# Billy Murray (actor)
**Billy Murray** (William Albert Murray, born 1941) is an English actor best known for playing the corrupt detective DS Don Beech in the ITV police drama *The Bill* from 1995 to 2004, the gangland boss Johnny Allen in the BBC soap opera *EastEnders* from 2005 to 2006, and Captain John Price as the voice of the soldier in the *Call of Duty* video games.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/57339/billy-murray) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signature TV roles | DS Don Beech in *The Bill* (1995–2004) and Johnny Allen in *EastEnders* (2005–2006)[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/57339/billy-murray) |
| Video game role | Voice of Captain John Price in *Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare* (2007), *Modern Warfare 2* (2009), and *Modern Warfare 3* (2011)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/) |
| Award | Best Villain at the British Soap Awards, 2006[3](https://www.rafnews.co.uk/pdf/RAF-News-11-Dec-2020.pdf) |
| Training | Graduated from the East 15 Acting School, which the Kray twins reportedly paid for him to attend[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/bio/) • [5](https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/186694/interview-with-ees-new-villain-someone-meets-a-grisly-end) |
| Family | Father of the actress Jaime Murray, known for the BBC series *Hustle*[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/bio/) |
| Later film work | Starred in the gangster films *Rise of the Footsoldier* (2007) and *Nemesis* (2021), and worked as an executive producer on British crime films[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/bio/) • [6](https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/billy-murray-interview/) |
## Early career
Murray graduated from the East 15 Acting School in London. He has said that the [Kray twins](https://www.edgepedia.org/kray-twins) paid the £400 for his drama-school place because they liked his attitude, and that his television villain Johnny Allen owes something to the same East End gangsters as a model.[5](https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/186694/interview-with-ees-new-villain-someone-meets-a-grisly-end) He had been described in press coverage as a one-time sparring partner of the Kray twins.[6](https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/billy-murray-interview/)
His film and television work goes back to the late 1960s and 1970s, including the drama *Poor Cow* (1968) and the film *McVicar* (1981), and guest appearances in long-running British series such as *Minder*, *Bergerac*, *Casualty*, *The Sweeney*, and *A Touch of Frost*.[7](https://thebill.fandom.com/wiki/Murray%2C_Billy) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/billy_murray_5) He was set to play Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the comedy *Only Fools and Horses* but was replaced at the last minute by [David Jason](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-jason) because of conflicting production schedules.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/bio/) In 1991 he made a brief guest appearance in *EastEnders* as a character called Mr X, well before his later starring role on the same show.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/57339/billy-murray)
## Don Beech in The Bill
Murray came to wide public attention as Detective Sergeant Don Beech, a CID officer at the fictional Sun Hill station in *The Bill*. Beech was a corrupt officer who took bribes, and his corruption spiral ended when he was responsible for the death of his colleague DS John Boulton.[9](https://thebillaton.com/ds-don-beech/) • [10](https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/572495/the-bill-don-beech) He played the role from 1995 to 2004.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/57339/billy-murray)
The character's exit was extended across two special spin-off productions. After fleeing to Sydney, Australia, Beech engaged in a crime spree that drew pursuit from the [Australian Federal Police](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-federal-police) and from DI Claire Stanton, who wanted him extradited to Britain for Boulton's murder; the episode "Beech on the Run" (2001) was filmed entirely on location in Sydney and featured only former regular characters.[11](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-bill/episodes/9895) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0525115/trivia/) In the six-part *Beech Is Back* (2001), Beech returned to England after escaping an assassination attempt by Stanton, committing further crimes along the way.[13](https://thebillaton.com/beech-is-back/) He was later jailed for life, escaped, and ended the storyline as a fugitive.[9](https://thebillaton.com/ds-don-beech/) Murray reprised the character again in 2004.[9](https://thebillaton.com/ds-don-beech/)
## Johnny Allen in EastEnders
Allen made his last regular appearances in March 2006, followed by a final one-off episode on 20 October 2006 in which the character died of a heart attack after being taunted by [Sean Slater](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-slater).[14](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Johnny_Allen) In 2006 Murray won the Best Villain award at the British Soap Awards for the role.[3](https://www.rafnews.co.uk/pdf/RAF-News-11-Dec-2020.pdf)
## Film, video games, and production work
Murray voiced Captain John Price, an SAS soldier, in *Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare* (2007), *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2* (2009), and *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3* (2011), which made him recognizable to a generation of video game players.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/)
In film he has specialized in British gangster roles. He starred in *Essex Boys* (2000) and *Rise of the Footsoldier* (2007), both based on the true events of the Essex killings of 6 December 1995, and in the 2021 film *Nemesis* as the head of a London crime family.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/bio/) • [6](https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/billy-murray-interview/) He has also worked behind the camera as an executive producer on films including *Age of Kill*, *We Still Kill the Old Way*, and *Vendetta*, and established Peacock Film Studios in [East London](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-london).[15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uePqMggfAyg)
## Personal life
Murray is the father of the actress [Jaime Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/jaime-murray), who played Stacie in the BBC drama *Hustle*.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/bio/) He supports West Ham United Football Club.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/bio/)
## Note on the name
The name Billy Murray is shared by several other public figures, including the American singer Billy Murray (1877–1954) and the American actor and comedian [Bill Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-murray) (born 1950), who is a different person from the subject of this article.[16](https://cmhof.org/inductees/billy-murray/) • [17](https://www.biography.com/actors/bill-murray)
## References
1. [Billy Murray, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/57339/billy-murray)
2. [Billy Murray (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/)
3. [RAF News, 11 December 2020](https://www.rafnews.co.uk/pdf/RAF-News-11-Dec-2020.pdf)
4. [Billy Murray – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614854/bio/)
5. [Interview with EE's new villain, Digital Spy forums](https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/186694/interview-with-ees-new-villain-someone-meets-a-grisly-end)
6. [Billy Murray interview, Buzz Magazine, 29 March 2021](https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/billy-murray-interview/)
7. [Murray, Billy, The Bill Wiki](https://thebill.fandom.com/wiki/Murray%2C_Billy)
8. [Billy Murray Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/billy_murray_5)
9. [DS Don Beech, The Billaton](https://thebillaton.com/ds-don-beech/)
10. [The Bill – Don Beech, Digital Spy forums](https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/572495/the-bill-don-beech)
11. [The Bill – "Beech on the Run", TheTVDB](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-bill/episodes/9895)
12. [The Bill "Beech on the Run" trivia, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0525115/trivia/)
13. [Beech Is Back, The Billaton](https://thebillaton.com/beech-is-back/)
14. [Johnny Allen, EastEnders Wiki](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Johnny_Allen)
15. [Exclusive Interview Billy Murray (HD), The Hollywood News on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uePqMggfAyg)
16. [Billy Murray, Colorado Music Hall of Fame](https://cmhof.org/inductees/billy-murray/)
17. [Bill Murray: Biography, Actor, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/actors/bill-murray)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames L to M*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license