जीवनी
George Ian Kenneth "Kenny" Ireland (7 August 1945 – 31 July 2014) was a Scottish actor and theatre director. He was widely recognized for his role in Victoria Wood As Seen on TV during the 1980s and for portraying Donald Stewart in Benidorm from 2007 until his death in 2014.
Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, Ireland was a notable figure in theatre, serving as director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh for ten years. Upon leaving the position in 2003, he criticized the Scottish arts establishment for offering "theatre on the cheap" and condemned the Scottish Executive for delaying plans for a National Theatre of Scotland. The National Theatre of Scotland was eventually established in 2006. He also appeared as a journalist in an episode of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Early in his television career, including in the BBC's Five Red Herrings, he was credited as "Ian Ireland."
His directing portfolio includes productions such as Guys & Dolls, A View from the Bridge, Romeo and Juliet, Phaedra, Macbeth, Lovers, The Anatomist, Clay Bull, Mother Courage, Much Ado About Nothing, Of Mice and Men, Private Lives, Oleanna, The Gowk Storm, Waiting for Godot, Dancing at Lughnasa, Oedipus Tyrannos, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Ireland’s acting credits also feature appearances in Acorn Antiques, the STV series Taggart, the 1983 film Local Hero, the second series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet, the 1990 series House of Cards as media tycoon Benjamin Landless alongside Ian Richardson’s Francis Urquhart, and the David Leland film The Big Man with Liam Neeson. He also appeared in Heartbeat.
From 2007 until early 2014, he played the swinger Donald Stewart in Benidorm. In June 2014, it was revealed that he had brain cancer. Although his character did not appear physically in the seventh series of Benidorm, his voice was heard during a telephone call, voiced by a sound-alike.
