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Oliver MacGreevy

Oliver MacGreevy

Actor · Died October 1, 1981, aged 53 · Dublin, Ireland

Oliver John MacGreevy (25 July 1928 – October 1981) was an Irish actor who appeared in many British films and television series from the mid 1950s until he retired in 1980, often as brutish, shaven-headed villains. Among his roles he played Housemartin in The Ipcress File (1965) and made an appearance as both the Gardener and the Electrician in the first episode of The Prisoner TV series ("Arrival", 1967). He also appeared in an episode of Thriller (1975). On stage, he appeared in Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark at Joan Littlewood's Theatre Royal, Stratford East, in London, 1961.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 3, 1928
Died
October 1, 1981 (aged 53)
From
Dublin, Ireland
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 41 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 30% in 30 days

What are Oliver MacGreevy's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 27th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
53%
Survival
27%
Power
11%
Society
9%
Justice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 3

Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
3
Dread
2
Tense
2
Absurd
2
Melancholic
2
Other
2

How their films linger

Haunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Oliver MacGreevy's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Oliver MacGreevy's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

41 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • Flash Gordon(1980)

    as Klytus Observer No. 1

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • No. 1 of the Secret Service(1977)

    as Simms

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Where the Action Is (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    as Henry

  • The Four Musketeers(1974)

    as Headsman (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Thriller(1973)

    Show 1 episode · as Henry

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Thrills Galore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Landlord

  • The Ruling Class(1972)

    as Inmate

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt(1972)

    as Maniac

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Jason King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • When Eight Bells Toll(1971)

    as Quinn

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Department S (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 1 episode · as Karnack

  • The Nine Ages of Nakedness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Hargreaves (segment "The Old Dark House")

  • Great Catherine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as General Pskov

  • Salt and Pepper(1968)

    as Rack

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Prisoner(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Gardener / Electrician

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • The Whisperers(1967)

    as 2nd Redeemer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Christmas Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Actor

  • The Frozen Dead(1966)

    as Joseph the Butler

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die(1966)

    as Ringo

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Modesty Blaise(1966)

    as Tattooed Man

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Fall of the House of Usher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Finn

  • Mystery and Imagination (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · as Finn

  • Time in Advance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as Chief Guard

  • Thirty-Minute Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as Landlord

  • Gideon's Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · as The Contact Man

  • The Ipcress File(1965)

    as Housemartin

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Six (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Steel Glasses

  • Theatre 625 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Terry Flynn

  • A Wicked World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Sir Humphrey

  • The Leather Boys(1964)

    as Merchant Seaman

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Barney Doran

  • Espionage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Charlie – Barfly

  • The Rivals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Cafe Owner

  • Incident at Midnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Wilkinson

  • The Scales of Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Boxer

  • The Avengers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · as Barman

  • The Four Just Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 39 episodes · as Max / Policeman

  • The Scamp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Building Foreman

  • The Buccaneers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · as Noll

  • ITV Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Kate

  • Sunday Night Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 13 episodes · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 86th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 41 titles from 1950 to 1980; peak year 1965.

Biggest box office

The Ipcress File (1965)

$11K worldwide

Highest rated

The Ipcress File (1965)

Midcredits 85th

Film career

19501980

Peak 1965 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting41 of 41: 41 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score75th

By decade

1950s5 · acting1960s26 · acting1970s9 · acting1980s1 · acting

Billing

usually 13th · top billed in 0% of 10 roles
6570

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Oliver MacGreevy's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

37thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · actor

No. 1 of the Secret Service (1977)

51st percentile spread · 48% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Ipcress File (1965)

Midcredits 85th · 77% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Oliver MacGreevy work with?

People who share at least 2 of Oliver MacGreevy's MovieCove titles; Sue Lloyd shares the most, 2.