Sunday 28 October 2012

Leading Lights exhibition - Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Drama's famous faces to go on show
Actors Alan Cumming, Elaine C Smith and Billy Boyd are to feature in a new photography exhibition.
The famous faces are among 18 portraits, taken by photographer KK Dundas, going on display next week at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
All of the pictures in the Leading Lights exhibition are of former students of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the country's leading school of music, dance and drama.
To mark its 60th anniversary in 2010, the Conservatoire commissioned Glasgow-based Mr Dundas, who specialises in theatre and portrait photography, to take portraits of past and present students from the school of drama.
Other highlights include pictures of actor Bill Paterson, comedienne Ruby Wax, Harry Potter actress Katie Leung and Colin Morgan, star of the BBC TV series Merlin.
The majority of works in the display, donated to the gallery by the photographer, are on show for the first time. Leading Lights opens on Monday and runs until March 3.
Christopher Baker, director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, said: "Leading Lights: Portraits by KK Dundas showcases a series of dramatic photographs of some the most brilliant actors and performers who studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
"It builds on the Scottish National Portrait Gallery's ambition to celebrate the achievements of distinguished contemporary Scots, and to display the finest national and international photography."
Source: IC Scotland


Also reported by Scotsman
The National Galleries website has a full pictorial list of the portraits on display, with biographies and other information. The actors included in the exhibition are:

Beattie was born in Bundorran, County Donegal, but was raised in Glasgow. She studied Dramatic Art at the city’s Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). In her final year she won the James Bridie medal. Beattie is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s ‘Histories Ensemble’, where her roles have included Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester in ‘Henry VI Part II’, and the ‘Duchess of York in Richard III’. However, she is perhaps best known for her television roles which have included the BBC series ‘Casualty’ (1991-3), ITV dramas ‘Taggart’ (1985-2000) and ‘The Bill’ (1990-2003). Maureen Beattie
Boyd is perhaps best known for playing ‘Pippin’ in the film adaptation of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. He was born in Glasgow and spent around six years working as a book-binder before deciding to embark on an acting career. He enrolled at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and graduated in 1995. Boyd has since had a varied career, working on stage as well as film and he is also the lead singer in the band, Beecake. Boyd is a patron of the Scottish Youth Theatre. Billy Boyd

Alan Cumming is an award-winning actor from Aberfeldy in Perthshire. After leaving school, Cumming worked for a year as a sub-editor at D. C. Thomson Publishers in Dundee before attending the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow. Graduating in 1985, Cumming went on to work extensively in Scottish theatre and TV, before deciding to move to London. He began performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and it was not long before his film career was launched with Ian Seller’s 1992 film, ‘Prague’. Cumming has since gone on to star in Hollywood blockbusters such as ‘Goldeneye’ (1995) and ‘X-Men 2’ (2003). In 1998 he won a Tony award for his performance in the Broadway show ‘Cabaret’. Alan Cumming, OBE
Born in Glasgow, Curran studied dramatic art at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Following his graduation in 1993 he rose to fame in the BBC series ‘This Life’ (1997). Since then Curran has starred in a number of film and television roles, including ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ (2003), ‘24’ (2010), ‘The Adventures of Tintin: Secret Unicorn’ (2011) and more recently the role of John Knox in the feature film, ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’ to be released in 2013. Curran also provided the voice of the character Captain MacMillan in the record-breaking video game ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’ (2011). Tony Curran

Scottish actor Emun Elliott is now making a name for himself on the world stage. Raised in Portobello, Edinburgh, he studied acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow and graduated in 2005. Since then he has appeared in several TV series including ‘Monarch of the Glen’ (2005) and ‘Paradox’ (2009). In 2011 he was cast in the American HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’. On stage he appeared in the critically acclaimed ‘Black Watch’, a role he played for over two years with the National Theatre of Scotland. Emun Elliott 

