Kenny Ireland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kenny Ireland
Ireland in character as Donald Stewart from the comedy TV series Benidorm
Born	George Ian Kenneth Ireland (1945-08-07)7 August 1945 Paisley, Scotland
Died	31 July 2014(2014-07-31) (aged 68)
Occupation	Actor, theatre director
Years active	1965–2014
Spouse(s)	Marilyn Imrie (divorced) Meg Poole (1980–2014; his death)
Children	1 step-daughter

Kenny Ireland was a Scottish actor and theatre director. He was born on August 7, 1945, and passed away on July 31, 2014. Many people knew him from TV shows. He was famous for his part in Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV in the 1980s. He also played Donald Stewart in the popular show Benidorm. He was on Benidorm from 2007 until he died in 2014.

Kenny Ireland's Acting Career

Kenny Ireland was born in Paisley, Scotland. He was a very important person in Scottish theatre. For ten years, he was the director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. A theatre director helps to plan and lead plays. They work with actors and the crew to make a show happen.

When he left the Royal Lyceum Theatre in 2003, he spoke out. He felt that the Scottish arts groups were not spending enough money on theatre. He also thought the government was slow to create a National Theatre of Scotland. This special theatre was finally started in 2006.

TV Shows and Films

Kenny Ireland appeared in many TV shows and films. In some of his early TV roles, he was called "Ian Ireland."

He was in an episode of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He played a journalist named Sid Payne. He also appeared in Acorn Antiques. This was a comedy sketch show. He was also in the Scottish TV series Taggart.

In 1983, he was in the film Local Hero. He also acted in Dempsey and Makepeace. This was a detective show. In 1990, he played Benjamin Landless in House of Cards. He acted alongside Ian Richardson in this series. He was also in the film The Big Man with Liam Neeson. Later, he appeared in Heartbeat.

Benidorm Role

Kenny Ireland became very well-known for his role in the TV series Benidorm. He played the character Donald Stewart. He was on the show from 2007 until the end of its sixth series in early 2014.

In June 2014, it was announced that he had brain cancer. He did not appear in person in the seventh series of Benidorm. However, his character's voice was heard in a phone call. Another actor provided the voice for this call.

His Passing

Kenny Ireland passed away from cancer on July 31, 2014. He was 68 years old.

Selected Work in Film and TV

Here is a list of some of the films and TV shows Kenny Ireland appeared in: