Tributes have been paid to one of Scotland’s acting greats, who died on Tuesday.
Martyn James, who was based in Perth but was a favourite with theatre audiences across the country, died aged 63 following an illness.
Often described as ”Mr Pitlochry”, Mr James trod the boards at Pitlochry Festival Theatre (PFT) for an astonishing 23 summer seasons and spoke openly of his sadness at having to step down last year due to ill health.
During PFT’s 60th anniversary celebrations he said he was looking forward to enjoying shows from the ”other side of the curtain”.
A real all-rounder, Mr James turned his hand to everything from Shakespeare and Agatha Christie mysteries to tales of Scottish folklore and pantos.
The chief executive of PFT John Durnin said the veteran performer would be ”greatly missed” by both those he knew personally and all who had been lucky enough to watch him in character.
”Martyn James was a very special man not because he appeared on the PFT stage on more occasions than any other actor but because of who he was,” he said. ”Martyn was a true man of the theatre, a gifted and highly skilled actor, and as such he was a regular and highly valued member of the Pitlochry ensemble.
“But, more than that, Martyn was also a great ambassador for this organisation. He always claimed that the happiest moments of his professional life were spent on the Pitlochry stage and I think, as a result, he saw it as his duty to do whatever he could to promote PFT and enthuse people about its unique qualities.
”Whenever he wasn’t on stage, you could always find Martyn chatting with members of the public, filling them in about new members of the company, telling them how wonderful a particular show was, and going out of his way to make them feel part of the Pitlochry family.”
He added: ”Martyn had become a close and loyal friend to all of us at PFT, so there’s a profound sense of loss throughout the theatre. We knew that he was unlikely to recover from this last illness, but he had battled it so well, with all of his customary spirit and good humour, that you began to think he might go on forever.”
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”Although, sadly, he wasn’t well enough to join the company for our 60th anniversary season in 2011, he still insisted on coming up to see every show in the season and he made a point of letting the company know how much he had enjoyed them. I think that we will remember Martyn just as much for these qualities as for his many marvellous performances on the Pitlochry stage.”
Mr Durnin added: “Martyn’s contribution to PFT over the last four decades was immense and he will be very greatly missed by all those who were fortunate enough to know him, work with him and love him.”
Mr James also starred in more than 140 Perth Theatre productions over the years and provided the voice of the giant in this season’s Jack and the Beanstalk.
Jane Spiers, chief executive of Horsecross Arts, said: ”Martyn James first appeared at Perth Theatre in 1972. It was a delight to have him back with us this year providing the voice of the giant not only because of his skills and experience as an actor, but also the warmth and generosity he always brought with him to the rehearsal room and the stage.
”He was much loved here at Perth Theatre and we will miss him greatly, as will Perth audiences who have grown up with Martyn.”
Perthshire North MSP John Swinney also expressed his sadness at the news.
He said: “He had a fantastic acting career and I appreciated the outstanding contribution he made over so many years to the work of Pitlochry Festival Theatre. His own style and work attracted many people to come to the area and appreciate the artistic experience at Pitlochry and his contribution will be sorely missed.”
Born in Ardnamurchan in the Highlands in 1948, Mr James was educated at Keith Grammar School. He trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and started working in theatre in 1968.
By the time he celebrated his 40th year in the business in 2008 he had appeared in more than 250 stage productions, working with almost every Scottish theatre and several English companies.
As well as making frequent radio broadcasts in dramas and religious programmes, he appeared regularly on television throughout his career, from Dr Finlay’s Casebook to Peak Practice and Still Game, and also made several film appearances, including in Martin Scorsese’s The Gangs of New York.