David Gant studied dramatic art at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire). Following his graduation in 1974 he established himself as a successful actor with roles in theatre, film and television. He has starred in a variety of theatre productions including ‘Coriolanus’ at Chichester Festival Theatre and a world tour of ‘Hamlet’. His credits in TV include roles in the series ‘The New Adventures of Robin Hood’ (1997) and ‘Borgia’ (2011. In film he has landed roles in ‘Ghandi’ (1982) and ‘Braveheart’ (1995). Gant is an Associate and Licentiate of the London College of Music. More recently he has also enjoyed success as a fashion model. David Gant
Born in Glasgow, Hayman studied dramatic art at the city’s Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), graduating in 1969. He embarked on his acting career at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre. Success came following his portrayal of the notorious convict, Jimmy Boyle in ‘A Sense of Freedom’ (1979). Since then his career has gone from strength to strength with Hayman predominantly focusing on character roles. He is particularly noted for his role in the TV series ‘Trial & Retribution’ (1997-2009). He has appeared in many films including ‘Rob Roy’ (1995) and ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ (2008). In 1992 Hayman was awarded Glasgow’s Gold Medal for outstanding services to the performing arts. David Hayman 
Katie Leung shot to stardom when she played, Cho Chang, the first love interest of Harry Potter in the Harry Potter film series. Leung managed to balance studying at the University of Arts in London with a promising acting career. In 2011 she was cast as Jung Chang in the autobiographical play ‘Wild Swans’. Born and raised in Motherwell, in 2012 Leung began a degree in acting at Drama (Acting) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Katie Leung 

Scottish actor and writer, Greg McHugh, studied for a Master of Drama (Acting) at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and graduated in 2004. He is the creator, writer and star of the BAFTA award-winning BBC series ‘Gary: Tank Commander’ for which he was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA. McHugh is also known for playing Howard in the award-winning Channel 4 comedy series ‘Fresh Meat’. Greg McHugh 
 
Born in Elderslie, at the age of eleven Madden joined Paisley Arts Centre’s youth theatre programme. He went on to study acting at the Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Dance (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). In his final year of study he was cast as Romeo in a production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at the Globe Theatre, London. Following his graduation in 2007 he established himself as a successful actor on stage, film and television. In 2009 he landed the lead role in the BBC series ‘Hope Springs’. Since 2011 he has starred in the American HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’. He has also appeared in the Channel 4 series ‘Sirens’ and the BBC series ‘Birdsong’. He has been tipped as an upcoming talent and in 2011 was named one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow. Richard Madden

Morgan was born in Armagh, Northern Ireland. He studied acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow, from where he graduated in 2007. He went on to perform on stage in ‘Vernon God Little’ (2007) and ‘All About My Mother’ (2007). In 2011 Morgan played characters in ‘Island’ and the award-winning Irish film, ‘Parked’. However, Morgan is probably best known for his role as the title character in the BBC TV series ‘Merlin’, which he has starred in since 2008. Colin Morgan
Daniela Nardini is from the Ayrshire town of Largs where her parents ran the well-known ice-cream parlour and restaurant. However, rather than joining the family business, Daniela wanted to be an actor and went to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in Glasgow, graduating in 1989. Her career was launched in 1996 when she landed a role in ‘This Life’ for which she won a BAFTA actor award in 1998. Since then she has starred in numerous TV shows including the comedy-drama ‘New Town’ (2009), set in Edinburgh. Nardini has also worked in theatre. Daniela Nardini
Born in Glasgow, Paterson studied Dramatic Art at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), graduating in 1969. In 1967, whilst he was still a student, he made his professional acting debut at Glasgow Citizens Theatre. He went on to be a founding member of John McGrath’s theatre company, 7:84. In 1976 Paterson made his London stage debut but began to work more in television, with his first appearances including the 1978 BAFTA award-winning drama, ‘Licking Hitler’. In 1982 he was nominated for a Laurence Oliver Award for his performance in ‘Schweik in the Second World War’. The 1980s also saw Paterson’s career expand into film and he has since gone on to appear in a range of movies whilst continuing to perform on stage and in television. Bill Paterson
Comedienne and actror Elaine C. Smith is best known for her role as Mary Nesbitt in the BBC sitcom, ‘Rab C. Nesbitt’, which began in 1990 and was re-launched in 2011. Born in Baillieston, Glasgow, Smith studied at the city’s Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh. Her TV career was launched in 1986 with her role in the BBC sketch show ‘Naked Video’. Alongside TV and comedy, Smith has also worked in theatre starring in productions such as ‘Calendar Girls’ (2008) and several pantomimes. Elaine C. Smith 
 
(not all are Scottish)
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