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{{Short description|Scottish actor (1930–2023)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Cairney
| image = Publicity shot of John Cairney as Robert Burns 1965 resize.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Cairney as [[Robert Burns]] (1965)
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1930|2|16}}
| birth_place = [[Glasgow]], Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2023|9|6|1930|2|16}}
| death_place =
| nationality = [[Scotland|Scottish]]
| othername =
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|writer}}
| yearsactive = 1957–1999
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Sheila Parker Cowan|1954|1979|end = divorced}}
* {{marriage|Alannah O'Sullivan|1980}}
}}
| domesticpartner =
| website =
}}

'''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 W. Service|Robert Service]], [[Charles Rennie Mackintosh]] and [[William McGonagall]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/scots-acting-legend-john-cairney-1116872|title=Scots acting legend John Cairney tells us about his Titanic adventures on classic movie A Night To Remember|first=Brian|last=McIver|date=16 February 2012|website=Dailyrecord.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/culture/visual-arts/seven-stories-from-mackintoshs-artistic-journey/|title=Seven stories from Mackintosh's artistic journey|website=Scottishfield.co.uk|date=27 March 2019}}</ref>

==Biography==
John Cairney was born on 16 February 1930 in the [[Baillieston]] area of Glasgow.<ref name="The Herald obit"/> He is the brother of footballer [[Jim Cairney]]. They were raised in the [[Parkhead]] area of Glasgow; the referee [[Tiny Wharton]] was a childhood acquaintance.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Cairney
| first = John
| title = The Sevenpenny Gate: A Lifelong Love Affair with Celtic FC
| year = 2011
| publisher = Mainstream Publishing
| isbn = 978-1845967772
}}</ref>

He briefly attended art college but dropped out to pursue the life of an actor.<ref name=":0"/>

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|Citizens' Theatre]] in Glasgow and a successful [[Macbeth]] at the [[Edinburgh International Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb247-sta2bd,f,2jg1/5-6,kz|title=Collection of material relating to John Cairney (b1930), actor, director and playwright – Archives Hub|website=Archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk|access-date=20 July 2019|archive-date=20 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720223105/https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb247-sta2bd,f,2jg1/5-6,kz|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1954, he appeared in the British debut for [[Arthur Miller]]'s ''[[The Crucible]]''.<ref name="The Herald obit"/> He played King Humanity in [[Tyrone Guthrie]]'s Festival production of [[David Lyndsay|Sir David Lyndsey]]'s ''[[Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis]]'' in 1959. In 1962, he joined the [[Gateway Theatre (Edinburgh)|Edinburgh Gateway Company]], playing [[James Boswell]] in [[Robert McLellan]]'s ''Young Auchinleck''.<ref>Edinburgh Gateway Company (19655), ''The Twelve Seasons of the Edinburgh Gateway Company, 1953 – 1965'', St. Giles Press, Edinburgh, p. 53</ref> He was in ''[[This Man Craig]]'' on television, while his many films include ''[[Lucky Jim (1957 film)|Lucky Jim]]'', ''[[A Night to Remember (1958 film)|A Night to Remember]]'', ''[[Operation Bullshine]]'', ''[[The Flesh and the Fiends]]'', ''[[Victim (1961 film)|Victim]]'', ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]'' and ''[[Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film)|Jason and the Argonauts]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f0f37f1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327004344/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f0f37f1|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 March 2018|title=John Cairney|website=BFI}}</ref>

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''.<ref name="The Herald obit"/> In 1970s, Cairney played in a political drama by BBC Scotland, named ''[[Scotch on the Rocks]]''.<ref name="The Times obit"/> In 1987, he published his autobiography, called ''The Man Who Played Burns''.<ref name="The Times obit"/>

Cairney gained a PhD from [[Victoria University of Wellington|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.<ref name="trailofrobertburns">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TpIxHDXaGrQC&dq=john+cairney+phd+wellington+new+zealand&pg=PR1|title=On the Trail of Robert Burns|first=John|last=Cairney|date=20 July 2000|publisher=Dundurn|isbn=9780946487516}}</ref><ref name="scottishbooktrust">{{Cite web|url=http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/profile-author/70622|title=Author details | Scottish Book Trust|website=Scottishbooktrust.com|access-date=20 July 2019|archive-date=20 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720223101/http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/profile-author/70622|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Cairney wrote books on many famous Scots as well as other books on football (particularly [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]), theatre and his native Glasgow, where he lived with his New Zealand–born wife, actress and scriptwriter Alannah O'Sullivan.<ref name="trailofrobertburns"/><ref name="scottishbooktrust" />

