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Tony Roper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Denis Daniel Michael Roper [1] 19 August 1941 [1] |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse | Isobel [2] |
Tony Roper (born 19 August 1941) is a Scottish actor, comedian, playwright and writer.
|
Tony Roper | |
|---|---|
| Born | Denis Daniel Michael Roper [1] 19 August 1941 [1] |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse | Isobel [2] |
Tony Roper (born 19 August 1941) is a Scottish actor, comedian, playwright and writer.
In his early life he worked as a miner in Fife (where there were family connections), and as a van boy in a Glasgow bakery. [1] His first major starring role was in Scotch and Wry . He wrote the comedy-drama The Steamie in 1987, for which he won a BAFTA. [3] He achieved even greater fame in Naked Video and in the spin-off series Rab C. Nesbitt , in which he played Rab's partner-in-crime, Jamesie Cotter. [4] [5] He also starred in the short-lived 1999 sitcom All Along the Watchtower . [6] Tony also had a small part as the postman in the longer version of the 1973 cult film, The Wicker Man . [7]
In theatre, he played Tom Weals in Miles Tredinnick's farce It's Now or Never! at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch in 1994. [8] He also starred in other stage plays such as Willie Rough by Bill Bryden, "The Red Runner" by Billy Connolly, and various other plays by Alyn Aykbourn, Shaw and Shakespeare. [9]
In the 1980s, he co-founded the charity football team Dukla Pumpherston. [10] Other football-related work included regular appearances on the television and stage versions of the satirical series Only an Excuse? during the 1990s alongside Jonathan Watson. [11]
Roper has also written Paddies, a conceptual sequel to The Steamie set in Glasgow's "Paddies Market" (Paddy's Market [12] ), and two novels based on Rikki Fulton's character Rev. I. M. Jolly. In 2004-2005 he co-wrote and starred as Rikki Fulton in Rikki and Me , a play about the comedy actor Rikki Fulton, which is available on DVD, and appeared as Merv in the 2005 Scottish film, On a Clear Day . [13] [7]
Roper is a lifelong supporter of Celtic F.C. He presented the club' s VHS/DVD The Treble in celebration of Celtic's 2000–01 treble-winning season, and Hoops we did it again in 2001–2002. In 2008, he wrote and directed the hit play The Celts in Seville which played at the Pavilion Theatre (Glasgow) in 2008 and 2014. [14] [15]
Roper and his wife Isobel live in Glasgow. [16]
He was awarded an honorary degree by Abertay University in 2008. [17]
In April 2013, Roper received treatment for prostate cancer. [18] He was given the all-clear. [2]
His autobiography I'll No Tell You Again was published in 2014. [1] The foreword was written by his friend, Billy Connolly. [19]
| Year | Title | Role | Company | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Lass wi' the Muckle Mou | Wattie | Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh | Sandy Neilson | play by Alexander Reid |
| 1982 | Ane Satire of the Thrie Estaites | Solace | Scottish Theatre Company | Tom Fleming | play by Sir David Lyndsay, adapted by Robert Kemp |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | The Wicker Man | Postman | |
| 2005 | On a Clear Day | Merv the Perv |
| Date | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 February 1988 | The Play on One [20] | Bruce | Episode: "Normal Service" |
| 1 April 1989 | The Play on One [21] | Gordon | Episode: "Biting the Hands" |
Robert Kerr "Rikki" Fulton was a Scottish comedian and actor best remembered for writing and performing in the long-running BBC Scotland sketch show, Scotch and Wry. He was also known for his appearances as one half of the double act, Francie and Josie, alongside Jack Milroy. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease in his later years, Fulton died in 2004, aged 79.
Gregor Fisher is a Scottish comedian and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the comedy series Rab C. Nesbitt, a role he has played since the show's first episode in 1988. He has also had roles in films such as Without a Clue (1988), Love Actually (2003), The Merchant of Venice (2004) and Whisky Galore! (2016).
Rab C. Nesbitt is a Scottish comedy television series that originally aired between 1988 and 1999. The show returned for a one–off special in 2008, before being re-commissioned in 2010. Its second run was broadcast from 2010 to 2014. The series has been described as "Glasgow's greatest ever sitcom" by BBC Two.
Naked Video is a BBC Scotland sketch show that was aired on BBC2 from 12 May 1986 to 18 November 1991. The show was created by Colin Gilbert who had previously created A Kick Up the Eighties and Naked Radio. The series originally starred Ron Bain, Gregor Fisher, Andy Gray, Elaine C. Smith, Tony Roper, Helen Lederer and Jonathan Watson, but they were later joined by Kate Donnelly and Louise Beattie. The series' producer was Colin Gilbert and its script editor was Philip Differ.
