Biography
John Cairney made his stage debut at Glasgow's Park Theatre before enrolling at the RSAMD in Glasgow. After graduating, he joined the Wilson Barrett Company, playing Snake in 'The School for Scandal'. He then spent a season at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre before moving to the Bristol Old Vic, where he appeared in the British premiere of Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible'. He periodically returned to the Citizens, notably portraying Hamlet in 1960, and also starred in the premiere of John Arden's 'Armstrong's Last Goodnight' in 1964.
His stage work up to 1991 included King Humanitie in 'The Thrie Estaites' for Tyrone Guthrie at the Edinburgh Festival, Archie Rice in 'The Entertainer' at Dundee (1972), the title role in 'Cyrano de Bergerac' at Newcastle (1974), Becket in 'Murder in the Cathedral' at the 1986 Edinburgh Festival, and 'Macbeth' at the same festival in 1989. He wrote and performed in his own productions such as 'An Edinburgh Salon', 'At Your Service', 'The Ivor Novello Story', and 'A Mackintosh Experience', while touring globally with his solo show 'The Robert Burns Story'. His connection with Robert Burns began in 1965 with Tom Wright's solo play 'There Was A Man' at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre and London's Arts Theatre. This solo was televised twice nationally and recorded as an album for REL Records, Edinburgh, as well as a video for Green Place Productions, Glasgow. Following Burns, he created solo performances on William McGonagall, Robert Service, and Robert Louis Stevenson, before collaborating with New Zealand actress Alannah O'Sullivan at the 1978 Edinburgh Festival. They married in 1980. As the duo Two For A Theatre, they toured worldwide for P&O Cruises, the British Council, and the Keedick Lecture Bureau in New York, presenting programs on Byron, Wilde, and Dorothy Parker until 1986.
Cairney's film debut was in Night Ambush (1957) for the Rank Organisation, followed by roles in Windom's Way (1957), Shake Hands with the Devil (1959), Victim (1961), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Cleopatra (1963), The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964), and A Study in Terror (1965), among others. His extensive television work included portrayals of Branwell Bronte, Edgar Allan Poe, and Robert the Bruce, with appearances in series such as Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962), Secret Agent (1964), The Avengers (1961), Jackanory (1965), Elizabeth R (1971), Taggart (1983), and as Ian Craig in BBC2's This Man Craig (1966). He also wrote and recorded his own songs for EMI at Abbey Road.
As an author, he published 'Worlds Apart', 'A Scottish Football Hall of Fame', 'Heroes Are Forever', and 'A Year Out In New Zealand'. He wrote three books on Robert Burns for Luath Press (Edinburgh), as well as biographies of R.L. Stevenson and C.R. Mackintosh, and a collection of essays on Glasgow titled 'Glasgow by the Way, But'. His book 'Flashback Forward' was published by Random House (New Zealand), and his acting guide, 'Greasepaint Monkey', was scheduled for release by Luath Press, Edinburgh, in 2010.
Cairney earned a Master of Letters degree from Glasgow University in 1988 for a "History of Solo Theatre" and a PhD from Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand, in 1994 for his research on Stevenson and theatre. After spending 17 years in New Zealand, John and Alannah returned to live in Scotland.
