Ian Bannen | |
|---|---|
 Bannen in 1966 | |
| Born | Ian Edmund Bannen (1928-06-29)29 June 1928 |
| Died | 3 November 1999(1999-11-03) (aged 71) Knockies Straight (nearLoch Ness), Scotland |
| Resting place | Kilchuimen Burial Ground,Fort Augustus, Scotland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1951–1999 |
| Spouse | |
Ian Edmund Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for anAcademy Award for his performance inThe Flight of the Phoenix (1965), the first Scottish actor to receive the honour, as well as twoBAFTA Film Awards for his performances inSidney Lumet'sThe Offence (1973) andJohn Boorman'sHope and Glory (1987).
On stage, Bannen was renowned for his interpretations ofWilliam Shakespeare andEugene O'Neill, and was an original member of theRoyal Shakespeare Company. He won the 1981Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance inBrian Friel'sTranslations.
Bannen was born inAirdrie,Lanarkshire, the son of lawyer John James Bannen (died 1958), ofCoatbridge, Lanarkshire, and Agnes Clare, née Galloway.[1][2][3] After attendingSt Aloysius' College, Glasgow andRatcliffe College,Leicestershire, Bannen served in Egypt as acorporal in theBritish Army.[4][5][6] His first acting role came in a 1947 Dublin stage production ofArmlet of Jade. He became a successful figure on the London stage, making a name for himself in the plays of both Shakespeare andEugene O'Neill. He was an original member of theRoyal Shakespeare Company and appeared onBroadway.
Bannen's film debut was in the early 1950s with a small role inPool of London (1951), and he quickly rose to prominence, primarily in a wide range of supporting roles. He had a very significant role as Stoker Samuel Bannister inYangtse Incident. During the early stages of his career he worked with theBoulting Brothers onPrivate's Progress andCarlton-Browne of the F.O.. His performance as Crow inThe Flight of the Phoenix (1965 film) earned him anAcademy Award nomination forBest Supporting Actor, making him the first Scottish actor to receive this honour; he also received aGolden Globe nomination forNew Star of the Year – Actor. That same year, he starred alongsideSean Connery in the WWII prison dramaThe Hill.
DirectorJohn Schlesinger cast him as a replacement forAlan Bates in the part of well-off gay doctor Daniel Hirsh in his controversial filmSunday Bloody Sunday (1971), after Bates was deemed unavailable to shoot. According to screenwriterPenelope Gilliatt, Bannen never felt comfortable with the part. The anxiety adversely affected his performance during the early filming. Schlesinger replaced Bannen withPeter Finch, who received an Oscar nomination for the role. Bannen later regretted this, saying not taking the role had set back his career.
In 1979 he playedJim Prideaux in the BBC adaptation ofTinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Bannen received anAcademy Award nomination in 1965 for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance inThe Flight of the Phoenix as Ratbags Crow, one of the survivors of a plane crash. He also received aBAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as suspectedchild molester Kenneth Baxter inThe Offence (1973). He also won acclaim for his roles as Brother Benedict inLamb (1986), Grandfather George inJohn Boorman'sHope and Glory (1987) (for which he received a second Best Supporting ActorBAFTA nomination), the elderRobert de Brus inBraveheart (1995) and as the touchingly crafty villager inWaking Ned Devine (1998).
In 1996, he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award fromBAFTA Scotland.[7]
He was the subject of an episode ofThis is Your Life in 1999, when he was surprised byMichael Aspel.
Bannen was killed, aged 71, in a car accident nearLoch Ness in November 1999. He and his wife, Marilyn Salisbury, who had been driving, were discovered in an overturned vehicle in Knockies Straight betweenInverness andFort Augustus.[8] Marilyn, aveterinary physician for theMinistry of Agriculture, suffered only minor injuries. They had married in 1978; Bannen had met Salisbury, 17 years his junior, in a car park following a performance as Hamlet.[9][10][11] They had no children.[12] She died on 28 August 2019.[13]
Coatbridge College, Lanarkshire annually presents the Ian Bannen Memorial Award to the best actor or actress in its classes.[14]
Bannen was posthumously given the 2000Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award.
