Glasgow actor John Cairney - renowned for playing Robert Burns - dies aged 93

The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) graduate, who was born in 1930 in the Baillieston area of Glasgow, also featured in the films Jason and the Argonauts and the Titanic drama A Night to Remember.

Cairney starred as in the BBC Scotland drama Scotch on the Rocks. The five-part series, in which Cairney played an SNP politician, aired only once after bitter complaints from the party.

His long association with playing Burns started with a portrayal of the poet in the play There Was A Man at The Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1965.

Cairney would go on to play the bard during 11 world tours and was the first actor to take Burns to Russia.

A spokesperson for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, formerly the RSAMD, said “We are so incredibly sad to hear of John Cairney’s death. John was a member of our very first acting programme and was literally first in the classroom door when it opened in 1950.

“Throughout his life he was a passionate advocate for the power of performance and the transformative potential of the arts and arts education. He was a lovely man and will be sorely missed.”