John Cairney
Cairney as Robert Burns (1965)
Born(1930-02-16)16 February 1930
Glasgow, Scotland
Died6 September 2023(2023-09-06) (aged 93)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • writer
Years active1957–1999
Spouses
Sheila Parker Cowan
​
​
(m. 1954; div. 1979)​
    Alannah O'Sullivan
    ​
    (m. 1980)​

    John Cairney (16 February 1930 – 6 September 2023) was a Scottish stage, film and television actor who found fame through his one-man shows on Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Service, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William McGonagall.[1][2]

    Biography

    John Cairney was born on 16 February 1930 in the Baillieston area of Glasgow.[3] He briefly attended art college but dropped out to pursue the life of an actor.[4]

    Cairney worked as an actor, recitalist, lecturer, director and theatre consultant. He was also a published author and an exhibited painter. Trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he was a notable Hamlet at the Citizens' Theatre in Glasgow and a successful Macbeth at the Edinburgh International Festival.[5] In 1954 he appeared in the British debut for Arthur Miller's The Crucible.[3] He played King Humanity in Tyrone Guthrie's Festival production of Sir David Lyndsey's Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis in 1959. In 1962 he joined the Edinburgh Gateway Company, playing James Boswell in Robert McLellan's Young Auchinleck.[6] He was 'This Man Craig' on television, while his many films include Lucky Jim, A Night to Remember, Operation Bullshine, The Flesh and the Fiends, Victim, Cleopatra and Jason and the Argonauts.[7]

    Cairney would become associated with Scottish poet Robert Burns for the remainder of his career, when in 1965 he performed a three hour one-man show, where he recited Burns's works. The play, titled There Was A Man, was presented at the Traverse Theatre, running for over two months due to high demand. The show was also televised and recorded as a successful album. In 1968 he also wrote and starred in a television adaptation of the Robert Burns Story.[3] In 1970s, Cairney played in a political drama by BBC Scotland, named Scotch on the Rocks.[8] In 1987 he published his autobiography, called The Man Who Played Burns.[8]

    Cairney gained a PhD from Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand, and was much in demand internationally as a lecturer, writer and consultant on Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Robert Burns.[9][10]

    Cairney wrote books on many famous Scots as well as other books on football (particularly Celtic F.C.), theatre and his native Glasgow, where he lived with his New Zealand–born wife, actress and scriptwriter Alannah O'Sullivan.[9][10]

    Cairney married Sheila Cowan in 1954, whom he met at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He had five children with her.[3] Cairney divorced her in 1979[8] and married actress and playwright Alannah O'Sullivan in 1980.[11] He was the brother of footballer Jim Cairney. They were raised in the Parkhead area of Glasgow; the referee Tiny Wharton was a childhood acquaintance.[12] He died on 6 September 2023, at age 93.[13][4][14][15] Cairney fell ill on the morning of September 6 and passed away around midday. He was buried on September 21.[16]

    Filmography

    Year Title Role Refs
    1957Ill Met by MoonlightElias[17]
    1957Miracle in SohoTom[17]
    1957Lucky JimRoberts[17]
    1957Windom's WayJan Vidal[17]
    1958A Night to RememberMurphy[17]
    1959Shake Hands with the DevilMike O'Callaghan[17]
    1959Operation BullshineGunner Willie Ross[17]
    1960The Flesh and the FiendsChris Jackson[17]
    1960The Edgar Wallace Mysteries – Marriage of ConvenienceLarry Wilson[17]
    1961VictimBridie[17]
    1963CleopatraPhoebus[17]
    1963Jason and the ArgonautsHylas[17]
    1964The Devil-Ship PiratesHarry[17]
    1965Spaceflight IC-1Steven Thomas[17]
    1965A Study in TerrorMichael Osborne[17]
    1999Nightmare ManTrapper[18]

    References

    1. ↑ McIver, Brian (16 February 2012). "Scots acting legend John Cairney tells us about his Titanic adventures on classic movie A Night To Remember". Dailyrecord.co.uk.
    2. ↑ "Seven stories from Mackintosh's artistic journey". Scottishfield.co.uk. 27 March 2019.
    3. 1 2 3 4 Mckay, Gabriel (8 September 2023). "John Cairney, actor and writer who was key figure in the history of the Fringe". The Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
    4. 1 2 "Scottish actor John Cairney has died aged 93". BBC News. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
    5. ↑ "Collection of material relating to John Cairney (b1930), actor, director and playwright – Archives Hub". Archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk.
    6. ↑ Edinburgh Gateway Company (19655), The Twelve Seasons of the Edinburgh Gateway Company, 1953 – 1965, St. Giles Press, Edinburgh, p. 53
    7. ↑ "John Cairney". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018.
    8. 1 2 3 Watson, Jeremy. "Glasgow-born Robert Burns actor John Cairney dies at 93". The Times. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
    9. 1 2 Cairney, John (20 July 2000). On the Trail of Robert Burns. Dundurn. ISBN 9780946487516.
    10. 1 2 "Author details | Scottish Book Trust". Scottishbooktrust.com.
    11. ↑ "O'Sullivan, Alannah, 1951–". Tiaki.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
    12. ↑ Cairney, John (2011). The Sevenpenny Gate: A Lifelong Love Affair with Celtic FC. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1845967772.
    13. ↑ "John Cairney". Glasgow Times. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
    14. ↑ "John Cairney obituary". Thetimes.co.uk. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
    15. ↑ "Obituaries: John Cairney, actor best known for solo performances as Robert Burns". Scotsman.com. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
    16. ↑ https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/48048
    17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "John Cairney". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
    18. ↑ "Nightmare Man – Rotten Tomatoes". Rottentomatoes.com. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
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