Fulton Mackay
Encyclopedia
Fulton Mackay OBE was a Scottish
actor
and playwright
, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s sitcom
Porridge
.
, Renfrewshire
, Scotland
. He was brought up in Clydebank
by a widowed aunt after the death of his mother. His father was in the NAAFI.
On leaving school, he trained as a quantity surveyor
and later volunteered for the RAF in 1941. MacKay served with the Black Watch
during the Second World War. A perforated ear drum affected him during this time, so he stayed in the army for five years, which included three years spent in India.
. His first work was with the Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow
, where he performed in nine seasons between 1949 and 1958. He also worked at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
before gaining notice at the Arts Theatre Club, London, where in 1960, he played the part of Oscar in The Naked Island
, a play about POWs in Singapore
. Two years later, he appeared at the same theatre, in Russian playwright Maxim Gorki's classic The Lower Depths
for the Royal Shakespeare Company
. He then acted with the Old Vic
company and the National Theatre
, performing in such productions as Peer Gynt
and The Alchemist
. Other roles for the RSC included Mr Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby
and the drunken gaoler in Die Fledermaus
.
Mackay was a director of the Scottish Actors' Company and, in 1981, he founded the Scottish Theatre Company, with whom he acted. Surprisingly, despite his status, he appeared in few films. After his screen debut in the 1952 film I'm a Stranger
, his most notable roles were those in Gumshoe
, Britannia Hospital
, Local Hero
as the wise, old Scottish fisherman - and Defence of the Realm
.
, in the British sitcom
Porridge alongside the comedian and comedy actor Ronnie Barker
. This characterisation made him a household name. He also appeared in the film version of the series. The ensemble playing of Mackay, Barker, Richard Beckinsale
and Brian Wilde
, and the writing by Dick Clement
and Ian La Frenais
, made Porridge one of the most successful comedy series of the 1970s. Mackay returned to the role of the newly retired prison officer in the first episode of Going Straight
(1978), the sequel series to Porridge.
Appealing to a younger age group, he played the original lighthouse-keeper in the British version of the children's series, Fraggle Rock
. He also appeared as an RAF psychiatrist in an episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
, and as a doctor in Doctor at Large in 1971.
Also, on television, before coming to prominence in Porridge, Mackay had a regular role as DI Inman in the police series Special Branch
between 1969 and 1971. He was also a strong character actor
in series such as Z-Cars
, was misguided scientist Doctor Quinn in the 1970 Doctor Who
story Doctor Who and the Silurians
, was later in the running to play the Doctor himself when Jon Pertwee
gave up the role. He played a regular officer running a training course in the Dad's Army
episode "We Know Our Onions
", and a doctor in "The Miser's Hoard
".
On television, however, Mackay often stayed true to his Scottish roots, acting in productions such as Three Tales of Orkney and The Master of Ballantrae
.
In one of his last performances, Mackay gave a delightful turn as an art forger in the Lovejoy
episode "Death and Venice".
. He did much work for the Glasgow children's charity Child and Family Trust. He was awarded an OBE in 1984 and greatly enjoyed oil painting. On occasion he would make the journey to the far north of Scotland to visit his long-time friend and relation John Mackay of Borgie. During these trips which occurred throughout the 1960s and 1970s Mackay developed a love of salmon fishing, beachcombing and hillwalking. It is said his character of "Ben" in the movie Local Hero was based on his friend John Mackay.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Porridge
Porridge (TV series)
Porridge is a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977, running for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, it stars Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale as two inmates at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland...
.
Early life
Mackay was born in PaisleyPaisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was brought up in Clydebank
Clydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
by a widowed aunt after the death of his mother. His father was in the NAAFI.
On leaving school, he trained as a quantity surveyor
Quantity surveyor
A quantity surveyor is a professional working within the construction industry concerned with building costs.The profession is one that provides a qualification gained following formal education, specific training and experience that provides a general set of skills that are then applied to a...
and later volunteered for the RAF in 1941. MacKay served with the Black Watch
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
during the Second World War. A perforated ear drum affected him during this time, so he stayed in the army for five years, which included three years spent in India.
