About Mary Riggans
Lived 1935 – 2013 (aged 78). Mary Riggans was a British actor and film actor.
Mary Riggans (19 July 1935 – 2 December 2013) was a Scottish actress. She was best known for playing the role of Suzie Sweet in the BAFTA-winning children's show Balamory and Effie Macinnes in Take the High Road. She began her acting career in 1946, when she did a voiceover at the age of 11, and went on to star in television, radio and theatre productions.
Acting Riggans was best known for her role as Effie Macinnes on the Scottish television soap opera, Take the High Road from the early 1980s until the last episode in 2003. She appeared as Suzie Sweet in Balamory, a children's television programme (2002–05), and as Sadie in Still Game (2002–07). She appeared in the pilot episode of Taggart, "Killer".
Riggans once famously cleared glasses from tables at chucking out time during her run at the King's Theatre.
Julie Wilson Nimmo, who played Miss Hoolie in the children's show, added: "Shocked and saddened to hear about Mary's passing. We worked together for years, she was a brilliant actress and will be remembered fondly by the Balamory family."
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Important facts
People in Mary Riggans's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Mary Riggans's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Mary Riggans?
Scottish actress (1935–2013)
When was Mary Riggans born?
Mary Riggans was born on 19 July 1935 in Clydebank.
When did Mary Riggans die?
Mary Riggans died on 2 December 2013 in Edinburgh.
What was Mary Riggans's occupation?
Mary Riggans was an actor and film actor.
What nationality was Mary Riggans?
Mary Riggans was British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mary Riggans. https://biography.guide/mary-riggans/
MLA: "Mary Riggans." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mary-riggans/.
Chicago: "Mary Riggans." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mary-riggans/.
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