Douglas Reith

Douglas Reith is a British actor and teacher. He is best known for his role as Lord Merton in the television series Downton Abbey (2010–2015), as well as its two follow-up films.

Reith was born in Melton, Suffolk. He studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He began acting in the late 1970s, beginning with an appearance in International Velvet (1978) alongside Tatum O'Neal and Christopher Plummer.

He worked as an announcer and presenter at BBC Radio 3 for five years before leaving to study Greats at Christ Church, Oxford for four years beginning in 1989. He worked as a teacher, including at Westminster School, before resuming his acting career.

Reith joined the cast of Downton Abbey as Lord Merton in 2012, and alongside the cast was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards. He reprised the role in the films Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022). In 2017, Reith was cast in Tim Burton's live-action remake Dumbo (2019). In 2019, he was cast in SAS: Red Notice (2021).

Douglas Reith is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 31 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes The War Below (2021), SAS: Red Notice (2021), Professor T (2021), Serial Teachers 2 (2015), W.E. (2011), The Queen (2006), Bloodlines: Legacy of a Lord (1998), The Crown (2016). The recorded credits span 1974 to 2025, including 15 movies and 16 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.