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The tall, handsome and muscular Scottish actor Sean Connery is best known as the original actor to portray James Bond in the hugely successful movie franchise, starring in seven films between 1962 and 1983. Some believed that such a career-defining role might leave him unable to escape it, but he proved the doubters wrong, becoming one of the most notable film actors of his generation, with a host of great movies to his name. This arguably culminated in his greatest acclaim in 1988, when Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as an Irish cop in The Untouchables (1987), stealing the thunder from the movie's principal star Kevin Costner. Connery was polled as "The Greatest Living Scot" and "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure." In 1989, he was proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine, and in 1999, at age 69, he was proclaimed "Sexiest Man of the Century."

Thomas "Sean" Connery was born on August 25, 1930 in Fountainbridge, Edinburgh. His mother, Euphemia Maclean, was a cleaning lady, and his father, Joseph Connery, was a factory worker and truck driver. He also had a brother, Neil Connery, a plasterer in Edinburgh, who was eight years younger. Before going into acting, Sean had many different jobs, such as a milkman, lorry driver, a laborer, artist's model for the Edinburgh College of Art, coffin polisher and bodybuilder. He also joined the Royal Navy, but was later discharged because of medical problems. At the age of 23, he had a choice between becoming a professional soccer player or an actor, and even though he showed much promise in the sport, he chose acting and said it was one of his more intelligent decisions.

No Road Back (1957) was Sean's first major movie role, and it was followed by several made-for-TV movies such as Anna Christie (1957), Macbeth (1961) and Anna Karenina (1961) as well as guest appearances on TV series, and also films such as Hell Drivers (1957), Another Time, Another Place (1958), Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) and The Frightened City (1961). In 1962 he appeared in The Longest Day (1962) with a host of other stars.

His big breakthrough came in 1962 when he landed the role of secret agent James Bond in Dr. No (1962). He played James Bond in six more films: From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Never Say Never Again (1983).

After and during the success of the Bond films, he maintained a successful career as an actor and has appeared in films, including Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie (1964), The Hill (1965), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), The Wind and the Lion (1975), Time Bandits (1981), Highlander (1986), The Name of the Rose (1986), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Rising Sun (1993), The Rock (1996), Finding Forrester (2000) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003).

Sean married actress Diane Cilento in 1962 and they had Sean's only child, Jason Connery, born on January 11, 1963. The couple announced their separation in February 1971 and filed for divorce 2½ years later. Sean then dated Jill St. John, Lana Wood, Magda Konopka and Carole Mallory. In 1975 he married Micheline Roquebrune and they stayed married, despite Sean's well-documented love affair with Lynsey de Paul in the late '80s. Sean had three stepchildren through his marriage to Micheline, who was one year his senior. He is also a grandfather. His son, Jason and Jason's ex-wife, actress Mia Sara had a son, Dashiell Connery, in 1997.

Sean Connery died at the age of 90 on October 31, 2020, in Nassau, the Bahamas, where he resided for many years.

Mark Bonnar was born on 19 November 1968 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He is an actor, known for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013), Operation Mincemeat (2021) and Line of Duty (2012). He has been married to Lucy Gaskell since 28 December 2007. They have one child.

Chloe Pirrie (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish actress. She has played main roles in the 2014 miniseries The Game, the 2012 film Shell, and the 2015 television film An Inspector Calls. She has also appeared in the 2016 miniseries War & Peace, the 2015 film Youth, the 2015 film Blood Cells and a 2013 episode of Black Mirror. In 2015 she also co-starred in the Academy Award winner for Best Live Action Short Film, Stutterer.

Pirrie was raised in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, and attended the Mary Erskine School. She began acting in school and decided to pursue it as a career after being cast in a school production of The Cherry Orchard. She moved to London at the age of 18 to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and graduated in 2009. Pirrie's professional acting career began in 2009. She made her debut at the Royal National Theatre in a 2010 production of Men Should Weep alongside numerous other Scottish actors. Shortly afterwards, she appeared in Solstice, a short film released in 2010. Her first role in a feature film was in Shell (2012), a Scottish drama in which Pirrie played the eponymous main character. For this performance she won Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards 2013 and was nominated for Best British Newcomer at the 2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards. In 2013, she played a politician in "The Waldo Moment", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror. In the same year she was named as one of BAFTA's "Breakthrough Brits" and Screen International's "UK Stars of Tomorrow".

