W. Gordon Smith was born in Edinburgh and lived most of his life there. He wrote many plays including the one man show, Jock, made famous by Russell Hunter

Russell Hunter

Russell Hunter was a popular Scottish television, stage and film actor. He is perhaps best known as the character "Lonely" in the TV thriller series Callan, starring Edward Woodward and that of Shop-Steward Harry in the Yorkshire Television sitcom The Gaffer.-Life:Born Russell Ellis in Glasgow,...

. He also wrote the lyrics, Come By The Hills, set to the tune of the traditional Irish song, Buachaill o'n Éirne Mé. In addition he wrote books on the artist, William George Gillies

William George Gillies

Sir William George Gillies was a renowned Scottish landscape and still life painter.Gillies was born in Haddington, East Lothian; he studied at Edinburgh College of Art and taught there after graduation for over 40 years. He was principal of the College from 1959 until his retirement in 1966...

, and on the author, Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....

 and was instrumental in bringing the Scottish arts scene to BBC Scotland

BBC Scotland

BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...

.

External links

• Great Friend of the Arts - Extract from his Scotland on Sunday
  Scotland on Sunday
  Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
  
  obituary, 18 August 1996.