Hilton McRae
Encyclopedia
Hilton McRae is a Scottish
actor
in the fields of theatre, television and film.
McRae was part of the radical theatre group 7:84
before graduating from Edinburgh University, and by 1977 he had joined the Royal Shakespeare Company
. His most mainstream American film was his role as Green Leader, in Return of the Jedi. He has performed in several musicals on the London stage, including Mamma Mia
and Miss Saigon
, in which he played the part of The Engineer.
More recently, he acted in Rabbit, a play by Nina Raine
which opened at the Old Red Lion Theatre
in London in 2006, and then transferred to the Trafalgar Studios
(studio 2), Whitehall
. McRae then took on the role of Mr Stopnick in the UK premiere of Caroline, or Change
at the National Theatre
, which won the Best Musical Award from the London
newspaper the Evening Standard
. In 2008 he played the part of Scarecrow in the Southbank's production of The Wizard of Oz
.
He appeared in BBC1's Holby City
on 10 April 2007, as Alan Simpson in the episode "Paranoid Android".
. He is married to the actress Lindsay Duncan
with whom he has a son Cal McRae (born 1991).
A close friend and Edinburgh University classmate of Ian Charleson
, McRae contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute.
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...
in the fields of theatre, television and film.
Career
7:84
7:84 was a Scottish left-wing agitprop theatre group. The name comes from a statistic, published in The Economist in 1966, that 7% of the population of the UK owned 84% of the state's wealth....
before graduating from Edinburgh University, and by 1977 he had joined 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...
. His most mainstream American film was his role as Green Leader, in Return of the Jedi. He has performed in several musicals on the London stage, including Mamma Mia
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
and Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
, in which he played the part of The Engineer.
More recently, he acted in Rabbit, a play by Nina Raine
Nina Raine
Nina Raine is an English theatre director and playwright, and the only daughter of the poet Craig Raine.She graduated from Christ Church, Oxford in 1998 with a First in English Literature.-Career:...
which opened at the Old Red Lion Theatre
Old Red Lion Theatre
The Old Red Lion Theatre is a fringe theatre, situated above a pub at The Angel, in the London Borough of Islington.It was founded in 1948 as the Old Red Lion Theatre Club.-Construction:...
in London in 2006, and then transferred to the Trafalgar Studios
Trafalgar Studios
Trafalgar Studios, formerly The Whitehall Theatre until 2004, is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London....
(studio 2), Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
. McRae then took on the role of Mr Stopnick in the UK premiere of Caroline, or Change
Caroline, or Change
Caroline, or Change is a through-composed musical with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner and score by Jeanine Tesori that combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music....
at 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...
, which won the Best Musical Award from the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
newspaper the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
. In 2008 he played the part of Scarecrow in the Southbank's production of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
.
He appeared in BBC1's Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
on 10 April 2007, as Alan Simpson in the episode "Paranoid Android".
Personal life
McRae was born in DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
. He is married to the actress Lindsay Duncan
Lindsay Duncan
Lindsay Vere Duncan, CBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actress. On stage she won two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her performance in Les Liaisons dangereuses and Private Lives , and she starred in several plays by Harold Pinter. Her most famous roles on television include:...
with whom he has a son Cal McRae (born 1991).
A close friend and Edinburgh University classmate of Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. He is also well known for his portrayal of Rev...
, McRae contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, For Ian Charleson: A Tribute.
Partial filmography
| Film or Television Title | Year(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis: Counter Culture Blues | 2010, TV | Mack Maguire |
| The Execution of Gary Glitter The Execution of Gary Glitter The Execution of Gary Glitter is a ninety-minute 2009 mockumentary that follows the imaginary trial and execution by hanging of Gary Glitter for 'offences against children'... |
2009, TV | Gary Glitter |
| Frances Tuesday | 2004, TV | Feltham |
| Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius | 2004 2004 in film The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol... |
Jimmy Maiden |
| Silent Witness Silent Witness Silent Witness is a BBC crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in February 1996, the series is still airing to the present day, with a fifteenth series expected to air in January 2012. The series was... |
2003, TV | Supt. Colin Osbourne |
| Mansfield Park Mansfield Park (film) Mansfield Park is a 1999 British romantic comedy-drama film loosely based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name, written and directed by Patricia Rozema. The film differs sharply from the original novel in many respects. For example, the life of Jane Austen is incorporated into the film and the... |
1999 1999 in film The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep... |
Mr. Price |
| Voices | 1995 1995 in film -Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation.... |
Gerald Duffy |
| Shakespeare: The Animated Tales Shakespeare: the Animated Tales thumb|right|[[Banquo]] and [[Fleance]] from the "Macbeth" episode. Shakespeare: The Animated Tales comprised two six-part television series, first broadcast in 1992 and 1994... |
1994, TV | Hortensio |
| The Secret Rapture | 1993 1993 in film The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:... |
Norman |
| Zorro Zorro (1990 TV series) Zorro, also known as The New Zorro, New World Zorro, and Zorro 1990, is an American action-adventure drama series featuring Duncan Regehr as the character of Zorro. Regehr portrayed the fearless Latino hero and fencer on The Family Channel from 1990 to 1993... |
1993, TV | |
| King of the Wind King of the Wind (film) King of the Wind is a 1989 British adventure film directed by Peter Duffell and starring Richard Harris, Glenda Jackson and Frank Finlay. It is based on the novel King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. The film depicts the life of an Arab colt in eighteenth century Britain.-Cast:* Richard Harris ...... |
1989 1989 in film -Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million... |
Cook |
| Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes | 1984 1984 in film -Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film.... |
Willy |
| Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology... |
1983 1983 in film -Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of... |
Green Leader |
| The French Lieutenant's Woman The French Lieutenant's Woman (film) The French Lieutenant's Woman is a 1981 film directed by Karel Reisz and adapted by playwright Harold Pinter. It is based on the novel of the same title by John Fowles... |
1981 1981 in film -Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it.... |
Sam |