On the day Johnny Beattie died there was an outpouring of deeply affectionate tributes from a whole host of celebrities who straddled some of the decades in which this much-loved and incredibly versatile performer plied his trade.
I say ‘some’ of the decades in which he performed…
Such was Johnny’s longevity that it would have been impossible to amass tributes from living performers who were with him at the very beginning of his career. The fact is he outlasted most of the big names.
He had professional stamina, did the man from Govan, combined with a novice’s enthusiasm for every job.
What, however, unites all of the tributes is the genuine warmth with which they were delivered.
Showbusiness manages to house egos, sometimes gargantuan ones. The poignancy of the appreciations made clear that Johnny Beattie was a man with no side, who had time for everyone and who looked on every job as one worth doing to the very best of his ability.
I, for one, think his life worthy of celebration and his memory ripe for cherishing. His 63-year career is a timeline which mirrors the huge changes not only in Scottish entertainment but in broader society.
He did his national service. He worked in Fairfields shipyard. He played the last show at the Glasgow Empire. He was a staple in the pre television age of variety. He was a straight actor, a stand-up comedian, a panto dame and a TV gameshow host.
Johnny Beattie might be remembered by young people today as the old guy from River City. Their parents might remember him from Taggart or Rab C Nesbitt or the gameshow he hosted for STV, Now You See It.
