often played in a lot of comedy TV shows including Desmond's (1989) and Harry Enfield and Chums (1994). In 1995, he appeared in Funny Bones (1995) with Lee Evans, Jerry Lewis, Oliver Platt and Oliver Reed. Then in 1996 he was seen in the series No Bananas (1996) as DS Howard. He was in both the film and TV series of London's Burning (1988) and played recurring roles in numerous other British TV shows including Thief Takers (1995), The Bill (1984), Trial & Retribution (1997), Silent Witness (1996) and Casualty (1986). In 2002, he appeared as Frederick Michael Argyle in The Gathering (2002) where he acted alongside Christina Ricci, Ioan Gruffudd and Stephen Dillane. In 2004, he appeared in an extraordinary experimental drama documentary called Pissed on the Job (2004), Peter played a heavy drinker who was also a teacher, the film which can be seen online is a great example of his work, his subtle performance is extremely realistic in this damning piece about the dangers of alcohol. He showed up as a vampire drug dealer in the film Dead Cert (2010) in 2010 and had been working on some low budget films in the latter years of his career that sadly never got released due to budget and various technical issues. His last credit Dinklebrain (2012) was not the last film he made, rumour has it that he was very much actively making some independent short films, which hopefully will emerge in the near future. Sadly, Peter McNamara died in May 2018 at the age of 57 and he was cremated at Enfield Crematorium on 14th June 2018, a week after what would have been his 58th birthday.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Shona M

Movies for Peter McNamara...

Break Clause
Title: Break Clause
Character: Phil
Released: July 18, 2019
Type: Movie
A trio of con-artists rip off some gangsters and lie low in a rented house. Christy tries to see the sting through whilst an unwanted guest, Phil, soon has Nick under his spell and Chloe firmly in his sights.
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Dead Cert
Title: Dead Cert
Character: The Chemist
Released: August 26, 2010
Type: Movie
A gang of tough London gangsters get more than they bargained for when a group of businessmen make an offer to buy their club, the Inferno. They turn out to be nothing less than Vampires wanting their land back and turn viciously on the gangsters when their demands are not met.
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When I'm Sixty-Four
Title: When I'm Sixty-Four
Character: Aitch
Released: August 4, 2004
Type: Movie
When widowed cabbie Ray and retired teacher Jim meet by chance, they discover they long for the same things from life: adventure, challenge and love. Together Ray and Jim discover that being 64 means a new beginning: it's time to try the things they never dared in their youth.
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The Gathering
Title: The Gathering
Character: Frederick Michael Argyle
Released: February 23, 2003
Type: Movie
Cassie Grant (Christina Ricci) is a young girl from the United States who is wandering through England on foot. On her way to Ashby Wake Cassie is hit by a car. The driver of the car, Mrs Marion Kirkman (Kerry Fox), immediately calls an ambulance. During an examination at the local hospital the doctor comes to the conclusion that Cassie only has some scratches and not even a concussion, but Cassie has lost her memory due to the accident. She only knows her name and mother country, but she does not know which town she comes from, who her family is and why she is in England.
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Lucky Break
Title: Lucky Break
Character: Ward
Released: August 24, 2001
Type: Movie
Half-way through his 12-year prison sentence for an incompetent armed robbery, Jimmy Hands gets a lucky break: he's transferred to a prison from which he can probably escape. He convinces the governor to stage a musical in an old chapel next to the prison's outer wall. He rounds up volunteer actors and puts his escape plan into production. Two other barriers, besides the wall, confront him: the arrival of a nasty inmate, John Toombes, who insists on joining the escape, and Jimmy's feelings of attraction for Anabel, a social worker who agrees to appear in the play. Opening night approaches: is this Jimmy's breakout performance?
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Tube Tales
Title: Tube Tales
Character: Roy (segment "Grasshopper")
Released: November 19, 1999
Type: Movie
Nine short stories based on the true experiences of London Underground passengers: "Mr. Cool" (Amy Jenkins, dir.); "Horny" (Stephen Hopkins); "Grasshopper" (Menhaj Huda); "My Father the Liar" (Bob Hoskins); "Bone" (Ewan McGregor); "Mouth" (Armando Iannucci); "A Bird in the Hand" (Jude Law); "Rosebud" (Gaby Dellal); "Steal Away" (Charles McDougall)
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Shooting Fish
Title: Shooting Fish
Character: Geoff
Released: August 22, 1997
Type: Movie
Two con artists hire an unwitting medical-school student (Kate Beckinsale) as a secretary for their latest scam.
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Funny Bones
Title: Funny Bones
Character: Canavan
Released: September 20, 1995
Type: Movie
Tommy Fawkes wants to be a successful comedian. After his Las Vegas debut is a failure, he returns to Blackpool where his father—also a comedian—started, and where he spent the summers of his childhood.