In 2014, Pirrie starred in the BBC miniseries The Game, a Cold War spy thriller in which she played an MI5 secretary. The following year she appeared as Sheila Birling in Helen Edmundson's BBC One adaptation of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls, in the miniseries The Last Panthers, the British independent film Burn Burn Burn, and the Italian film Youth.

In 2015, she starred as Ellie in the Academy Award winner for Best Live Action Short Film, Stutterer. Ellie is the love interest for Greenwood (played by Matthew Needham). Greenwood has a major stuttering problem and can't speak effectively, causing him to panic when Ellie suggests they take what had only been an online relationship, offline to meet in person. After finally giving in, Greenwood learns a secret about Ellie that changes everything.

She played Julie Karagina in the 2016 BBC miniseries War & Peace and was cast as Emily Brontë in To Walk Invisible, a BBC drama about the Brontë family created by Sally Wainwright. She also starred in the Death In Paradise episode 'In The Footsteps Of A Killer' as Grace Matlock, an employee at the Saint Marie Times.

She also plays Lara in the 2016 BBC thriller series, The Living and the Dead. In 2017, she starred in the Netflix series, The Crown for its second season, playing Eileen Parker. In 2018, she appeared in the BBC/Netflix miniseries Troy: Fall of a City.

Iain Glen is a Scottish actor, born June 24, 1961, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was educated at the Edinburgh Academy, an independent school for boys (now co-educational), followed by the University of Aberdeen. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he was the winner of the Bancroft Gold Medal. He and his first wife, Susannah Harker (House of Cards (1990), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Ultraviolet (1998)) have a son, Finlay. They divorced in 2004. He met Charlotte Emmerson at the National Theatre while he was performing Streetcar Named Desire with Glenn Close. They have two children, Mary and Juliet. They finally married in the summer of 2017.

Iain immediately rose to prominence in1988 with his acclaimed performance as a charismatic gang leader in The Fear for Euston films, followed by his multi-award winning tour de force as imprisoned Scottish poet Larry Winters in Silent Scream in 1990. In the same year he was cast as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, in Tom Stoppard's film adaptation of his play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. He was nominated in 1998 for an Olivier Award for his performance in The Blue Room opposite Nicole Kidman. He also received Olivier nominations for Martin Guerre (1996), and The Crucible (2006). Further stage credits include the title roles in Hamlet, Macbeth, Uncle Vanya and Henry V at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Glen has been described as, "The greatest Scottish theatre actor of his generation." In 2002, he starred with Emilia Fox in the Italian-French-British romance-drama film The Soul Keeper directed by Roberto Faenza. In 2003 Aberdeen University awarded him an Honorary Degree: Doctor of Laws, Iain Glen BA (For Services to the Arts). It was announced in 2009 that Glen would star as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO series Game of Thrones. Glen has appeared in all seasons (1-VIII) and the show has gone on to win more Emmys than any prime time TV show in the history of the awards. In 2010, he played the role of Father Octavian, leader of a sect of clerics who were on a mission against the Weeping Angels in "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone," a two-episode story which formed part of the fifth season of Doctor Who. He appeared in the second series of Downton Abbey, as Sir Richard Carlisle, a tabloid publisher who is a suitor to, and subsequently engaged to, Lady Mary. He was a member of the Outstanding Ensemble that won the SAG award in 2013. Further television credits include Wives and Daughters, Diary of Anne Frank, Delicious, Glasgow Kiss, Prisoner's Wives and Kidnapped. Other Film Credits include Small Engine Repair, Mountains of the Moon, Song for a Raggy Boy, Eye in the Sky, My Cousin Rachel, Resident Evil and Fortune's Fool (Evening Standard Award for Best Actor). From 2010 to the present Glen has played the title character in the celebrated Irish TV crime series Jack Taylor adapted from the novels by Ken Bruen. He has starred in many radio plays including a new 4-part BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Sebastian Baczkiewicz, directed by Jeremy Mortimer and Sasha Yevtushenko.

Chinaza Uche is starring in a new Apple TV plus series Silo alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robbins, David Oyelowo, Common and Rashida Jones.

He also starred in the feature film A Good Person which he received a Scottish Bafta nomination for Best Actor in a film. It was written and directed by Zach Braff and co-starred Morgan Freeman, Florence Pugh Celeste O'Connor and Molly Shannon.

