Monarch of the Glen favourite Alexander Morton dies, aged 81

Alexander Morton, the actor best known for playing Golly Mackenzie in BBC drama Monarch of the Glen, has died at the age of 81.

Morton was born in Glasgow in 1945, and after being trained in London at the Central School of Speech and Drama, went on to star in many films, TV shows and theatre productions.

He had roles in films such as Get Carter and Valhalla Rising, as well as series including Minder, Taggart, Rab C Nesbitt, Casualty, Luther and Shetland. His last role was in River City, in which he played Billy Kennedy between 2012 and 2015, before returning in 2022.

However, he was best known for his Monarch of the Glen role, appearing in all 64 of the show's episodes, as the ghillie of the Highland estate Glenbogle.

The actor also founded the Raindog Theatre Company along with Robert Carlyle and Caroline Paterson, and was the stepfather of Vladimir star Leo Woodall.

Carlyle is among those to have paid tribute to Morton since news of his passing emerged, writing in a post on Instagram: "So sad to hear of the passing of the great Sandy Morton. Not only a brilliant actor, but one of the kindest men I ever knew. Working with him through the years with Rain Dog Theatre Company was an education.

"His unique, naturalistic style was a thing of beauty. So real that you would forget he was even acting at all. I’ve never seen anyone do it better than Sandy. He taught me so much. I owe him so much and he will forever be in my heart. RIP Alexander Morton"

Meanwhile, Morton's River City co-star Tom Urie wrote on Facebook: "Sad to hear about the passing of Sandy Morton. Our paths crossed briefly on River City and he was an absolute gentlemen."

Still Game star Gavin Mitchell posted on Instagram: "Such devastating news to hear of the passing of Sandy Morton today from his son Jamie. He was a titian of a man and an actor. Only yesterday I commented on Ian Rankin’s post, saying how brilliant Sandy is, and today…

"He taught and gave me so much. Warm, wise, encouraging, generous and gentle. An exceptional talent. I was lucky enough to work with him on various things over the years, from the inception of Raindog Theatre Company and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, panto, radio, Monarch of the Glen of course and much more."

He continued: "I loved him dearly and I owe him a lot. I’ll miss our chats and I’ll miss catching him off guard and making him chortle. We’ve lost one of the best. All my love. Travel well Sandy".