---
name: "John Cairney"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/john-cairney"
fi1m_id: "john-cairney"
imdb_id: "nm0129055"
tmdb_id: 96759
wikidata_id: "Q1699517"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "16 February 1930"
died: "6 September 2023"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-24T20:21:08.534441+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# John Cairney

## Identity

John Cairney

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/john-cairney
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** john-cairney
- **IMDb ID:** nm0129055
- **TMDB ID:** 96759
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1699517
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cairney, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1699517, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0129055/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/96759

Actor. Born 16 February 1930 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Died 6 September 2023.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 16 February 1930, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
- **Died:** 6 September 2023
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cairney, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1699517, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0129055/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/96759

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*A Night to Remember*](https://film.one/film/a-night-to-remember.md) (85)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

John Cairney (1930–2023) was a Scottish stage, film and television actor. He trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow after making his stage debut at the Park Theatre there. He joined the Wilson Barrett Company and later appeared at the Bristol Old Vic and the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre, where he played Hamlet in 1960.

Cairney appeared in films including *A Night to Remember* (1958) as Mr. Murphy, *Victim* (1961), *Jason and the Argonauts* (1963) as Hylas and *Cleopatra* (1963). He became widely known for his one-man shows portraying Robert Burns, which he toured internationally from 1965, along with shows on Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Service, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and William McGonagall. He also wrote and appeared in television adaptations of these works.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, telegraph.co.uk, bbc.co.uk.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *A Night to Remember* (1958), Fi1m 85, as Mr. Murphy — [page](https://film.one/film/a-night-to-remember.md)

## Complete filmography (33)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Nightmare Man* (1999), as Trapper
- *Memory & Desire* (1998), as Marriage Celebrant
- *Silent Mouse* (1988), as Father Ambrosius
- *Henry IV Part 1* (1979), as Archibald
- *Sporting Chance* (1975), as The Jenkin Brothers (archive footage)
- *The Great Mill Race* (1975), Actor
- *Churchill's People* (1974), series, as Steward of Scotland
- *Scotch on the Rocks* (1973), series, as John Mackie
- *The Persuaders!* (1971), series, as Jenkins Brothers
- *Elizabeth R* (1971), series, as Sir James Melville
- *ITV Saturday Night Theatre* (1969), series, as Robert Burns · Screenplay
- *ITV Playhouse* (1967), series, as John
- *This Man Craig* (1966), series, Actor
- *A Study in Terror* (1965), as Michael Osborne
- *Spaceflight IC-1* (1965), as Dr. Steven Thomas
- *Gideon's Way* (1965), series, as Captain Robbie McGregor
- *The Devil-Ship Pirates* (1964), as Harry
- *Jason and the Argonauts* (1963), as Hylas
- *Antony and Cleopatra* (1962), as Alexas
- *Victim* (1961), as Bridie
- *The Avengers* (1961), series, as Firth — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-avengers-1961.md)
- *Marriage of Convenience* (1960), as Larry Wilson
- *Target Luna* (1960), series, as Ian Murray
- *The Flesh and the Fiends* (1960), as Chris Jackson
- *Interpol Calling* (1959), series, as Lt. Gupta
- *Operation Bullshine* (1959), as Gunner Willie Ross
- *Shake Hands with the Devil* (1959), as Mike O'Callaghan
- *A Night to Remember* (1958), as Mr. Murphy — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/a-night-to-remember.md)
- *Windom's Way* (1957), as Jan Vidal
- *Lucky Jim* (1957), as Roberts
- *Miracle in Soho* (1957), as Tom
- *Ill Met by Moonlight* (1957), as Elias
- *Armchair Theatre* (1956), series, as Gilchrist, Francis Sheehan, John Teal, Gilbert Dauriac, François Laurant

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/john-cairney