Scottish actor (1923–1990)
Gordon Jackson
Born Gordon Cameron Jackson
(1923-12-19 ) 19 December 1923Died 15 January 1990(1990-01-15) (aged 66) Occupation Actor Years active 1942–1990 Spouse
Gordon Cameron Jackson ,
OBE (19 December 1923 – 15 January 1990) was a Scottish actor 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 .
[1]
Early life
Gordon Jackson was born in
Glasgow in 1923, 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 .
[2] He left school aged 15 and became a
draughtsman for
Rolls-Royce .
[3]
Early career
His film career began in 1942, when
producers from
Ealing Studios were looking for a young Scot to act in
The Foreman Went to France
[3] and he was suggested for the part. After this, he returned to his job at Rolls-Royce, but he was soon asked to do more films, and he decided to make acting his career.
[4] 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, he 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.
[1] The same year, he made his
London stage debut, appearing in the play
Seagulls Over Sorrento by
Hugh Hastings .
In the 1950s and 1960s he appeared on television in programmes such as
The Adventures of Robin Hood , ABC of Britain ,
Gideon's Way and
The Avengers . In 1955 he had a small part in
The Quatermass Xperiment , the film version of the BBC TV serial. He later had supporting roles in the films
The Great Escape ,
The Bridal Path and
The Ipcress File . In 1969, he and his wife had important roles in
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie .
[1] That year, he played Horatio in
Tony Richardson's production of
Hamlet and he won a
Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actor,
[2] having also taken part in the
film version .
Later career
Gordon Jackson became a household name playing the stern Scottish
butler Angus Hudson in sixty episodes of the period drama
Upstairs, Downstairs from 1971 to 1975.
[1] In 1976, he won an Emmy Award for
Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor for the episode "
The Beastly Hun ". In 1974, he was named British Actor of the Year and in 1979 he was made an
OBE . Jackson was cast opposite
Bette Davis for the American television film
Madame Sin (1972), which was released in overseas markets as a feature film.
His next big television role was in the hard-hitting police drama
The Professionals from 1977.
[1] He played George Cowley in all 57 episodes of the programme, which ended in 1983, although filming finished in 1981. He played Noel Strachan in the Australian
Second World War drama
A Town Like Alice (1981), winning a
Logie Award for his performance.
After A Town Like Alice and The Professionals , Gordon Jackson continued his television work with appearances in
Hart to Hart ,
Campion and
Shaka Zulu and the films
The Shooting Party and
The Whistle Blower . He also appeared in the theatre, appearing in
Cards on the Table , adapted from the novel by
Agatha Christie at the
Vaudeville Theatre in 1981 and in
Mass Appeal by Bill C. Davis at the
Lyric Hammersmith in 1982. From 1985 to 1986, Jackson narrated two afternoon cookery shows in New Zealand for
TVNZ called Fresh and Fancy Fare and its successor Country Fare .
[2] His last role before his death was in Effie's Burning , and this was broadcast posthumously.
Death
In December 1989, he was diagnosed with
bone cancer ; he died on 15 January 1990, aged 66, in
London . He was cremated at
Golders Green Crematorium .