On television he starred in the Apple TV+ series Dickinson alongside Hailee Steinfeld and Jane Krakowski. He's made guest-star appearances on Blue Bloods, The Blacklist, Deception, Golden Boy, Little America and Fear The Walking Dead.

He also starred in the feature film Nigerian Prince that premiered at the Tribeca film Festival.

He was last seen on stage in Clubbed Thumb's New York Time Critics pick of Tumacho.

His other Theater credits include the New York Time's critics pick Sojourners/Her Portmanteau at New York Theatre Workshop; Sugar in Our Wounds at Manhattan Theatre Club (Audelco win: Best Ensemble); Dolphins and Sharks at the Labyrinth Theatre Company; The Last Saint On Sugar Hill at the National Black Theatre and many others.

He also writes and produces through his production company Caching Productions Inc. which has been producers on the feature film How to Rob and their upcoming feature Come Home.

He is a graduate of the Experimental Theatre Wing and The Classical Studio at the Tisch School of Drama. (2023)

Doherty was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. He has an older brother and younger sister, and his parents were both in the banking business. Doherty began acting at the age of 5 and also played football. Doherty joined Lothian Youth Arts and Musicals Company and played a variety of roles, including as Harry, the son of Hook in Disney's Descendants movie franchise.

Doherty attended Royal High School in Edinburgh. After high school, Doherty attended The MGA Academy of Performing Arts in Edinburgh, Scotland. He graduated after studying music theatre at MGA Academy in July 2015 and immediately signed a contract with Olivia Bell Management in London. Doherty was trained in acting, singing, and various types of dance including contemporary, hip hop, jazz, and ballet.

After graduating from The MGA Academy of Performing Arts in the summer of 2015, Doherty began waiting tables in Edinburgh at Tigerlilly restaurant. On his days off, Doherty split his time between auditioning for The Lodge and working with the Edinburgh Fringe. He was offered the role of Sean in The Lodge and had to undergo intensive training in mountain biking to prepare for the role. The Lodge was filmed in Belfast, Ireland. While Doherty's character is Scottish, Doherty focused on toning down his accent in order to better accommodate the viewers in all 108 countries that The Lodge aired in.

In December 2016, The Lodge was renewed for a second season which began production in February 2017.

After landing the role of Sean, Doherty auditioned for Descendants 2 and was cast as Harry Hook, the son of the infamous villain, Captain James Hook, from Peter Pan. Descendants 2 was filmed in Vancouver, Canada in 2016 and aired on the Disney Channel on 21 July 2017.

Most recently, Doherty was cast as Zander Reins in the American production High Strung: Free Dance alongside Harry Jarvis and Juliet Doherty. He plays Zander with an RP English accent. The film was released in the summer of 2018.

In August 2017, Doherty was named one of the 50 hottest boys in the world by Vogue magazine.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Ewen Bremner has worked with many of the most respected directors in world cinema, including Danny Boyle, Mike Leigh, Ridley Scott, Joon-Ho Bong, Werner Herzog and Woody Allen. Ewen has established himself by creating unique characters in critically acclaimed films, as well as going toe to toe with many of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Bremner had worked widely in theatre, television, and film for years before being cast in his breakout role in Trainspotting (1996), by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle. Having originated the role of Mark Renton in Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre production, Bremner then made waves opposite Ewan McGregor playing Spud Murphy and earned screen immortality with his character's infamous "speed fueled" job interview scene.

Prior to Trainspotting, Bremner gave a striking performance in Mike Leigh's Naked, starring opposite David Thewlis. In 1999, Bremner received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a schizophrenic man living with his dysfunctional family in Harmony Korine's Julien Donkey-Boy. Filmed strictly in accordance with the ultra-realist tenants of Lars Von Trier's Dogma 95 movement and starring opposite Werner Herzog, Bremner played Julien its eponymous hero, requiring him to assume an American accent. He then worked with director Michael Bay in his high-profile 2001 war film Pearl Harbor (2001), proving his versatility once again by portraying the role of a wholeheartedly patriotic American soldier fighting in WWII. The following year, he stepped back into fatigues for a supporting role in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (2001), while rounding out the next several years with roles in high-profile Hollywood releases such as The Rundown (2003), Disney's Around the World in 80 Days (2004), Alien vs. Predator (2004) Woody Allen's Match Point (2005), the comedy Death at a Funeral (2007) directed by Frank Oz, and Fool's Gold (2005) starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson.

