Biographie
John Gaffney was born in Hamilton, Scotland, and relocated to the island of Jersey in 1983. It was there that he developed an interest in acting after a local theatre director invited him to take on a stage role while he was singing in a nightclub. Upon returning to Scotland in 1992, Gaffney was offered a place on an acting course at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama). However, due to family obligations, he declined and chose to resume his career as a plasterer.
In 2008, Gaffney returned to acting with minor roles in short films such as R.E.M, Hush (2010), and A Spanking in Paradise (2010). In 2011, he secured his first significant role as Dougie Fallon in the independent television series The Crews (2011). Acting alongside David Hayman and Stephen McCole, Gaffney portrayed Fallon, a high-ranking member of a Glasgow drug-dealing gang who had climbed the ranks of the criminal underworld. The following year, he played Superintendent Charles Sloan in the sci-fi feature Night Is Day: The Movie (2012), which premiered at the 2012 Glasgow Film Festival.
In 2013, Gaffney starred opposite Duncan Airlie James as Butler, a Liverpudlian gangster, in the short film The Priest with Two Guns (2013). The character, known as 'Butler the Bookie,' is owed money by the brother of Father O'Reilly (played by James), who is held hostage until the debt is settled. That same year, Gaffney appeared in the short films V for Visa (2013), Doug And Steves Big Holy Adventure by John McPhail, and Blink (2013) directed by Colin Ross Smith.
In 2014, Andy S. McEwan cast Gaffney as Tam in the short comedy Broken Record (2014). Gaffney played one half of a comedy duo with Steven Patrick, portraying house clearance workers in the 1990s who believe they have discovered hidden treasure in old gramophone records. The film received positive reviews, with critics praising Gaffney's impeccable comedic timing.
Later in 2014, on the recommendation of Chris Quick, producer of Broken Record, director Johnny Herbin cast Gaffney as Lucas in the short film Electric Faces (2015). Quick suggested Gaffney for the role after their collaboration on Broken Record, and Herbin concurred. In 2015, Gaffney was cast in Where Do We Go from Here? (2015), the debut feature film of Scottish director John McPhail, and also played Coleman in Crime (2015), directed by Carter Ferguson.
