Harry Gordon

Alexander Ross Gordon (11 July 1893 – 21 January 1957), known as Harry Gordon, was a popular Scottish entertainer, comedian and impressionist, touring throughout Scotland and further afield. From the 1920s through the 1950s Gordon also produced a large number of recordings, including several under assumed names. He was known as the Laird of Inversnecky, a fictional Scottish town he used in his comic routines, which ended up becoming the nickname for Inverness.

Life and career Harry Gordon was born in Aberdeen as Alexander Gordon, one of five sons and a daughter. He attended King Street and Central schools, before leaving for work as an insurance clerk to help with the family finances. His first public appearance on stage may have occurred at age 12 as Princess Chrysanthemum at Gilcomston Parish Church. By the time he was fifteen years old, he decided to pursue a full-time career as an entertainer. He began to develop his stage skills at various venues in northeast Scotland.

Gordon often worked with comic foil Jack Holden and perfected his pantomime act into one of Scotland's most acclaimed. His appeal never did transfer well to England, though he worked abroad and on cruise ships. In December 1956 he was preparing to appear along with Jack Radcliffe in "Dick Whittington" at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow , when he contracted a severe attack of influenza, and died in the Royal Infirmary at Glasgow in January, 1957. His work is still remembered and has formed the basis of a one-man stage show about his career.