P.H. Moriarty
Paul Hugh Moriarty (23 September 1938, Deptford, London – 2 February 2025) was a British character actor and voice actor whose imposing screen presence made him one of the most recognisable faces in British crime cinema. He played Ian Jarvis in Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021), adding his considerable gravitas to the long-running franchise.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Moriarty came to acting unusually late, having spent years working across several different professions, including as a boxer and a longshoreman. It was his work on the docks that proved to be his unlikely route into the film industry. A production company shooting on location spotted him one day and invited him to appear in their film, launching a career that would span decades.
Film Career
Moriarty built a formidable reputation playing hard men and gangsters, a niche he inhabited with remarkable authenticity. His breakthrough came with John Mackenzie’s The Long Good Friday (1980), in which he played the menacing Razors, a role that established him as a distinctive presence in British cinema.
He went on to appear in the science fiction film Outland (1981) and Jaws 3-D (1983), before landing one of his most celebrated parts as “Hatchet” Harry Lonsdale in Guy Ritchie’s debut feature Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). The film became a landmark of British gangster cinema and cemented Moriarty’s status as one of the genre’s most dependable character actors. Further film credits include Quadrophenia (1979), Scum (1979), Patriot Games (1992), and Chaplin (1992).
Television Work
Alongside his film work, Moriarty was a regular presence on British television, with appearances in The Professionals, The Bill, Judge John Deed, and The Paradise Club, where he played Evil Jim Dalton. He also appeared in the international production Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune as Gurney Halleck.
Legacy
With a career rooted in authenticity and physical authority, Moriarty became a cornerstone of British crime drama on both the big and small screen. His appearance in Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins stood as a fitting late-career addition to his remarkable body of work.