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Title: Wycliffe
Character: Donald Ferris
Released: July 24, 1994
Type: TV
Wycliffe is a British television series, based on W. J. Burley's novels about Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe. It was produced by HTV and broadcast on the ITV Network, following a pilot episode on 7 August 1993, between 24 July 1994 and 5 July 1998. The series was filmed in Cornwall, with a production office in Truro. Music for the series was composed by Nigel Hess and was awarded the Royal Television Society award for the best television theme. Wycliffe is played by Jack Shepherd, assisted by DI Doug Kersey and DI Lucy Lane. Each episode deals with a murder investigation. In the early series, the stories are adapted from Burley's books and are in classic whodunit style, often with quirky characters and plot elements. In later seasons, the tone becomes more naturalistic and there is more emphasis on internal politics within the police.
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Title: Oasis
Character: Jimmy Cadogan
Released: January 5, 1993
Type: TV
Oasis was a short lived CITV drama series which was about a group of children who ran an inner city farm. It's best known for featuring John Simm and Dean Gaffney, who later went on to be in the BBC soap EastEnders. It was also set in wasteland site in south London and might have had something to do with graffiti. The drama series ran from 5 January to 9 March 1993 for 10 episodes, made by Zenith North, the team behind Byker Grove for Carlton; their first children's drama series for the ITV network.
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Fool's Gold: The Story Of The Brink's Mat Robbery
Title: Fool's Gold: The Story Of The Brink's Mat Robbery
Character: Undercover Policeman
Released: November 14, 1992
Type: Movie
A dramatized speculation of what happened in November 1983 when Micky McAvoy and some of his mates planned a heist and were surprised when they discovered they'd stumbled across a large stash of gold. But getting the gold away without getting caught is only the beginning of their troubles. Realizing the riches the gold represents is difficult, and honor among thieves may only be a myth.
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Smack and Thistle
Title: Smack and Thistle
Character: Ben
Released: April 20, 1991
Type: Movie
With a drug-addled lifestyle and a prison sentence firmly behind him, Abel is determined to go straight and stay clean... as soon as he's seen to one final heist. In the house that he burgles he comes across Elizabeth - rich, desperate, hopelessly addicted to a heroin and unconscious. Saving her from the clutched of an overdose, Abel stays out of compassion which eventually evolves into attraction. But when Abel takes on Elizabeth he also takes on her family. His resolution to go straight has to go on the back burner while he struggles against a drugs conspiracy that stretched from the slums of the East End to the Houses of Parliament.
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Arrivederci Millwall
Title: Arrivederci Millwall
Character: Kenno
Released: January 3, 1990
Type: Movie
A group of Millwall supporting hooligans travels to Spain for the 1982 World Cup Finals soon after the start of the Falklands War. One member of the gang is bent on avenging a personal loss.
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For Queen & Country
Title: For Queen & Country
Character: Pete
Released: May 17, 1988
Type: Movie
A retired British soldier struggles to adjust to everyday life, with increasing difficulty.
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London's Burning: The Movie
Title: London's Burning: The Movie
Character: Whitey
Released: December 7, 1986
Type: Movie
It's Josie Ingham's first day at Blackwall Firestation but things aren't going so well being the only female firefighter in an all-male team. Not only does she have to prove to them that she can do the job, problems at home complicate her life even further. Outside, in the heart of the city, tensions are rising to the extreme, Blue Watch have a long night ahead.
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Title: Casualty
Character: Terry Cooper
Released: September 6, 1986
Type: TV
Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.
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The Treatment
Title: The Treatment
Character: Rory
Released: March 16, 1984
Type: Movie
Liam is a south London teenager, out of a job, living for Saturday afternoon, for the excitement of the match and the hope of a fight after it. A beautiful girl and a meeting with a priest give him a glimpse of a different life - but his violent brother won't let him go so easily. TV adaptation of the play by Jonathan Moore.
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Lassiter
Title: Lassiter
Character: German Guard
Released: February 17, 1984
Type: Movie
Scotland Yard and the FBI force a thief and his girlfriend to steal Nazi diamonds from a German countess.
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Title: Tucker's Luck
Character: Ralph Passmore
Released: March 10, 1983
Type: TV
Tucker's Luck was a British television series made by the BBC between 1983 and 1985. The series is a spin-off from the school drama Grange Hill and capitalised on the popularity of one of the series' original characters — Peter "Tucker" Jenkins, played by Todd Carty. Tucker's Luck followed the exploits of Tucker and his friends, Alan Humphries and Tommy Watson, after they had left school and their attempts to find employment and cope out there in the "real world". Three series were made, with several former Grange Hill cast members reprising their roles for the spin-off, although the programme never came close to matching the popularity of Grange Hill. The third and final series saw the first appearances of Tucker's younger sister, eight-year old Rhona, and Tucker's elder brother Barry.
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The Long Good Friday
Title: The Long Good Friday
Character: Young Man in Pub (uncredited)
Released: November 1, 1980
Type: Movie
In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.
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The Shining
Title: The Shining
Character: Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Released: May 23, 1980
Type: Movie
Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.
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Quadrophenia
Title: Quadrophenia
Character: Mod (uncredited)
Released: September 14, 1979
Type: Movie
Based on the 1973 rock opera album of the same name by The Who, this is the story of 60s teenager Jimmy. At work he slaves in a dead-end job. While after, he shops for tailored suits and rides his scooter as part of the London Mod scene.
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Title: Grange Hill
Character: Sixth Former
Released: February 8, 1978
Type: TV
Children's drama series following the lives of students and teachers at Grange Hill comprehensive school.