This past year proved to be a busy one when Bremner was invited to join the DC Universe in the Zack Snyder-produced feature Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, co-starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, and set for release by Warner Bros. in the summer of 2017. Ewen would also reprise his unforgettable role as "Spud" in the highly-anticipated sequel to Danny Boyle's cult classic, T2: Trainspotting, for Sony due out early 2017. He rounded out the year with the feature The Lake, produced by Luc Besson.

Currently (2017), Bremner is filming the TNT Drama Series Will with Shekhar Kapur, produced by Craig Pearce, whose writing credits include the feature films The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. The series will tell the story of the lost years of young William Shakespeare after his arrival to London in 1589.

Other notable film credits include Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, David Mackenzie's Perfect Sense starring again alongside Ewan McGregor, Great Expectations directed by Mike Newell, Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Slayer, and Snowpiercer directed by Bong Joon-Ho and starring opposite Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton. Further credits include Exodus: Gods and Kings, Wide Open Spaces, Mojo, Mediator, Faintheart, Hallam Foe, Sixteen Years of Alcohol, and Snatch.

In television, Ewen has worked on many acclaimed productions including David Hare's Worriker trilogy starring Bill Nighy for BBC, Jimmy McGovern's Moving On and also his Australian mini-series Banished, Strike Back for Sky TV, Dominic Savage's Dive, the Dylan Thomas biopic, A Poet In New York and the adaptation of Day of the Triffids for the BBC. Other noteworthy series appearances include portraying legendary surrealist Salvador Dali in the U.K. television drama Surrealissimo: The Trial of Salvador Dali, and a guest spot on the successful NBC series, My Name is Earl.

Ewen has worked extensively in theatre and his credits include God of Hell (Donmar Warehouse), Damascus (Traverse), Trainspotting (Citizens/Traverse/Bush Theatres), The Present (Bush Theatre), Gormenghast (Lyric Hammersmith), Bright Light Shinning (Bush Theatre) and Conquest of the South Pole (Traverse/Royal Court) among others.

He currently spends his time between Scotland and New York.

Lindsay Duncan was born on 7 November 1950 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), About Time (2013) and Gifted (2017). She is married to Hilton McRae. They have one child.

Sara was born and raised in Edinburgh Scotland. After spending some time in England, she trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and made London her home. Her work has been diverse, ranging from classical tragic heroines like "Natalya Petrovna" in Turgenyev's "Month in the Country" for the RSC; Gwyneth Paltrow's overbearing sister in "Proof" for its London premiere; to comic characters like the louche "Stella" in the TV series Sugar Rush (2005).

Now based in Twickenham, she is separated from actor Aden Gillett, with whom she has 2 children.

Jamie Sives was born on 14 August 1973 in Lochend, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002), Valhalla Rising (2009) and Mean Machine (2001).

Georgia May King (born 18 November 1986) is an Scottish actress. King is the daughter of actor Jonathan Hyde and opera singer Isobel Buchanan.

Although King grew up dreaming of being a director, she got her break into acting when she was eighteen and still working at a cheese shop, making her professional debut as Rosamond Oliver in Jane Eyre. She was nearly unable to play the role, however. A source stated that "a week before the day she began filming, King felt stomach pains, then had her appendix rupture. Her agent told the producers that she was unlikely to recover from the operation to remove it for at least ten days." Another actress was cast, but King recovered in time and was able to get the required medical clearance to film.

She is best known as Goldie, a surrogate mother in the American sitcom, The New Normal. Formerly, she was well known for her acclaimed performance as the tyrannical head-girl Harriet Bentley in 2008's Wild Child, and as cruel, conniving Sophie in the 2009 slasher film Tormented. Also in 2009 King received positive acclaim for her performance as the manipulative Victoria in the film Tanner Hall. She also performed in One Night in November at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, from October to November 2010, as well as being featured in the 2011 film Chalet Girl. She appeared as Princess Elena in the episode "The Changeling" of the third series of the BBC's Merlin. She appeared in the comedy horror film Cockneys vs Zombies as a bank robbery hostage trying to escape from a zombie-infested London.

King also appeared as series regular Amanda Snodgrass across both seasons in the 2016/2017 HBO comedy Vice Principals.

Emun Elliott was born on 28 November 1983 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Emun is an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), Prometheus (2012) and Filth (2013).