[5]
Selected filmography
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942) (uncredited)
The Foreman Went to France (1942) as Alastair "Jock" MacFarlane
Women Aren't Angels (1943) as Man in small orchestra
Nine Men (1943) as the Young 'un
Millions Like Us (1943) as Fred
San Demetrio London (1943) as Messboy John Jamieson
Pink String and Sealing Wax (1945) as David
The Captive Heart (1946) as Lieut. Lennox
Against the Wind (1948) as Duncan
Eureka Stockade (1949) as Tom Kennedy
Floodtide (1949) as David Shields
Stop Press Girl (1949) as Jock Melville
Whisky Galore! (1949) as George Campbell
Bitter Springs (1950) as Mac
Happy Go Lovely (1951) as Paul Tracy
The Lady with a Lamp (1951)
Castle in the Air (1951) as Hiker
Death Goes to School (1953) as Detective Inspector Campbell
Seagulls Over Sorrento (1953, TV Movie) as Able-Seaman Haggis Mcintosh
Malta Story (1953) as British Soldier (uncredited)
Meet Mr. Lucifer (1953) as Hector
The Love Lottery (1954) as Ralph
The Delavine Affair (1955) as Florian
Passage Home (1955) as Ted Burns
The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) as BBC TV producer
Windfall (1955) as Leonard
Moby Dick—Rehearsed (1955 TV film) as A Young Actor / Ishmael
Women Without Men (1956) as Percy
Blonde Bait (1956) as Percy (re-edited version of Women Without Men , with new scenes and actors and plot differences)
Pacific Destiny (1956) as District Officer
The Baby and the Battleship (1956) as Harry
Sailor Beware! (1956) as Carnoustie Bligh
Seven Waves Away (1957) as John Merritt
Let's Be Happy (1957) as Dougal MacLean
Hell Drivers (1957) as Scottie
The Hasty Heart (1957 TV film) as Lachlen McLachlen
Man in the Shadow (1957) as Jimmy Norris
Blind Spot (1958) as "Chalky" White
Yesterday's Enemy (1958, TV Movie) as Sgt. Ian McKenzie (reprised role in 1959 movie)
Rockets Galore! (1958) as George Campbell
The Navy Lark (1959) as Leading Seaman Johnson
Three Crooked Men (1959) as Don Wescott
Meeting at Night (1959 TV film) as Hector Maclachlan
Yesterday's Enemy (1959) as Sgt. McKenzie
The Bridal Path (1959) as PC Alec
Blind Date (1959) as Sergeant
Devil's Bait (1959) as Sergeant Malcolm
Never Die (1959, TV Movie) as Ian "Jock" Bell
The Price of Silence (1960) as Roger Fenton
Cone of Silence (1960) as Capt. Jock Bateson
The Soldier's Tale (1960 TV film) as The Narrator
Tunes of Glory (1960) as Capt. Jimmy Cairns, M.C.
Snowball (1960) as Bill Donovan
Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog (1961) as Farmer
Two Wives at One Wedding (1961) as Tom
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) as Seaman Edward Birkett
Hold My Hand, Soldier (1963, TV Movie)
The Great Escape (1963) as Flt. Lt. Andrew MacDonald, "Intelligence"
The Long Ships (1964) as Vahlin
Benbow Was His Name (1964, TV Movie) as Campbell
Daylight Robbery (1964) as Sergeant
The Ipcress File (1965) as Jock Carswell
Operation Crossbow (1965) as R.A.F. Pilot (scenes deleted)
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) as MacDougal
Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) as James MacAfee
The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966) as Captain Leeds
Triple Cross (1966) as British Sergeant Questioning Chapman (uncredited)
The Night of the Generals (1967) as Captain Engel
Danger Route (1967) as Brian Stern
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) as Gordon Lowther
Run Wild, Run Free (1969) as Mr Ransome
Hamlet (1969) as Horatio
The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens (1970, TV Movie) as The Narrator
Scrooge (1970) as Tom – Friend of Harry's
Kidnapped (1971) as Charles Stewart
On the Run (1971) as Mr. Mallory
Madame Sin (1972) as Commander Cavendish
Russian Roulette (1975) as Hardison
Sonntagsgeschichten (1976, TV Movie) as Mr. Dunner
Spectre (1977, TV Movie) as Inspector Cabell
Golden Rendezvous (1977) as Dr. Marston
The Medusa Touch (1978) as Dr. Johnson
The Last Giraffe (1979, TV Movie) as Fielding
The Masks of Death (1984, TV Movie) as Alec MacDonald
The Zaz (1985) as The Commander
The Shooting Party (1985) as Tom Harker
The Whistle Blower (1986) as Bruce
Gunpowder (1986) as Sir Anthony Phelps
The Lady and the Highwayman (1989, TV Movie) as Harry
Television credits
Note: TV films are listed in the filmography.
References
External links
1975–1986 1989–2019 2020–present
International National Artists People Other