Gordon Cameron Jackson (19 December 1923 – 15 January 1990) was a Scottish actor. He is best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and as George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals. He also portrayed Capt Jimmy Cairns in Tunes of Glory, and Flt. Lt. Andrew MacDonald, "Intelligence", in The Great Escape.
In 1960, Jackson was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Actor for the film Yesterday's Enemy and in 1975 was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for the television series Upstairs, Downstairs. The following year he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series.
Early life
Jackson was born on 19 December 1923 in Glasgow, the youngest of five children. He attended Hillhead High School, and in his youth he took part in BBC radio shows including Children's Hour. He left school aged 15 and became a draughtsman for Rolls-Royce.
Early career
Jackson's film career began in 1942, when producers from Ealing Studios were looking for a young Scot to act in The Foreman Went to France Jackson soon appeared in other films, including Millions Like Us, San Demetrio London, The Captive Heart, Eureka Stockade and Whisky Galore!. In the early years of his career, Jackson also worked in repertory theatre in Glasgow, Worthing and Perth.
In 1949, Jackson starred in the film Floodtide, along with actress Rona Anderson. He and Anderson married two years later on 2 June 1951. They had two sons, Graham and Roddy.
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| rowspan="2" |1961
|Greyfriars Bobby
|Farmer
|
|-
|Two Wives at One Wedding
|Tom
|
|-
|1962
|Mutiny on the Bounty
|Seaman Edward Birkett
|
|-
|1963
|The Great Escape
|Flight Lieutenant Andy MacDonald
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1964
|The Long Ships
|Vahlin
|
|-
|Daylight Robbery
|Sergeant
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|-
| rowspan="3" |1965
|The Ipcress File
|Jock Carswell
|
|-
|Operation Crossbow
|R.A.F. Pilot
|Scenes deleted
|-
|Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
|MacDougal
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1966
|Cast a Giant Shadow
|James MacAfee
|
|-
|The Fighting Prince of Donegal
|Captain Leeds
|
|-
|Triple Cross
|British Sergeant Questioning Chapman
|Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="2" |1967
|The Night of the Generals
|Captain Engel
|
|-
|Danger Route
|Brian Stern
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1969
|The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
|Gordon Lowther
|
|-
|Run Wild, Run Free
|Mr. Ransome
|
|-
|Hamlet
|Horatio
|
|-
|1970
|Scrooge
|Tom
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|-
|1971
|Kidnapped
|Charles Stewart
|
|-
|1972
|Madame Sin
|Commander Cavendish
|
|-
|1975
|Russian Roulette
|Hardison
|
|-
|1977
|Golden Rendezvous
|Dr. Marston
|
|-
|1978
|The Medusa Touch
|Dr. Johnson
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|-
|1984
|The Shooting Party
|Tom Harker
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1986
|Heavenly Pursuits
|TV News Commentator
|
|-
|The Whistle Blower
|Bruce
|
|}
Television credits
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1953
|The Quatermass Experiment
|Television Director
|Episode: "Contact Has Been Established"
|-
|1955, 1959
|BBC Sunday Night Theatre
|John Shand/Dr. Neil McCulloch
|2 episodes
|-
|1956
|Rheingold Theatre
|Angus
|Episode: "Winning Sequence"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1958
|The Adventures of Robin Hood
|Andrew
|Episode: "The Profiteer"
|-
|ITV Play of the Week
|Flight Lieutenant Roddy Macintyre RAF
|Episode: "No Medals"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1959
|The Vise
|Sims
|Episode: "The Penny Black"
|-
|ITV Television Playhouse
|Smith
|Episode: "Oggie"
|-
|Dial 999
|Ted Morgan
|Episode: "Down to the Sea"
|-
|1960,
1973
|Armchair Theatre
|The Officer/Major Browne
|2 episodes
|-
|1962
|Ghost Squad
|Mike Ferrers
|Episode: "The Golden Silence"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1963
|Suspense
|Steven Grainger
|Episode: "One Step from the Pavement"
|-
|BBC Sunday-Night Play
|Kenneth Scoones
|Episode: "The Bergonzi Hand"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1965
|Gideon C.I.D.
