BAFTA-Winning Actor & Comedy Legend Passes Away at 99 After Glorious Decades on TV

Legendary Scottish actor and comedian Stanley Baxter has died aged 99, as confirmed by the BBC.
The BAFTA-winning entertainer was just months away from celebrating his 100th birthday.

Baxter died on Thursday at Denville Hall, a north London care home for entertainment figures, where he had lived since late 2023. His death was confirmed by his friend and biographer Brian Beacom. Born in Glasgow on May 24, 1926, Baxter became one of Scotland’s most beloved comedy figures, known for his fearless satire, pitch-perfect impressions, and decades-long television legacy.

From Glasgow Child Star to BBC Comedy Breakthrough

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Sun reported that Baxter first took to the stage at just six years old, launching his career as a child actor on BBC Scotland. His sharp timing and instinctive flair for comedy quickly set him apart.

His breakthrough came on the sketch series “On the Bright Side,” which he co-hosted with Carry On star Betty Marsden. The show made Baxter a household name and earned him a BAFTA for Light Entertainment Performance.

He later headlined “The Stanley Baxter Show,” which ran from 1963 to 1971 and ranked among the most-watched comedy programs of its time.

His sketches often saw him perform in drag, shifting seamlessly from polished sophistication to broad Glaswegian humor, and drawing huge audiences across the UK.

A Fearless Comic Voice Who Ruled The Pantomime Stage

Baxter was a towering presence in Scottish pantomime for decades. One critic famously dubbed him “the dame of the century.”

He was a bold, multi-faceted performer who mimicked everyone from the Pope to the Queen. He also delighted audiences by sending up his native Glasgow through routines rooted in Glaswegian patois, a style that became a defining part of his legacy.

Alongside television, Baxter appeared in several films, including “Geordie” (1955), “Very Important Person” (1961), “The Fast Lady” (1962), and “And Father Came Too!” (1963).

Baxter received numerous honors throughout his career, including a lifetime achievement award at the British Comedy Awards and Bafta Scotland’s Outstanding Contribution to Film and Television Award in December 2020.

Earlier this month, BBC Scotland announced an hour-long documentary titled “Being Stanley Baxter,” set to air on New Year’s Eve as his 100th birthday approached. The program features rare archive footage and interviews with Bill Paterson, Amanda Barrie, Mark Gatiss, and Alan Cumming.

Tributes Pour In From Scotland’s Showbiz Greats

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Actor Alex Norton, who stars in “Two Doors Down” as Eric Baird, paid a heartfelt tribute to Baxter, recalling an early-career pep talk that has stayed with him for life.

As per the Sun, he wrote: “I was a young actor, and he was very encouraging to me, telling me he thought I would do well in ‘the business’ and to stick at it.”

Norton later reconnected with Baxter years later in London. “To my astonishment, he told me he was a big fan of my work in Taggart, and that he had been right all those years ago, when he told me he thought I would do well.

“He was a true showbiz great and a genuine Scottish National Treasure.”

Comedy duo The Krankies also hailed Baxter as a “true Scottish comedy genius.” Ian Tough recalled first seeing Baxter perform in the late 1950s.

“That was the start of my love of comedy. I then went on to see him in pantomime at Glasgow’s Kings Theatre and loved how he could be so classy one second, then suddenly switch into broad Glaswegian – he was a truly great entertainer.”

Janette Tough shared a personal memory from the 1970s.

Irish Sun quoted him saying: “Stanley immediately asked us to join him, and we had a wonderful night reminiscing about the variety days gone by. He was a true Scottish comedy genius.”

Baxter leaves behind a towering legacy in British comedy, remembered as a fearless performer, a master impressionist, and a true Scottish national treasure.

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