William Stewart McLean (7 March 1941 in Scotland, UK – 6 August 2006 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK) was a much respected and admired Scottish actor, theatre administrator, and businessman.
In his early years, he made his mark as an accomplished businessman in the setting up and managing of photo processing firms across Scotland. After which he pursued another passion of his, and some would say more enticing one, by working with stars of pantomime, drama, and musicals in the south of England. He turned this passion of his into a permanent one when he went professional in the theatre world at the ripe young age of 52 in 1993. As they say, he became the oldest new boy in the business.
Mr. McLean enjoyed the respect from every performer he worked with either as an actor and as a theatre administrator. He worked with such UK stars as Allan Stewart, Andy Gray, Britt Ekland, Su Pollard, Gary Wilmot, Lesley Joseph, Dorothy Paul, and many others.
As an actor, he was busy in the arenas of television, theatre, and pantomime. On the Scottish small screen he had roles in "Taggart", "Monarch of the Glen", "Doctor Finlay", "River City", "Rab C. Nesbitt" and many others. In the theatre world, he worked on the UK tours of "High Society", "See How They Run", and "A Happy Medium". And in pantomime, he worked in "Cinderella", "Dick Whittington", "Aladdin", and "Peter Pan".
He was also a much respected tour and stage manager. He worked in most of Scotland's most notable theatres such as The King's Theatre in Edinburgh, where he managed the annual pantomime show, which was about to celebrate its 100th Christmas season (2006), the Byre Theatre in St. Andrews, HM Theatre in Aberdeen, and the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy.
Stewart McLean died on 6 August 2006 at his home in Glasgow's West End just a year after a heart bypass operation. He was divorced and survived by a son and daughter and two grandchildren.
Selected TV Credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Jolly: A Life[1] | Minister | BBC |
| 1996 | Doctor Finlay: Episode: All Jock Tamson's Bairns | Fraser Crichton | BBC |
| 1999 | High Road | Ken | STV |
| Rab C. Nesbitt | Minister | BBC | |
| 2001 | Monarch Of The Glen: Episode #2.4 | Gordon | BBC |
| Other roles: | River City | unknown role | BBC |
| Taggart | unknown role | STV | |
| Annie's Bar[2] | unknown role | ||
| F.O.T. | unknown role | BBC Scotland | |
| Roughnecks[3] | unknown role |
Selected Stage Credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | High Society | Seth | UK Tour |
| 1998 | See How They Run | Reverend Humphries | UK Tour |
| 1999 | My Fair Lady | Colonel Pickering | Perth Theatre[4] (Scotland, UK) |
| Cinderella | Lord Chamberlain | E & B Productions UK | |
| 2000 | La Cage Aux Folles | Albin | The King's Theatre Glasgow[5] (Scotland, UK) |
| Mistress Of The Inn | Marquis of Forlipoppoli | Perth Theatre[6] (Scotland, UK) | |
| 2002 | Cat On A Hot Tin Roof | Reverend Tooker | The Byre Theatre[7] (Scotland, UK) |
| Parking Lott In Pittsburgh | Priest/ Dr. Collins/ Archie/ Dr. Stewart/ Andrew Gibbs | The Byre Theatre[8] (Scotland, UK) | |
| 2004 | A Happy Medium | Mr. Proudfoot | UK Tour |
Theatre Administration
editAs Company Manager involved with such tours as:
- "See How They Run"
- "The Goodbye Girl"
- "Singular Woman"
- "Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera"
- "Double Double"
- "The Dragon Variation"
- "Cinderella"
- "Peter Pan"