Line of Duty star Brian McCardie has died aged 59.
The Scottish actor was best known for his role in gripping BBC crime drama Line of Duty, in which he played the mafia boss John Thomas 'Tommy' Hunter. He also starred as Sir Marcus MacRannoch in an episode of Outlander and had recently joined the cast of the Outlander prequel Blood of My Blood.
His wife Sarah announced the news on social media. She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter : "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie, beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many.
“Brian passed away suddenly at home on Sunday 28th April. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and touched many lives, and is gone much too soon. We love him and will miss him greatly; please remember Brian in your thoughts.
“Funeral arrangements will be announced in the days ahead.” Producer Peter Broughan added: "Shocked to hear that. Great memories of working with him on Rob Roy. Requiescat in pace.”
Following the post, United Agents confirmed his death to the PA news agency. In a statement, they said: “We are shocked and so deeply saddened by the tragic news of Brian’s sudden death. He was an actor of such great talent who we were lucky to represent, and our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this difficult time."
Author Paul Larkin tweeted: “Shocked and devastated to learn of the passing of Brian McCardie. Brian was a brilliant friend and we had many discussions about mental health issues where he was a fantastic help to me. As well as that; he was a phenomenal actor. Sleep tight Brother.” George Clark responded: “Aw sorry to hear this. Was a presence on everything he was in. Especially Filth and Crime. RIP.”
Director Alan Bowman Clarke posted: I'm saddened to hear about the death of legendary actor #brianmccardie. I spoke to him a few times about projects & always found him genuine, passionate, generous & funny. I wrote a part for him in a future project. My thoughts go out to his family, friends & colleagues.”
Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson wrote on X: “Tremendously sad news. Brian McCardie was a terrific actor and lovely guy. Sincere condolences to his family and friends.”
A statement from Line Of Duty producers Jed Mercurio and Simon Heath and the team behind the hit show, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of Brian McCardie’s death. We feel honoured to have worked with Brian on Line Of Duty. Brian was an incredibly talented actor, and the lasting impact he had as Tommy Hunter is testament to the power of his performance. Off screen, Brian couldn’t have been more different from the character he played – he was warm, funny and charming. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time.”
Brian has numerous acting credits over his 35-year career on TV and the big screen. He starred opposite Sean Bean in the popular 2021 BBC prison crime drama Time and in Irvine Welsh's TV series Crime. His film appearances included Rob Roy, Irvine Welsh’s Filth and the thriller Low Winter Sun alongside Mark Strong. Meanwhile, Starz network recently revealed that the Scottish actor was filming in Scotland for the Outlander prequel.
In Rob Roy, Brian starred as Alasdair MacGregor, the brother of the title character, who was played by Northern Ireland actor Liam Neeson. He also had roles in 2019 Netflix series The Last Czars, along with BBC shows 2021’s Time, opposite Sean Bean, Dundee-set Dog Days and 2023’s Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy.
He was filming alongside the likes of Sara Vickers, Harriet Slater, Jamie Roy and Peter Mullan in the upcoming series, which centres around the lives of Outlander character Jamie Fraser’s parents. Brian was born in Motherwell, Scotland and moved to the town of Carluke when he was at school. It was there he developed an interest in theatre, starring in a production of the musical Godspell with a local drama group consisting of youngsters from local schools.
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