Claire Goose was born in Edinburgh and lived there until she was two and a half. She grew up on the North Norfolk Coast with her parents Joy and David and her 2 older siblings, Duncan and Caroline. The first in her family to pursue Acting, at the age of 16 she was offered a place to study at the renowned Italia Conti Theatre School, in London. Her first major break came shortly after graduating, in the form of playing Tina Seabrook in the critically acclaimed series, Casualty, for which she was nominated Best Newcomer at The National Television Awards.. She went onto to become a series regular in the Emmy Award Winning show Waking The Dead before calling time on it after 4 years, to pursue Theatre and other filming opportunities.

Alastair Duncan is probably best known as Mimir, the smartest man in the world, in the games God of War and God of War Ragnarok, as well as Celebrimbor, the creator of the rings of power, in Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War and Senator Armstrong in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, a game that is more popular today than when it was released 10 years ago.

After working as a nursing auxiliary in the Argyle and Bute Mental Hospital, studying science at Dundee University for a year, and then working in the anatomy department at Glasgow Vet School, Alastair Duncan studied acting at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.

In 1983 he made his film debut in Bill Bryden's Ill Fares the Land and his TV debut playing the naive sidekick Det Sgt Neil Livingstone to Mark Mcmanus's world weary title role in the Scottish Television series Taggart. He left the show after the first five seasons and in 1992 he starred opposite Rutger Hauer in the darkly atmospheric British sci-fi cult classic Split Second, playing Det. Dick Durkin. He then starred in the film The Fifth Day in Venezuela before moving to Los Angeles. Since then he has guest starred in episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Tracey Takes On, Babylon 5, ER, The Division, Westworld, CSI, NCIS, Mad Men, The Mentalist, and many more as well as the movies Dead Man's Walk, Trick of the Eye, Sleeping With Strangers, Tower of Terror and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

In the early 2000s he segued into voice acting playing Alfred in 5 seasons of the animated series The Batman and 8 subsequent Batman films and video games including the recently released Batman: The Long Halloween and Justice League: Cosmic Chaos. His work in animation took him into video games where he has played a multitude of roles in a myriad of games.

Callum Kerr was born on 11 May 1994 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He is an actor, known for One Piece (2023), Virgin River (2019) and The Wheel of Time (2021). He has been married to Lauren Stacy since 3 January 2026. They have one child.

Ken was born in Edinburgh to an Italian mother and Scotish father, His mother was a lecturer in Italian literature at Edinburgh University where his father was doing a degree in teaching English. Ken's partner is the actress Dianah Sherlock and they've been together since 1983. Ken's done 3 series of The Vice and the film Shallow Grave.

Hugo grew up on Sydney's leafy North Shore. He attended the local primary school before moving to Barker College in Hornsby at the commencement of grade five.

Hugo progressed through his schooling years participating heavily in many sports and extracurricular activities. He showed particular skill in the dramatic arts which he studied towards as an elective for his Higher School Certificate (HSC).

At the completion of school he tried out for the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) and was unsuccessful due to his young age. He spent 2006 travelling and successfully gained entry into NIDA in 2007. Since the completion of the four-year course he has successfully entered the Australian arts scene in a number of productions, most notably his role as Fish Lamb in Tim Winton's Cloudstreet (2011).

Speaks fluent Spanish and French. Lives in London. Attended Bristol University (BA in Hispanic Studies). Has appeared in numerous British plays and television programs. Most recognized by Americans as Sherlock Holmes in Young Sherlock Holmes (1985). The son of a member of Parliament. Lived with Lou Gish for six years until her death in February 2006.

Charlotte Wells is a Scottish director and producer whose shorts have screened at festivals worldwide. Her second film, Laps, won a Short Film Special Jury Prize for Editing at Sundance Film Festival and Special Jury Recognition for Narrative Shorts at SXSW Film Festival 2017. She is a graduate of New York University's MBA/MFA dual degree program.

Edinburgh-born, honey-blonde Hannah Gordon arrived on the screen in the mid-60s with a role in the first episode of the British horror/sci-fi anthology series Out of the Unknown (1965). In the course of the next five decades, Gordon became immensely popular with audiences in both serious and comedic roles on television, beginning with leads and later gracefully transitioning into supporting roles. She is quoted as saying "You have to look your age and deal with that".