Theatre work
After being demobbed, Mackay began training as an actor at RADARada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
. His first work was with the Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, where he performed in nine seasons between 1949 and 1958. He also worked at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
before gaining notice at the Arts Theatre Club, London, where in 1960, he played the part of Oscar in The Naked Island
The Naked Island
The Naked Island is a 1960 art film directed by Kaneto Shindō. The film was made in black and white, and is notable for having no spoken dialogue.-Plot synopsis:...
, a play about POWs in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Two years later, he appeared at the same theatre, in Russian playwright Maxim Gorki's classic The Lower Depths
The Lower Depths
The Lower Depths is perhaps Maxim Gorky's best-known play. It was written during the winter of 1901 and the spring of 1902. Subtitled "Scenes from Russian Life," it depicted a group of impoverished Russians living in a shelter near the Volga. Produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18,...
for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. He then acted with the Old Vic
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
company and the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, performing in such productions as Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
and The Alchemist
The Alchemist (play)
The Alchemist is a comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson. First performed in 1610 by the King's Men, it is generally considered Jonson's best and most characteristic comedy; Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed that it had one of the three most perfect plots in literature...
. Other roles for the RSC included Mr Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (play)
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby is an eight-hour stage play, presented over two performances, adapted from the Charles Dickens novel of the same name by David Edgar. Directed by John Caird and Trevor Nunn, it opened on 5 June 1980 at the Aldwych Theatre in London. The music and lyrics...
and the drunken gaoler in Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
.
Mackay was a director of the Scottish Actors' Company and, in 1981, he founded the Scottish Theatre Company, with whom he acted. Surprisingly, despite his status, he appeared in few films. After his screen debut in the 1952 film I'm a Stranger
I'm a Stranger
I'm a Stranger is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Brock Williams and starring Greta Gynt, James Hayter and Hector Ross. Various different parties search for a missing will which leaves a fortune to a stranger from Calcutta.-Cast:...
, his most notable roles were those in Gumshoe
Gumshoe
Gumshoe may refer to:* Gumshoe , a 1986 Nintendo shooter* Gumshoe , Stephen Frears's 1971 directorial debut* Gumshoe, the Hardboiled Detective in the 30s, a 1981 book-based game published by Sleuth Publications...
, Britannia Hospital
Britannia Hospital
Britannia Hospital is a 1982 black comedy film by British director Lindsay Anderson which targets the National Health Service and contemporary British society...
, Local Hero
Local Hero
Local Hero is a 1983 Scottish comedy-drama film starring Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster. It was directed by Bill Forsyth and produced by David Puttnam....
as the wise, old Scottish fisherman - and Defence of the Realm
Defence of the Realm
Defence of the Realm is a 1985 political thriller directed by David Drury. Starring Gabriel Byrne, Greta Scacchi and Denholm Elliott...
.
Television work
Mackay is best remembered for his namesake role as the comically ferocious prison warder, Mr MackayMr Mackay
Mr. Mackay was a character in the popular BBC sitcom Porridge, played by Fulton Mackay.Mackay is a neurotic and tough prison warder whose constant obsession in life is to catch out Fletcher. The rivalry between Fletch and Mackay was a thing of comedy legend...
, in the British sitcom
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
Porridge alongside the comedian and comedy actor Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
. This characterisation made him a household name. He also appeared in the film version of the series. The ensemble playing of Mackay, Barker, Richard Beckinsale
Richard Beckinsale
Richard Arthur Beckinsale was an English actor, best known for his roles as Lennie Godber in the popular BBC sitcom Porridge and Alan Moore in the British sitcom Rising Damp....
and Brian Wilde
Brian Wilde
Brian George Wilde was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, including Mr Barrowclough in Porridge and "Foggy" Dewhurst in Last of the Summer Wine...
