Gordon Jackson

Gordon Cameron Jackson (19 December 1923 – 15 January 1990) was a Scottish actor. He is best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and as George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals. He also portrayed Capt Jimmy Cairns in Tunes of Glory, and Flt. Lt. Andrew MacDonald, "Intelligence", in The Great Escape.

In 1960, Jackson was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Actor for the film Yesterday's Enemy and in 1975 was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for the television series Upstairs, Downstairs. The following year he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series.

Early life Jackson was born on 19 December 1923 in Glasgow, the youngest of five children. He attended Hillhead High School, and in his youth he took part in BBC radio shows including Children's Hour. He left school aged 15 and became a draughtsman for Rolls-Royce.

Early career Jackson's film career began in 1942, when producers from Ealing Studios were looking for a young Scot to act in The Foreman Went to France Jackson soon appeared in other films, including Millions Like Us, San Demetrio London, The Captive Heart, Eureka Stockade and Whisky Galore!. In the early years of his career, Jackson also worked in repertory theatre in Glasgow, Worthing and Perth.

In 1949, Jackson starred in the film Floodtide, along with actress Rona Anderson. He and Anderson married two years later on 2 June 1951. They had two sons, Graham and Roddy.

Filmography

Television credits (aired posthumously)

Theatre