Ray Burdis was born on August 23, 1958, in London, England. He began his acting career at the age of eleven, training at the Anna Scher Theatre in Islington. His first major role was at sixteen in the Thames TV production "You Must Be Joking," alongside Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, which he co-created, wrote, and starred in.
Burdis has had a long and varied career, starring in numerous TV shows and films. Some of his notable roles include cowardly inmate Eckersley in the 1979 film "Scum," a small role alongside Daniel Day-Lewis in "Gandhi," and a supporting role as Richard, a gay neighbor, in the short-lived sitcom "Dream Stuffing" in 1984.
In addition to his acting work, Burdis co-founded the independent film, television, and music production company Fugitive, which produced music videos for internationally renowned artists such as Elton John, Queen, Tina Turner, and George Michael. He also created the critically acclaimed TV series "The Fear" for Euston Films, which was broadcast on the ITV Network.
Burdis has since concentrated more on writing, producing, and directing. He was the producer of the critically acclaimed biopic "The Krays" and co-wrote, produced, and directed the movies "Final Cut" and "Love, Honour and Obey" starring Jude Law, Jonny Lee Miller, Kathy Burke, Ray Winstone, and Rhys Ifans. He also created, co-wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the TV police comedy "Operation Good Guys" for three seasons, which won several awards.
Turning his hand once again to acting, Burdis went on to star in the BBC comedy drama "Manchild" for two seasons alongside Nigel Havers, Anthony Head, and Don Warrington.