Tributes have poured in for Scottish actor Alexander Morton, best known for his role as Golly Mackenzie in the BBC series Monarch of the Glen, who has died at the age of 81. The Glasgow-born performer, affectionately known as Sandy, enjoyed a distinguished career spanning film, television and theatre.
Morton began his acting journey in the 1960s, training at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. He made an uncredited appearance in the 1971 crime thriller Get Carter alongside Michael Caine. His breakthrough came in 1980 when he joined the STV soap Take the High Road as Andy Semple, a role he played for 14 years. He later became a household name as the devoted ghillie in Monarch of the Glen (2000–2005).
More recently, Morton played Billy Kennedy in River City from 2012 to 2015, returning in 2022. His other credits include Minder, Taggart, Rab C. Nesbitt, Casualty, Shetland and Valhalla Rising.
Robert Carlyle, who worked with Morton on the BBC mini-series Looking After Jo Jo, described him as a 'brilliant actor' and 'one of the kindest men I ever knew'. Carlyle added: '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.'
Still Game actor Gavin Mitchell also paid tribute, recalling an 'intense education' Morton gave him on Elvis Presley. Mitchell said: 'He was a titan of a man and an actor... We've lost one of the best.'
