April 16, (THEWILL) — Scottish actor Alexander “Sandy” Morton has died at the age of 81. News of his passing was announced on April 15, 2026, with tributes pouring in from colleagues across the entertainment industry.
Born in Glasgow in 1945, Morton trained at London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He built a long career on stage and screen, known for playing both villains and loyal characters.
He was best known for his role as Golly Mackenzie, the devoted ghillie in BBC Scotland’s “Monarch of the Glen”, appearing in all 64 episodes from 2000 to 2005.
He also gained recognition for playing the villain Andy Semple in the Scottish soap “Take the High Road”, a role he held for 14 years.
Morton appeared in “Get Carter”, “Taggart”, “Shetland”, “Casualty”, “Luther”, and the cult film “Valhalla Rising”.
On stage, he co-founded the Raindog Theatre Company with Robert Carlyle and Caroline Paterson.
Tributes praised him as a talented and kind man. Robert Carlyle called him “a titan of a man and an actor,” and Gavin Mitchell remembered him as “warm, wise, and generous.”
He is survived by his wife, Jane, and stepson, actor Leo Woodall.
Evi-Ben Ezaga is an entertainment and society writer with a passion for stories that explore culture, people, and the stories shaping society today.