Cairney married Sheila Cowan in 1954, whom he met at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He had five children with her.<ref name="The Herald obit">{{cite news |last1=Mckay |first1=Gabriel |title=John Cairney, actor and writer who was key figure in the history of the Fringe |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23776232.john-cairney-obituary-glasgow-star-stage-screen/ |access-date=9 September 2023 |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=8 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Cairney divorced her in 1979<ref name="The Times obit">{{cite news |last1=Watson |first1=Jeremy |title=Glasgow-born Robert Burns actor John Cairney dies at 93 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/glasgow-born-robert-burns-actor-john-cairney-dies-at-93-2jxnmggwp |access-date=9 September 2023 |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref> and married actress and playwright Alannah O'Sullivan in 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|title=O'Sullivan, Alannah, 1951–|url=https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ethesaurus.147321|access-date=2 July 2021|website=Tiaki.natlib.govt.nz}}</ref>

He died on 6 September 2023, at age 93.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/memorials/death-notices/death/30568334.john-cairney/|title=John Cairney|website=[[Glasgow Times]]|access-date=22 September 2023}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=7 September 2023 |title=Scottish actor John Cairney has died aged 93 |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-66739513 |access-date=7 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/john-cairney-obituary-zqg9fwhgr|title=John Cairney obituary|date=22 September 2023|access-date=22 September 2023|website=The Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/obituaries-john-cairney-actor-best-known-for-solo-performances-as-robert-burns-4341073|title=Obituaries: John Cairney, actor best known for solo performances as Robert Burns|website=Scotsman.com|access-date=22 September 2023}}</ref> Cairney fell ill on the morning of September 6 and died around midday. He was buried on September 21.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/48048 | title=John Cairney RIP | date=20 September 2023 }}</ref>

==Theatre==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Company
! Director
! Notes
|-
|1959 || ''Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis'' || King Humanity || || [[Tyrone Guthrie]] || play by [[David Lyndsay|Sir David Lyndsay]], adapted by [[Robert Kemp (playwright)|Robert Kemp]]
|-
|1962 || ''Young Auchinleck'' || James Boswell || Gateway Theatre, Edinburgh || Kenneth Parrott ||
|-
|1965 || ''There Was A Man'' || Robert Burns || Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh || ||
|-
|1972 || ''[[Willie Rough]]'' || Charlie McGrath || [[Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh]] || [[Bill Bryden]]
|}

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Refs
|-
|1957|| ''[[Ill Met by Moonlight (film)|Ill Met by Moonlight]]'' || Elias ||<ref name="BFI">{{cite web |title=John Cairney |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f0f37f1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327004344/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f0f37f1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 March 2018 |website=BFI |access-date=9 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|1957|| ''[[Miracle in Soho]]'' || Tom ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1957|| ''[[Lucky Jim (1957 film)|Lucky Jim]]'' || Roberts ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1957|| ''[[Windom's Way]]'' || Jan Vidal ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1958|| ''[[A Night to Remember (1958 film)|A Night to Remember]]'' || Murphy ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1959|| ''[[Shake Hands with the Devil (1959 film)|Shake Hands with the Devil]]'' || Mike O'Callaghan ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1959|| ''[[Operation Bullshine]]'' || Gunner Willie Ross ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1960|| ''[[The Flesh and the Fiends]]'' || Chris Jackson ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1960|| ''[[Marriage of Convenience (1960 film)|The Edgar Wallace Mysteries – Marriage of Convenience]]''||Larry Wilson||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1961|| ''[[Victim (1961 film)|Victim]]'' || Bridie ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1963|| ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]'' || Phoebus ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1963|| ''[[Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film)|Jason and the Argonauts]]'' || Hylas ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1964|| ''[[The Devil-Ship Pirates]]'' || Harry ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1965|| ''[[Spaceflight IC-1]]'' || Steven Thomas ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1965|| ''[[A Study in Terror]]'' || Michael Osborne ||<ref name="BFI"/>
|-
|1999|| ''Nightmare Man'' || Trapper ||<ref>{{cite web |title=Nightmare Man – Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nightmare_man_1999 |website=Rottentomatoes.com |access-date=9 September 2023 |language=en |date=22 May 2017}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.johncairney.com Official website]
* {{IMDb name|0129055}}
* {{discogs artist|John Cairney}}
* [https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/s//ref=mw_dp_a_s?ie=UTF8&i=books&k=John+Cairney ''Amazon'' author profile]
* {{Cite news | url=http://www.dgstandard.co.uk/lifestyle/entertainmentandarts-dumfries/2009/05/08/red-red-rose-at-the-theatre-royal-51311-23568998/ | title=Red, Red Rose at the Theatre Royal | date=8 May 2009 | access-date=13 June 2009 | first=Sara | last=Bain | publisher=[[Dumfries & Galloway Standard]] }}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairney, John}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Theatre in Scotland]]
[[Category:Male actors from Glasgow]]
[[Category:Scottish male film actors]]
[[Category:Scottish male television actors]]
[[Category:Parkhead]]

John Cairney - Revision history

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