|Sgt. McKinnon
|Episode: "The Thin Red Line"
|-
|The Avengers
|Ian D'eath
|Episode: "Castle D'eath"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1966
|Dr. Finlay's Casebook
|Davie Todd
|Episode: "The Seniority Rule"
|-
|This Man Craig
|Kenneth Woodburn
|Episode: "Old Flame"
|-
|The Troubleshooters
|Alan Prescott
|Episode: "Happy Landings"
|-
|1967
|Drama 61-67
|Philip
|Episode: "Myopia"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1968
|Mystery and Imagination
|Gayton
|Episode: "Casting the Runes"
|-
|Theatre 625
|Father Joseph
|Episode: "Wind Versus Polygamy"
|-
|1969
|Detective
|Tommy Rankin
|Episode: "The Singing Sands"
|-
|1971
|Lollipop Loves Mr Mole
|Dr. McGregor
|Episode: "Doctor Fruit Cake"
|-
|1971-1975
|Upstairs, Downstairs
|Mr. Angus Hudson
|60 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1972
|The Befrienders
|DI Calder
|Episode: "Hunted"
|-
|Budgie
|Soapy Simon
|Episode: "And the Lord Taketh Away"
|-
|1975
|The Morecambe and Wise Show
|The Butler
|Christmas Special
|-
|1976
|Hadleigh
|Alan Mannett
|Episode: "Favours"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1977
|Spectre
|Inspector Cabell
|TV film
|-
|Supernatural
|Harold Lawrence
|Episode: "Night of the Marionettes"
|-
|1977-1983
|The Professionals
|George Cowley
|
|-
|1981
|A Town Like Alice
|Noel Strachan
|3 episodes
|-
|1983
|Hart to Hart
|Sir William Belgrave
|Episode: "Harts and Hounds"
|-
|1984
|The Masks of Death
|Angus Macdonald
|TV film
|-
| rowspan="2" |1986
|My Brother Tom
|Lockie McGibbon
|Miniseries; 2 episodes
|-
|Shaka Zulu
|Professor Bramston
|Miniseries
|-
| rowspan="2" |1989
|Campion
|Professor Gardner Cairey
|Serial: "Look to the Lady"
|-
|Theatre Night
|Arthur Winslow
|Episode: "The Winslow Boy"
|-
|1991
|The Play on One
|Jessop Brown
|Episode: "Effie's Burning"
(aired posthumously)
|}
Theatre
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1950-1954
|Seagulls Over Sorrento
|Able Seaman McIntosh ("Haggis") (replacement)
|Apollo Theatre, Duchess Theatre and other locations
|-
|1960
|Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance
|
| rowspan="2" |Crescent Theatre
|-
|1961
|Saint's Day
|
|-
|1966
|Macbeth
|Banquo
|Royal Court Theatre
|-
|1968
|Wise Child
|Mr. Brooker
|Wyndham's Theatre
|-
|1968-1969
|This Story of Yours
|Baxter
|Royal Court Theatre, London and Theatre Royal, Brighton
|-
| rowspan="2" |1969
|Hamlet
|Horatio
|The Roundhouse
|-
|A Talent to Amuse
|Martin Tickner
|Phoenix Theatre, London
|-
| rowspan="2" |1970
|Oedipus Rex
|Creon
| rowspan="2" |Young Vic, National Theatre
|-
|The Soldier's Tale
|Narrator
|-
|1972
|Veterans
|Rodney
|Royal Court Theatre
|-
|1975
|Macbeth
|Banquo (press night)
|Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre
|-
|1981
|Cards on the Table
|Superintendent Battle
|Richmond Theatre, Theatre Royal, Brighton, and other locations
|}