John Cairney

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.

Biography John Cairney was born on 16 February 1930 in the Baillieston area of Glasgow.

He briefly attended art college but dropped out to pursue the life of an actor. In 1954, he appeared in the British debut for Arthur Miller's The Crucible. He was in 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.

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.

Cairney wrote books on many famous Scots as well as other books on football (particularly Celtic), theatre and his native Glasgow, where he lived with his New Zealand–born wife, actress and scriptwriter Alannah O'Sullivan. Cairney divorced her in 1979 and married actress and playwright Alannah O'Sullivan in 1980.

Cairney fell ill on the morning of 6 September 2023 and died around midday at age 93. He was buried on September 21.

Theatre

Filmography Year Title Role Refs1957 Ill Met by Moonlight Elias 1957 Miracle in Soho Tom