, and the writing by Dick Clement
Dick Clement
Dick Clement, OBE is an English writer.Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, Clement was educated at Bishop's Stortford College and is best known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais. Generally, Clement and La Frenais write comedies, or dramas with a comic tone...
and Ian La Frenais
Ian La Frenais
Ian La Frenais, OBE, , is an English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including, The Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Porridge, Lovejoy and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.They have also written various other work...
, made Porridge one of the most successful comedy series of the 1970s. Mackay returned to the role of the newly retired prison officer in the first episode of Going Straight
Going Straight
Going Straight is a BBC sitcom which was a direct spin-off from Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher, newly released from the fictional Slade Prison where the earlier series had been set....
(1978), the sequel series to Porridge.
Appealing to a younger age group, he played the original lighthouse-keeper in the British version of the children's series, Fraggle Rock
Fraggle Rock
Fraggle Rock is a children's live action puppet television program series created by Jim Henson. The central characters were a set of "Muppet" creatures called Fraggles. The show ran from January 10, 1983, to March 30, 1987, on CBC Television in Canada, ITV in the UK, HBO in the United States,...
. He also appeared as an RAF psychiatrist in an episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice.The series followed the accident-prone Frank Spencer and his tolerant wife Betty through Frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in...
, and as a doctor in Doctor at Large in 1971.
Also, on television, before coming to prominence in Porridge, Mackay had a regular role as DI Inman in the police series Special Branch
Special Branch (TV series)
Special Branch is a British television series made by Thames Television for ITV and shown between 1969 and 1974. A police drama series, the action was centred on members of the Special Branch anti-espionage and anti-terrorist department of the London Metropolitan Police.The first two series were...
between 1969 and 1971. He was also a strong character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
in series such as Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, was misguided scientist Doctor Quinn in the 1970 Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
story Doctor Who and the Silurians
Doctor Who and the Silurians
Doctor Who and the Silurians is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts from January 31 to March 14, 1970. The story is the first appearance of a recurring family of Earth-dwelling reptiles...
, was later in the running to play the Doctor himself when Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
gave up the role. He played a regular officer running a training course in the Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
episode "We Know Our Onions
We Know Our Onions
We know our Onions is the fourth episode of the sixth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army that was originally transmitted on the 21 November 1973.-Synopsis:...
", and a doctor in "The Miser's Hoard
The Miser's Hoard
The Miser's Hoard is the fourth episode of the ninth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army that was originally transmitted on 23 October 1977.-Synopsis:...
".
On television, however, Mackay often stayed true to his Scottish roots, acting in productions such as Three Tales of Orkney and The Master of Ballantrae
The Master of Ballantrae
The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale is a book by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, focusing upon the conflict between two brothers, Scottish noblemen whose family is torn apart by the Jacobite rising of 1745...
.
In one of his last performances, Mackay gave a delightful turn as an art forger in the Lovejoy
Lovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
episode "Death and Venice".
Partial filmography
- I'm a StrangerI'm a StrangerI'm a Stranger is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Brock Williams and starring Greta Gynt, James Hayter and Hector Ross. Various different parties search for a missing will which leaves a fortune to a stranger from Calcutta.-Cast:...
(1952) - Alastair Campbell - The Brave Don't CryThe Brave Don't CryThe Brave Don't Cry is a 1952 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring John Gregson, Meg Buchanan and John Rae. The film depitcts the events of September 1950 at the Knockshinnoch Castle colliery in Scotland, where 129 men were trapped by a landslide...
(1952) - Dan Wishart - Laxdale HallLaxdale HallLaxdale Hall is a 1953 British comedy film directed by John Elridge and starring Ronald Squire, Kathleen Ryan, Raymond Huntley, Prunella Scales, Fulton Mackay, and Jean Colin....
(1953) - Andrew Flett - The Last MomentThe Last MomentThe Last Moment is a silent experimental film conceived and directed by Paul Fejos. The film starred Otto Matieson and Georgia Hale....
