Craig John Fairbrass (born 15 January 1964) is an English actor, producer and screenwriter. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has worked across British and American film, television and video games. Initially recognised for roles in For Queen and Country (1988), London's Burning (1990), Prime Suspect and the Hollywood action film Cliffhanger (1993), he later gained widespread recognition for portraying Dan Sullivan in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (1999–2001)
From the mid-2000s onwards, Fairbrass established himself as a leading actor in British independent action and crime films. He has starred in productions including The Outsider, London Heist (which he also co-wrote), Breakdown (2014), Muscle (2019), Villain (2020), A Violent Man (2022) and Netflix's live-action adaptation of One Piece TV series (2023).
Fairbrass is closely associated with the Rise of the Footsoldier franchise through his portrayal of Pat Tate, having starred in five films in the series, including Rise of the Footsoldier, The Pat Tate Years, Origins, Vengeance and Retribution. The role has become one of the defining performances of his career and established him as one of the genre's most recognisable leading actors.
Alongside his screen career, Fairbrass has built an extensive career in voice and performance capture. He is best known for voicing Sergeant Gaz in Call of Duty series from 2007 to 2016; notably Gaz in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) and Simon "Ghost" Riley in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), performances that have become among the most recognisable in the Call of Duty franchise.
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Early life
Craig John Fairbrass was born at Mile End Hospital in London on 15 January 1964, the son of seamstress Maureen (née Bryan) and dock worker Jack Fairbrass. He grew up in Stepney and has a younger sister named Lindsey. After being expelled from Eaglesfield Boys Comprehensive School in Woolwich at the age of 15, he successfully auditioned for the National Youth Theatre. He then began searching for a talent agent to represent him, supporting himself financially by working as a roofer in the daytime, and working evenings as a doorman, at what he would later call some of the "less desirable nightspots" in southeast London. From these jobs, he saved enough money to buy a small sandwich shop at Woolwich Market, for a while, until he began to secure more acting roles.
Career
After a few years of walk-on roles in Emmerdale, Three Up Two Down, and Shelley, Fairbrass made his first real TV appearance as an actor in the 1984 BBC television series Big Deal as Nev in the episode "Fighting chance" followed by another BBC role in Tucker's Luck. He made his feature film acting debut as D.C. Challoner in the 1988 Working Title thriller For Queen and Country opposite Academy Award winner Denzel Washington.
Film and television appearances quickly followed, including the Ray Winstone film Tank Malling, and the 1990 Channel 4 Film The Final Frame, playing Franklin, the right-hand man of pop star East, who was played by former Madness frontman Suggs. He also landed a regular role as Gary "Technique" Pagnall in the ITV drama series London's Burning in 1990. That same year, Fairbrass was cast opposite Helen Mirren as Detective Inspector Frank Burkin in the BAFTA/Emmy Award-winning original Prime Suspect 1 and 2.
In 1991, he travelled to Los Angeles and secured his first Hollywood acting role in the 1993 action blockbuster Cliffhanger with Sylvester Stallone. This led to roles in independent films with lead roles in Beyond Bedlam (1994), with Elizabeth Hurley, Galaxis (1995), with Brigitte Nielsen, Proteus, Killing Time, and Darklands.
In 1999, Fairbrass landed the regular role of Dan Sullivan in EastEnders, leaving the show in August 2001. He then took the lead role of Ray Betson in the Channel Five crime drama The Great Dome Robbery.
Fairbrass returned to the U.S., starring in the Chris Klein comedy, The Long Weekend, and as Henry Caine opposite Nathan Fillion in White Noise 2. In February 2007, he appeared as the renegade Jaffa, Arkad, in the episode "Talion" in the final season of Stargate SG-1, as a guest lead in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, opposite Lena Headey, and as guest lead Devon Burke, a rogue MI5 agent in David Mamet's hit show The Unit.
In 2007, he starred in the feature film Rise of the Footsoldier, as real life gangster Pat Tate, and opposite Jason Statham in The Bank Job. The following year, he joined Til Schweiger in the game-based action film Far Cry (2008). In 2011, Fairbrass took the co-lead in the crime thriller St George's Day; other lead roles include Vikingdom 3D, House of the Rising Sun, opposite Dave Bautista, Hijacked, and Get Lucky and Let me Survive.
Recent television and film work
Since 2023, Fairbrass has expanded beyond his long-running gangster roles with prominent appearances in international television. He portrayed Chef Zeff (Red-Leg Zeff) in Netflix's live-action adaptation of One Piece, appearing in multiple episodes during the first season. The series became one of Netflix's most-watched international productions and introduced him to a broader global audience.
In 2023, he also appeared as Guy in the BBC crime thriller Boat Story, alongside Daisy Haggard and Paterson Joseph. The series received positive reviews for its dark comedy and crime narrative.
In 2025, Fairbrass starred as Lee in the British independent drama Trapped, directed by Roland Manookian.
Voice
Fairbrass provided additional voices in the video game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), then again as one of the most iconic characters in the game's history as Ghost in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and as various characters in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Fairbrass also voiced a main role in the video game Battlefield V (2018) during the War Stories campaign mission, “Under No Flag” as George Mason.
Personal life
Fairbrass married former Page Three glamour model Elke Kellick in 1987. They have two sons together.
Fairbrass has been typecast as a hard British gangster and while he enjoys playing film roles revolving around knife crime, criminal gangs and violence, Fairbrass stated in a 2020 interview: "Every time I meet on these films I always talk about 'Can we turn the violence down? Can we stay away from certain things where we don't want to glorify?' I'm very wary of the violence that is in the films. It's like playing Call of Duty [...] people say to me, 'How do you feel that you're [...] voicing characters in games that could be the instigation for someone to go out and commit murder?' I'm just an actor. At the end of the day, it's all make believe. Some people take it a step further."
