Thomas Dean Burn (born 1958) is a Scottish actor who has played a wide range of roles on stage and screen; on television, he played multiple roles on long-running detective series Taggart, Retro in youth sci-fi thriller Life Force, and gangster Thomas McCabe in BBC Scotland's soap opera River City. Burn currently performs as a featured lead singer alongside Scars.
Education and family He attended Craigmount High School and trained in Acting at the School of Drama at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University. He is the brother of drummer Russell Burn, of Edinburgh band The Fire Engines. Both played together in the band The Dirty Reds.
Politics In the 1992 General Election, he contested the Glasgow Central seat, standing for the Communist Party of Great Britain (PCC). He received 106 votes, 0.4% of all votes cast, and finished last.
Acting career His theatrical roles include being the narrator of the 2009 play Year of the Horse, about artist Harry Horse. He starred on stage in Irvine Welsh's Headspace, in 1997. In 2016 he played Captain Edgar in August Strindberg's Dance of Death at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. In 2018 he narrated Tommy Smith's jazz version of Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofieff with text specially adapted by Liz Lochhead. The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra recorded the piece live on 24 February 2018 at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 2006, Burn has been the authentic 'Leither' voice narrating the audiobook versions of 18 of Irvine Welsh’s books.
Charity work He is also involved in work for young people. In 2014, he toured Scotland by bicycle, reading all 195 of Julia Donaldson's stories to children. He has campaigned to protect the Children's Wood in Kelvinside, Glasgow from property developers.
2019 stabbing In March 2019, Burn was stabbed during an assault after appearing at an event at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh. He was hospitalised at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary but discharged on the same day; albeit he has a permanent scar as a result of the attack.
Theatre Year Title Role Company Director Notes 1990 Hardie and Baird: The Last Days John Baird Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Ian Brown play by James Kelmanreview of Hardie and Baird: The Last Days by Mark Fisher, The List, Issue 125, 13–26 July 1990, p.45 2024 Three Words for Forest Various The Dear Green Bothy Deirdre Heddon a play drawing on interviews with forestry practitionersThree Words for Forest: exploring uncertainty in a time of climate crises, event listing, School of Culture & Creative Arts, University of Glasgow, 11–13 June 2024
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1983 Local Hero Roddy 1995 3 The Elder 1996 The Leading Man Henry 1998 The Acid House Alec (segment "A Soft Touch")1999 Miss Julie Servant 1999 Mauvaise Passe Naked Husband 2002 Doctor Sleep Gas Man 2003 Skagerrak Dr. Meisling 2003 Young Adam Black Street Barman 2011 Perfect Sense Husband at Grave 2011 War Horse Medic in Trench 2012 Shell Trucker 2012 Riot on Redchurch Street Jerry Graff 2013 City of Tales The Officer 2016 Moon Dogs Davey 2018 Outlaw King John Macdougall of Argyll 2018 Only You Mike 2019 The Victim TV series
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