The world of British television has lost one of its actors with the longest resume over the years. Scotsman Brian McCardie has died at the age of 59, according to his sister Sarah. His death marks a turning point on the small screen in the United Kingdom, after his participation in multiple television projects, such as Line of Duty, Eastenders or even the successful Outlander.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie, beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to many. Brian died suddenly at his home on Sunday, April 28. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work, impacted many lives, and was gone too soon. We love him and we will miss him very much,” wrote Sarah McCradie through X (Twitter).
Born in Glasgow in 1965, he grew up between the towns of Motherwell and Carluke, and while at school he began to develop an interest in the performing arts. His first role was in a local play called Godspell, performed with a group of young theater fans. From there, his interest increased until 1989, when he officially debuted on screen as a supporting character in the long-running Eastenders.
The 1990 film Forget About Me would become his first film role, before landing a recurring role on the series Waterfront Beat, playing PC Ronnie Barker. Over the coming years, his roles would continue to be added successively, including one with actor Liam Nesson in a successful 1995 film, Rob Roy. However, his best-known roles would come from the 2000s.
The most notable is that of John Thomas “Tommy” Hunter in Line of Duty, a prison anthology produced by the BBC. His role was that of a mafia leader, coordinating in the first season alongside Stephen Graham and Sean Bean. Other series in which he participated were Casualty, The Musketeers, Rebellion, Snatch, Fortitude, Agatha Christie: Tragic Innocence, Domina, Crime, Six Four, The Long Shadow or Agatha Christie: Killing is Easy.
One of his last projects before he died was Outlander: Blood of my blood, the prequel to the renowned series based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon. The original production premiered in 2014, while the new production is still in development, with no release date. It will consist of a total of ten episodes and will be available through the American television channel Starz.