David Troughton is an English actor. He is known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage and for his many roles on British television, including Dr Bob Buzzard in A Very Peculiar Practice and Ricky Hanson in New Tricks.
Elaine Constance Smith is a BAFTA Scotland Scottish actress, comedian, and political activist. She rose to prominence by appearing in the BBC Scotland sitcoms City Lights (1984–1991) and Rab C. Nesbitt (1988–2014). Smith has played the role of Christine O'Neil in the BBC Scotland sitcom Two Doors Down (2013–2023).
The Tales of Para Handy is a Scottish television series set in the western isles of Scotland in the 1930s, based on the Para Handy books by Neil Munro. It starred Gregor Fisher as Captain Peter "Para Handy" MacFarlane, Sean Scanlan as first mate Dougie Cameron, Rikki Fulton as engineer Dan Macphail and Andrew Fairlie as Sunny Jim. These four made up the crew of the puffer Vital Spark which was employed by the Campbell Shipping Company, headquartered in Glasgow and run by Andrew Campbell, Para Handy's brother-in-law and owner of the Vital Spark.
John Gerard Beattie, MBE was a Scottish actor and stand-up comedian whose career spanned over six decades. He appeared on shows including the sketch show Scotch & Wry and the sitcom Rab C. Nesbitt, and later appeared in more dramatic roles including Malcolm Hamilton in the soap opera River City.
Scotch and Wry is a Scottish television comedy sketch show produced by BBC Scotland and starring Rikki Fulton and a revolving ensemble cast which over the years included Gregor Fisher, Tony Roper, Claire Nielson, Juliet Cadzow and John Bett.
The Steamie is a comedy-drama stage play, written by Tony Roper. It is set on Hogmanay 1950 and provides a window on the lives and aspirations of a group of Glasgow women washing their clothes in a public washhouse (steamie). It was commissioned by Borderline Theatre in the early 1980s and first staged by Wildcat at the Crawfurd Theatre, Glasgow in 1987.
Gerard Kelly was a Scottish actor who appeared in many comedies, including City Lights, Rab C Nesbitt, Scotch and Wry and Extras. He had more serious roles as well, including PC David Gallagher in Juliet Bravo (1981), the villainous Jimmy in EastEnders (1994) and the villainous Callum Finnegan in Brookside (1997–2000).
David Anderson is a Scottish actor, playwright and jazz musician based in Glasgow.
Ron Bain was a Scottish television actor, director, producer, comedian, and stage actor who in the latter part of his career focused primarily on directing. He is known for his work with comedian Rikki Fulton, with whom he first worked while performing Molière's The Miser at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in 1971 and for his productions spotlighting Fulton's character 'the Reverend I. M. Jolly'.
Dorothy Paul is a Scottish stage and screen actress, comedian, and entertainer. She performed onstage often at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.
"Just Another Saturday" is the 15th episode of fifth season of the British BBC anthology TV series Play for Today. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 13 March 1975. "Just Another Saturday" was written by Peter McDougall, directed by John Mackenzie, produced by Graeme MacDonald, and starred Jon Morrison and Billy Connolly.
Steven McNicoll is a Scottish actor, director, playwright and television presenter.
Libby McArthur is a Scottish actress known for her portrayal of Gina Hamilton in soap opera River City, a character she played from the show's inception in September 2002 until November 2013. Other television appearances include Taggart, Take The High Road, Rab C. Nesbitt and Looking After Jo Jo.
Colin Gilbert, born 1954, is a Glasgow-born television producer and former senior creative director of The Comedy Unit.
Wildcat Stage Productions was an influential left-wing theatre and music production company based in Glasgow. Founded in 1978 as a spin-off from the 7:84 Company, it formed a key part of the Scottish touring theatre network for the next 20 years, creating more than 80 shows and giving many thousands of performances across Scotland, the UK and internationally. The company was named after the term for unofficial industrial action, excluding the word “theatre” from its name to avoid middle-class or bourgeois associations.
Comedy in Scotland is described as "cheeky rather than edgy", largely in part due to its use of language and innuendos. The country has produced a number of comedians who have gathered an international audience, as well as a number of highly successful comedy television series, such as Still Game, Rab C. Nesbitt, Two Doors Down, Chewin' the Fat, Scot Squad and Gary: Tank Commander. Shows such as Still Game and ScotSquad are only shown on television channels, such as BBC Scotland, past the watershed due to its content of comedy. Liam Smillie of Glasgow World argues that "Scotland has got to be one of the funniest countries in the world, and there’s no funnier city in the country than Glasgow".
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