(1954) - - Private PotterPrivate PotterPrivate Potter is a 1962 British drama film directed by Caspar Wrede and starring Tom Courtenay, Mogens Wieth, Ronald Fraser, and James Maxwell.-Plot:...
(1962) - Soldier - A Prize of ArmsA Prize of ArmsA Prize of Arms is a 1962 British crime film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Stanley Baker, Helmut Schmid, Patrick Magee and Tom Bell with early appearances by several actors including Fulton Mackay, Tom Adams and Rodney Bewes...
(1962) - Corporal Henderson - Mystery SubmarineMystery Submarine (1963 film)Mystery Submarine is a 1963 British war film directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and starring Edward Judd, James Robertson Justice and Laurence Payne...
(1963) - McKerrow - GumshoeGumshoe (film)Gumshoe is a 1971 film, and was the directorial debut of British director Stephen Frears.Written by local author Neville Smith, the film is set in Liverpool with Albert Finney playing the role of Eddie Ginley. Ginley is a bingo-caller and occasional club comedian who dreams of being a private eye...
(1971) - John Straker - Nothing But The Night (1973) - Cameron
- A Sense of FreedomA Sense of FreedomA Sense of Freedom is a 1979 Scottish crime film directed by John Mackenzie for Scottish Television. The film starred David Hayman and featured Hector Nicol & Fulton Mackay, is a based on the autobiography of Glasgow gangster Jimmy Boyle, who was reputed to be Scotland's most violent man...
(1979) - Inspector Davies - PorridgePorridge (film)Porridge is a 1979 film based upon the television series of the same name which was released under the title Doing Time in the United States....
(1979) - Mr Mackay - Going StraightGoing StraightGoing Straight is a BBC sitcom which was a direct spin-off from Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher, newly released from the fictional Slade Prison where the earlier series had been set....
(1978) - Mr Mackay (First Episode) - Britannia HospitalBritannia HospitalBritannia Hospital is a 1982 black comedy film by British director Lindsay Anderson which targets the National Health Service and contemporary British society...
(1982) - Chief Superintendent Johns - Night Train to MurderNight Train To MurderNight Train To Murder is a 1984 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Morecambe and Wise. It was the last work that Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise worked on together before Eric's death in 1984...
(1983) - Mackay - Local HeroLocal HeroLocal Hero is a 1983 Scottish comedy-drama film starring Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster. It was directed by Bill Forsyth and produced by David Puttnam....
(1983) - Ben - Ill Fares the Land (1983) -
- WaterWater (1985 film)Water is a 1985 comedy film scripted by Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais, directed by Clement, and starring Michael Caine. This HandMade Films production was released in U.S. theatres in April 1986 by Atlantic Releasing.-Plot summary:...
(1985) - Reverend Eric - Defence of the RealmDefence of the RealmDefence of the Realm is a 1985 political thriller directed by David Drury. Starring Gabriel Byrne, Greta Scacchi and Denholm Elliott...
(1985) - Victor Kingsbrook - Sleepwalker (1985) -
Personal life
He was married to Irish actress Sheila ManahanSheila Manahan
Sheila Manahan was an Irish actress. Among her film roles were Ann Willingdon in Seven Days to Noon , Esther's mother in The Story of Esther Costello , and Mrs. Jenkins in Only Two Can Play , with Peter Sellers and Mai Zetterling. She was married to the Scottish actor, Fulton Mackay.-External links:...
. He did much work for the Glasgow children's charity Child and Family Trust. He was awarded an OBE in 1984 and greatly enjoyed oil painting. On occasion he would make the journey to the far north of Scotland to visit his long-time friend and relation John Mackay of Borgie. During these trips which occurred throughout the 1960s and 1970s Mackay developed a love of salmon fishing, beachcombing and hillwalking. It is said his character of "Ben" in the movie Local Hero was based on his friend John Mackay.