Gordon's mother Hannah (née Grant), died from a heart attack when she was nine. Her father, William Henry Gordon, suffered from advanced Parkinsons Disease and passed away three years later. Young Hannah came under the guardianship of an uncle who enrolled her in elocution classes. Living independently by the age of fourteen, she was able to determine her own career path which began with drama studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Following her graduation, Gordon had her first performing experience on the repertory stage in Dundee. In 1967, she appeared as Florence Crompton in the play Spring and Port Wine, a role she reprised for the film version three years later. Her first big hit on the screen was as Suzie Basset in the BBC1 sitcom My Wife Next Door (1972), co-starring alongside John Alderton. The storyline revolved around a divorced couple of city dwellers hoping to start new lives in the country, only to find themselves as neighbours in adjoining cottages. The show garnered a British Academy Television Award for Best Situation Comedy in 1973.

Gordon's next big role was as the elegant Lady Virginia Bellamy in the long running Edwardian drama series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), her character in this being several years older than herself. Other performances in period garb have included Agnes Wickfield in David Copperfield (1966), the waif-like Biddy, snubbed by Pip in Great Expectations (1967) and the resourceful Mary Garth in Middlemarch (1968). She also played Ann Treves, wife of the prominent surgeon and anatomist Sir Frederick Treves, in David Lynch's acclaimed motion picture The Elephant Man (1980). Gordon commanded further leads in the banking dramas Telford's Change (1979) and Joint Account (1989), as well as in the (rather less successful) sitcom Goodbye, Mr. Kent (1982), opposite Richard Briers. She was featured several times as foil for the stars on The Morecambe & Wise Show (1978) and has made guest appearances in Doctor Who (1963), The Persuaders! (1971), Jonathan Creek (1997), Monarch of the Glen (2000) and (against type) as a sociopathic killer in Midsomer Murders (1997). Her character Glynis also killed off Victor Meldrew (a hit-and-run) in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave (1990). In the last episode of Hustle (2004)'s seventh season, she played an old paramour of 'roper' Albert Stroller (Robert Vaughn).

In the 70s and 80s, Gordon often featured as a panelist on the game show Call My Bluff (1965). Her face remained in the public eye with commercials for the Safeways supermarket chain and as presenter of the lifestyle television show Watercolour Challenge (1998) between 1998 and 2002. Her work on both the classical and contemporary stage has included Othello (as Desdemona, 1975), the title role in Shirley Valentine (1989) and Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband (1992-3).

Hannah Gordon's husband was the late London-born cinematographer Norman Warwick, who was twenty years her senior. They had first met during the filming of Spring and Port Wine (1970).

Isis Hainsworth was born on 22 September 1998 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Metal Lords (2022), Catherine Called Birdy (2022) and Emma. (2020).

A classical actor (and founding member in 1960 of the Royal Shakespeare Company), Richardson earned international fame as the villainous Francis Urquart in the BBC television trilogy, "House of Cards." Uttered in a cut-glass accent, the Machiavellian Prime Minister's sly "You might well think that ... I couldn't possibly comment" became a catchphrase when the series was broadcast in the 1990s. Richardson's contributions to his art were honored in 1989 when he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE.) Fittingly, his family had his ashes buried beneath the auditorium of the new Royal Shakespeare theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Born the son of John and Margaret (Drummond) Richardson on April 7, 1934, he was educated at Tynecastle School in Edinburgh, and studied for the stage at the College of Dramatic Art in Glasgow, where he was awarded the James Bridie Gold Medal in 1957. He joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company a year later where he played Hamlet as well as John Worthing in "The Importance of being Earnest." In 1960 he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (then called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) and drew excellent notices for his work in "The Merchant of Venice," "Twelfth Night," "The Winter's Tale," "Much Ado About Nothing," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Taming of the Shrew," "The Comedy of Errors" and "King Lear", among others. In 1964 Richardson played the role of the Herald before advancing to the title role of Jean-Paul Marat in the stunning, avant-garde RSC production of "Marat-Sade". In addition, he made his Broadway debut in said role at the very end of 1965, and recreated it to critical acclaim in Peter Brooks' film adaptation with Glenda Jackson as murderess Charlotte Corday. Richardson also went on to replay Oberon in a lukewarm film version of RSC's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1969) that nevertheless bore an elite company of Britain's finest pre-Dames -- Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Diana Rigg. One of his lower film points during that time period, however, was appearing in the huge musical movie misfire Man of La Mancha (1972) in the role of the Padre opposite Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren.

