Carter's films include A Private Function (1984), The Company of Wolves (1984), A Month in the Country (1987), The Witches (1990), A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992), Stalin (1992), The Madness of King George (1994), Richard III (1995), Brassed Off (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Little Vampire (2000), Ella Enchanted (2004), The Thief Lord (2006), The Golden Compass (2007), Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010), My Week with Marilyn (2011), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), The Good Liar (2019), and Wonka (2023).
He also played Captain Brown in the five-part BBC series Cranford (2007) alongside his wife, Imelda Staunton.
[2] Carter attended Ashville College, Harrogate, where he was head boy in his final year, and the University of Sussex where he studied Law and appeared with the fledgling Drama Society, playing the title role in Serjeant Musgrave's Dance, the first student production at the newly-built Gardner Arts Centre theatre.
But when the offer came from this fringe theatre group, the Brighton Combination, to leave university and join them for five quid a week, it was like a door opening, and there wasn't a moment's hesitation.
"[4] Carter's first paid job for £5 a week with free board and lodging was in a play called Gum and Goo by Howard Brenton for the Brighton Combination.
The Brighton Combination presented "The NAB Show", a politically oriented account of the National Assistance Board.
In 1978 he became a member of the Young Vic Company appearing as Stephano in The Tempest, Buckingham in Richard III and Mephistopheles in Faust.
[17] He was a member of The Madhouse Company of London, a comedy troupe which performed in Boston in the 1970s, together with the late Marcel Steiner (1931–1999), Marc Weil and Tommy Shands.
[20] The Madhouse Company of London was mentioned and its shows advertised and reviewed in several New York magazine issues from April 1974 to March 1975.
[22] In June to August 2005, he appeared in The President of an Empty Room at the National Theatre (written by Stephen Knight and directed by Howard Davies).
He considers his appearance in Richard Eyre's 1982 National Theatre revival of Guys and Dolls a significant moment.
"[23] In the early 1970s, the Brighton Combination, a touring fringe theatre group, became resident in the Albany Institute in Deptford, South East London.
By fusing community work and the arts, Director Paul Curno and "The Combination" transformed the Albany's fortunes.
[24] The Brighton Combination Company moved to become resident at the Albany in SE London in 1972 with a brief to set up community action and arts development projects.
[25] He performed in the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London in Jean Cocteau's The Infernal Machine (with Maggie Smith and with Simon Callow directing, 1986–87).
[36] Carter and actress Imelda Staunton met in January 1982 during rehearsals for Richard Eyre's Guys and Dolls at the National Theatre.
On 30 September 2011 he travelled with 25 other riders to Ghana for a 10-day trip that included six days of cycling to raise money for clean water in the small impoverished town of Tafo.
[45] Carter was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to drama.