Legendary Scottish actor and comedian Stanley Baxter has died aged 99.
Baxter launched his career as a child performer on BBC Scotland before rising to fame through his television comedy programmes. Born in Glasgow on May 24, 1926, he made his stage debut at the tender age of six.
His friend and biographer Brian Beacom announced the star’s death, and said he died on Thursday (11 December) in a care home for those in the entertainment industry in North London. Baxter had been living at Denville Hall for two years and was only a few months away from his 100th birthday.
His breakthrough on the small screen arrived with the comedy sketch programme On the Bright Side. Appearing alongside Betty Marsden as co-host, he subsequently received a BAFTA for Light Entertainment Performance. The performer also had his own eponymous programme which aired from 1963 to 1971 – The Stanley Baxter show.
For many years, he remained one of Scotland’s most celebrated pantomime performers, with one reviewer calling him “the dame of the century”. The comic received awards for his comedy and acting throughout his career, and won a lifetime achievement award at the British Comedy Awards. He also won Bafta Scotlands Outstanding Contribution to Film and Television award in 2020.
The star was also the subject of two TV tribute programmes. Earlier this month, BBC Scotland announced that an hour-long documentary featuring rare archive footage and candid interviews will air on New Year‘s Eve as the actor’s 100th birthday approached.
Being Stanley Baxter is set to feature a raft of stars who were close to him, including actor Bill Paterson and actress Amanda Barrie, as well as Mark Gatiss and Alan Cumming.
Baxter also had parts in a number of films, such as Geordie from 1955, Very Important Person from 1961, The Fast Lady from 1962 and And Father Came Too! from 1963.
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