Richardson was never far from the Shakespearean stage after his induction into films with majestic portraits of Coriolanus, Pericles, Richard II, Richard III, Cassius ("Julius Caesar"), Malcolm ("Macbeth"), Angelo ("Measure for Measure"), Prospero ("The Tempest") and Mercutio ("Romeo and "Juliet") paving the way. Elsewhere on Broadway he received a Drama Desk Award and Tony nomination for his splendid Henry Higgins in a revival of "My Fair Lady" in 1976, and was part of the cast of the short-lived (12 performances) production of "Lolita" (1981), written by Edward Albee and starring Donald Sutherland as Humbert Humbert.

Customary of many talented Scots, Richardson would find his best on-camera roles in plush, intelligent TV mini-series. On the Shakespearean front he appeared in TV adaptations of As You Like It (1963), All's Well That Ends Well (1968) and Much Ado About Nothing (1978). After delivering highly capable performances as Field-Marshal Montgomery in both Churchill and the Generals (1979) and Ike: The War Years (1979), Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983), and Indian Prime Minister Nehru in Masterpiece Theatre: Lord Mountbatten - The Last Viceroy (1986), he capped his small-screen career in the role of the immoral politician Francis Urquhart in a trio of dramatic satires: House of Cards (1990), To Play the King (1993) and The Final Cut (1995). His impeccably finely-tuned villain became one his best remembered roles.

Filmwise, Richardson's stature did not grow despite polished work in Brazil (1985), Cry Freedom (1987), Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), M. Butterfly (1993), Dark City (1998), and the lightweight mainstream fare B*A*P*S (1997) and 102 Dalmatians (2000). He appeared less and less on stage in his later years. He took his final stage bows in 2006 with West End productions of "The Creeper" and "The Alchemist".

The urbane 72-year-old actor died unexpectedly in his sleep at his London abode on February 9, 2007, survived by his widow Maroussia Frank (his wife from 1961 and an RSC actress who played an asylum inmate alongside him in "Marat-Sade") and two sons, one of whom, Miles Richardson, has been a resident performer with the RSC.

Shirley Manson was born on 26 August 1966 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She is an actress and composer, known for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008), Captain Marvel (2019) and Vampire Academy (2014). She has been married to Billy Bush since May 2010. She was previously married to Eddie Farrell.

Lewis MacDougall is a Scottish film actor. He is known for A Monster Calls (2016) and his film debut, Pan (2015). In 2018, he stars in the dramas Boundaries (2018) and The Belly of the Whale (2018).

He was brought up in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, William, is a retired banker. His mother, Fiona, died in 2013, shortly before filming of A Monster Calls, from multiple sclerosis.

Tall, dark and regal Frieda Inescort's placid loveliness and dignified patrician features boded her well in Hollywood during the late 1930s and 1940s. Born on June 29, 1901 in Edinburgh, the Scots-born actress who began acting on stage, did not arrive in Hollywood until age 34 (then considered too late for leading lady roles) but managed to settle fairly comfortably on the supporting sidelines in chic melodramas and tearjerkers.

Born Frieda Rowell Wightman, she was the daughter of Scots-born journalist John "Jock" Wightman and actress Elaine Inescourt, who was of German and Polish descent. Her parents initially met when her father came to review a play her mother was appearing in. They married in 1899 but eventually parted ways while Frieda was still young. Her impulsive mother, who had strong designs on a theater career and placed it high on her priority list, sent young Frieda off to live with other families and in boarding schools in England and Wales while she avidly pursued her dreams. Although her parents divorced in 1911, with her father charging her mother with abandonment and adultery, Frieda ended up moving to the United States with her mother. Again, when Elaine found occasional roles in touring shows, Frieda wound up being carted off to convents or boarding schools.

Mother and daughter eventually returned to London following World War I, and the young girl, now solely on her own, managed to find employment as a personal secretary to British Member of Parliament Waldorf Astor (2nd Viscount Astor), who was then Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister David Lloyd George. She also assisted the American-born Lady Nancy Astor, the second woman elected to the UK House of Commons and the first to take her seat there. While accompanying Lady Astor on a trip to the United States in July 1919, Frieda decided to stay in the States and terminated her position with the Astors. In New York she continued finding secretarial work that supported both her and her unemployed-actress mother. She worked at one point with the British consulate in New York.

