Fulton Mackay (12 August 1922 - 6 June 1987) was a Scottish actor and is still fondly remembered for his role as Mr Mackay in 'Porridge', which ran between 1974 and 1977.
Mackay was born in Paisley, 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.
After being demobbed, Mackay began training as an actor at RADA. His first work was with the Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow, where he chalked up nine seasons between 1949 and 1958. He also worked at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh before making his mark 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 Royal Shakespeare Company included Mr Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby and the drunken jailer 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.
However, he is best remembered for his role as the ferocious prison warder, Mr Mackay, in the British sitcom, Porridge, alongside the comedian Ronnie Barker. This characterisation made him a household name. He also appeared in the film version of the series. The ensemble playing of Mackay, Ronnie Barker, Richard Beckinsale and Brian Wilde made scriptwriters Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais's stories one of the most successful comedy series of the 70s.
Appealing to a younger age group, he also played the original lighthouse-keeper in the British version of the children's series, Fraggle Rock. He also made an appearance as an RAF psychiatrist in an episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.
Also, on television, before coming to prominence in Porridge, Mackay had a regular role as DI Inman in the police series Special Branch between 1969-71. He also played roles in series such as Z Cars, was misguided scientist Doctor Quinn in the 1970 Doctor Who story Doctor Who and the Silurians (and was also in the running to play the Doctor himself when Jon Pertwee gave up the role) and 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 final performances, Mackay gave a delightful turn as an art forger in the 'Lovejoy' episode 'Death and Venice'.
Under the pseudonym of Aeneas MacBride, he wrote plays for the BBC.
He was married to Irish actress, Sheila Manahan. 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.
Mackay died in 1987 from cancer of the stomach.
References
- [1] - Fulton Mackay - 'Porridge'
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