Mark McManus | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-02-21)21 February 1935 Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Died | 6 June 1994(1994-06-06) (aged 59) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1967–1994 |
| Relatives | Brian Connolly (adopted brother) |
Mark McManus (21 February 1935 – 6 June 1994) was a Scottish actor known for his roles in the British television series Sam, Bulman, The Brothers, Strangers, and Dramarama and the feature film 2000 Weeks. He was best known for playing the tough Glaswegian Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart in the long-running STV television series Taggart from 1983 until his death in 1994.
Career
McManus was born in Hamilton, Scotland, and moved to Hillingdon in London, England when he was three years old, until he moved again at the age of 16 to Australia, where he performed in amateur theatre groups that led him to becoming a professional actor. He appeared in the children's TV series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and had a guest appearance in the long-running Australian police drama Homicide. He also starred in Tim Burstall's feature film 2000 Weeks (1969), which was the first full-length Australian-produced feature made in Australia since Charles Chauvel's Jedda in 1954.
McManus also appeared in the American-produced historical drama Adam's Woman and co-starred with Mick Jagger in the Tony Richardson film version of the Ned Kelly story, Ned Kelly (both 1970).
McManus returned to the UK in 1971, and was known to a wider audience when he played roles such as Harry Carter in The Brothers and Sam Wilson, a coal miner in the 1973 TV series Sam. McManus appeared opposite Peter O'Toole in the 1976 TV movie Rogue Male, and starred as a dour Scots police officer, Jack Lambie, in Strangers, a role he reprised as a guest star in the spin-off, Bulman.[1] McManus also had roles in productions at the National Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre.[2]
McManus was also a boxer before he moved into acting.[2][3][4] He is not to be confused with the boxer of the same name (born 1974) from Basildon in England.
Taggart
McManus began playing the title character in the crime drama Taggart in September 1983, alongside Neil Duncan, Tom Watson and Robert Robertson. The pilot attracted an estimated 7.6 million viewers. When Duncan left the show in 1987, James MacPherson joined as new character Michael Jardine, immediately promoted to replace Duncan's character as detective sergeant. This was preceded by the arrival of a new superintendent, Jack McVitie, in the 1985 episode "Murder in Season". A new female detective constable, Jackie Reid (portrayed by Blythe Duff), was introduced in 1990 and, in "Secrets" (1994), Taggart promoted her to detective sergeant.
Death
McManus drank heavily and, after several years of declining health, died from an alcohol-related illness.[5] He was hospitalised with severe jaundice in May 1994[6] and died in Glasgow of pneumonia brought on by liver failure[7] on 6 June 1994, aged 59, eight months after the death of his second wife Marion. In the last two years of his life McManus had also lost his mother, his brother and his two sisters.[2] The actor was the first person to be posthumously awarded the Lord Provost of Glasgow's Award for Performing Arts.[8]
McManus's final Taggart episode was "Hellfire" (Series 11 Episode 1). After his death, his character was given an on-air funeral in the final episode of the 11th series, "Black Orchid".
Family
The uncle of the Mark McManus family adopted Brian Connolly, later of 1970s glam rock band the Sweet; the half brothers perceived a resemblance between them, and supposed they shared a father.[9]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 2000 Weeks | Will Gardiner |
| 1970 | Adam's Woman | Nobby |
| 1970 | Ned Kelly | Joe Byrne |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Prelude to Harvest | Seaman | TV movie |
| Ballad for One Gun | Dan Kelly | ||
| Concord of Sweet Sounds | Bill | ||
| 1964 | The One That Got Away | ||
| 1966 | Homicide | Malcolm Wills | Episode: "Holiday Affair" |
| 1966 | Wednesday Theatre | Sebastian | Episode: Twelfth Night |
| The Man Who Saw It | Larry Mitchell | TV movie | |
| 1966–1967 | Wandjina! | Donald MacPherson | 2 episodes |
| 1967 | Skippy the Bush Kangaroo | Ted | Episode: "The Rustlers" |
| 1968 | The Battlers | Tolly McCall | Season 1, 5 episodes |
| 1969 | Australian Plays | Peter Mason | Episode: "Dynasty" |
| The Rovers | Jack Webster | Episode: "U.F.O. Pacific" | |
| 1970 | Shadows of Fear | Cox | Episode: "Did You Lock Up?" |
| Dr. Finlay's Casebook | Eric Calder | Episode: "A Good Prospect" | |
| 1971 | Man at the Top | Dennis Rosslea | Series 1, 2 episodes |
| Thirty-Minute Theatre | Episode: "Combing Down His Yellow Hair" | ||
| 1972 | Stage 2 | Episode: "Peer Gynt" | |
| Colditz | Lt Cameron | Episode: "The Undefeated" | |
| Pathfinders | Flight Sergeant Joe Carson | Episode: "Jonah Man" | |
| Crown Court | Harry Bryant | Serial: "R v Bryant" | |
| 1973 | The Brothers | Harry Carter | Season 2 |
| 1974 | The Stars Look Down | Miniseries | |
| 1975 | 2nd House | Actor in Knots | Episode: "Toback's Gambler" |
| 1974–1975 | Sam | Sam Wilson | Series 2-3 |
| 1976 | Benny Lynch | Benny Lynch | TV movie |
| Rogue Male | Vaner | ||
| Jackanory | Storyteller | Episode: "The Nargun and the Stars" | |
| 1978 | The Foundation | Bill Wood | Series 2 |
| Target | Wilson | Episode: "The Macramé Man" | |
| 1979 | Brecht and Co | Member of Brecht's company / Galy Gay / Wang | TV movie |
| 1980 | Bull Week | Johnny Kowal | Miniseries |
| 1980–1982 | Strangers | Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Lambie | Series 3-5 |
| 1981 | The Long and the Short and the Tall | Sergeant Mitchem | TV movie |
| 1982 | Union Castle | Charles Winzer | Series 1, episode 3 |
| 1983 | Gunfight at the Joe Kaye Corral | Archie | TV movie |
| Killer | Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart | Miniseries | |
| 1983–1995 | Taggart | Series 1-11, 78 episodes | |
| 1985 | Bulman | Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Lambie | 3 episodes |
| 1986 | Four to One | David | TV movie |
| 1988 | Dramarama | Bobby Soutar | Episode: "The Macramé Man" |
| 1988 | Minder | Dixon | Episode: "An Officer and a Car Salesman" |
References
- ^ McIver, Brian (3 October 2007). "25 Years of Taggart: Mark McManus Story". Daily Record.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Mark McManus". The Independent. 7 June 1994.
- ^ "Crimewatch". The List. No. 38. 3 April 1987. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ^ "Mark McManus". TV Heroes. Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 17 November 2009.
- ^ Quinn, Thomas (27 October 2007). "So much more than 'there's been a murder'". The Guardian.
- ^ McIver, Brian (2 October 2007). "Born To Be Taggart". Daily Record.
- ^ "Sweet star follows brother Taggart to grave". Daily Record. 11 February 1997.
- ^ "Mark McManus". The Scotsman. 14 February 2005.
- ^ Perrone, Pierre (11 February 1997). "Obituary: Brian Connolly". The Independent.
Sources
- No Matter What They Say - The Story of Sweet (HomeSweetHome Publishing, 2009).
External links
- Mark McManus at IMDb
- Taggart Fan Club Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