Noticing a number of American actors cast in British parts on Broadway, Frieda was encouraged in the early 1920s to test the waters out, as British actresses were in short supply. By chance, she was introduced to producer-director Winthrop Ames, who gave the unseasoned hopeful a small but showy role in his Broadway comedy "The Truth About Blayds" (1922). The play turned out to be a hit. Playwright Philip Barry caught her stage performance and offered her a starring role in his upcoming comedy production "You and I". The show proved to be another winner and Frieda, a star on the horizon, finally saw the end of her days as part of a secretarial pool.

For the rest of that decade, she alternated between stage comedy and drama and became a vital force on Broadway with prominent roles in "The Woman on the Jury" (1923), "The Fake" (1924), "Hay Fever" (1925), "Mozart" (1926), "Trelawny of the Wells" (1926) and "Escape" (1927). Frieda's happenstance into acting and her sudden surge of success purportedly triggered deep envy and jealousy within her mother, who was unemployed. This led to a bitter and long-term estrangement between the two that never managed to heal itself. (Elaine died in 1964.) While working in the late 1920s as a publicity director at G. P. Putnam's Publishing Company in New York, Frieda met assistant editor Ben Ray Redman. They married in 1926 and Redman later became a literary critic for the New York Herald Tribune. Frieda, in the meantime, continued to resonate on the New York and touring stage with such plays as "Springtime for Henry" and "When Ladies Meet".

For over a decade, Frieda had resisted the cinema, having turned down several offers in silent and early talking films. When her husband was offered a job with Universal Studios as a literary adviser and author, however, and the couple had to relocate to Hollywood, she decided to take a difference stance. Discovered by a talent scout while performing in a Los Angeles play, Frieda was signed by The Samuel Goldwyn Company and made her debut supporting Fredric March and Merle Oberon in the dewy-eyed drama The Dark Angel (1935), for which she received attractive notices and rare sympathy as the secretary of a blind author (played by March).

She did not stay long at Goldwyn, however, and went on to freelance for various other studios. During the course of her movie career, Frieda could be quite charming on the screen playing a wronged woman (as she did in Give Me Your Heart (1936)), but she specialized in haughtier hearts and played them older and colder than she really was off-camera. She soon gained a classy reputation for both her benign and haughty sophisticates. After Warner Bros. signed her up, she showed promise in Another Dawn (1937), Call It a Day (1937) and The Great O'Malley (1937), all 1937 releases. After this, however, her studio lost interest in her career and loaned her out more and more to other studios. Some of these films were leads -- including the "B"-level Woman Doctor (1939) opposite Henry Wilcoxon, A Woman Is the Judge (1939) with Otto Kruger, Shadows on the Stairs (1941) co-starring Paul Cavanagh, and, in particular, the title role in Portia on Trial (1937). For MGM she played the irrepressibly snobbish Caroline Bingley, who sets her sights on Darcy (Laurence Olivier) in the classic Jane Austen film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (1940). Besides competing with (and losing out) to Greer Garson in that film, she played the "other woman" in Beauty for the Asking (1939), starring Lucille Ball.

When her career started to lose steam, Frieda returned to New York and the Broadway stage with matronly parts in Soldier's Wife" (1944), "The Mermaids Singing" (1945) and George Bernard Shaw's successful revival of "You Never Can Tell" (1948). After the tour of the Shaw play folded, she returned to Hollywood. Finding it difficult to pick up where she left off in films, Frieda focused on the relatively new medium of TV in the early 1950s. She appeared as Mrs. Archer on the Meet Corliss Archer (1950) series (based on the popular bobbysoxer's radio program) but was replaced by Irene Tedrow in its second and final season. She also graced a number of dramatic TV showcases. The films she made later that decade, including The She-Creature (1956), Senior Prom (1958), and Juke Box Rhythm (1959), were largely dismissed by the critics.

While filming her last picture, The Crowded Sky (1960), for Warner Bros., Frieda began experiencing health problems. She was quickly diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis. By the next year, she was forced to retire and had to walk with the aid of a cane. Things got worse that year when her husband, who had grown despondent over personal and financial issues, committed suicide with an overdose of pills at their California home on August 2, 1961. By the mid-1960s, the former actress was virtually incapacitated and confined to a wheelchair but valiantly worked for the multiple sclerosis association when she could muster the strength. In 1973, she moved permanently into the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, where she died at age 74 on February 21, 1976.