Theatre Bannen became a successful figure on the London stage, making a name for himself in the plays of both Shakespeare and
Eugene O'Neill. He was an original member of the
Royal Shakespeare Company and played leading roles in productions of
Othello, Hamlet, and
As You Like It. Aside from his Shakespearean roles, Bannen was also well known for his interpretations of
Eugene O'Neill's dramas. He played Hickey in the original 1958
West End production of
The Iceman Cometh and James (Jamie) Tyrone Jr. in
''Long Day's Journey into Night'' (opposite
Alan Bates and
Anthony Quayle) the same year. Over 20 years later, he reprised the role in O'Neill's sequel
A Moon for the Misbegotten, first on the West End and then in the 1984 Broadway revival. He also played Cornelius Melody in a 1962 staging of
A Touch of the Poet, first in
Dublin and then in
Venice. He starred in the West End debut of
Brian Friel's play
Translations, which earned him a
Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1981. The same year, he played
Jesus Christ in
Thine is the Kingdom, a passion play staged at the
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. His other notable West End work included roles in
A View from the Bridge (opposite Anthony Quayle and
Richard Harris), the title role in
''Serjeant Musgrave's Dance,
Toys in the Attic, and
The Devil's Disciple.
He played Judge Brack in Hedda Gabler'' at the 1977
Edinburgh International Festival. His last stage role was in a 1992 revival of
All My Sons at the
Young Vic.
Film and television Bannen's film debut was in the early 1950s with a small role in
Pool of London (1951), and he quickly rose to prominence, primarily in a wide range of supporting roles. He had a very significant role as Stoker Samuel Bannister in
Yangtse Incident. During the early stages of his career he worked with the
Boulting Brothers on ''
Private's Progress and Carlton-Browne of the F.O.. His performance as "Ratbags" Crow in The Flight of the Phoenix earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first Scots actor to receive this honour; he also received a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year – Actor. That same year, he starred alongside Sean Connery in the WWII prison drama The Hill''. Director
John Schlesinger cast him as a replacement for
Alan Bates in the part of well-off gay doctor Daniel Hirsh in his controversial film
Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), after Bates was deemed unavailable to shoot. According to screenwriter
Penelope Gilliatt, Bannen never felt comfortable with the part. The anxiety adversely affected his performance during the early filming. Schlesinger replaced Bannen with
Peter Finch, who received an Oscar nomination for the role. Bannen later regretted this and apologised for his conduct, saying not taking the role had set back his career. Bannen received a
BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as suspected
child molester Kenneth Baxter in
The Offence (1973). He also won acclaim for his roles as
Jim Prideaux in the BBC adaptation of
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), Brother Benedict in
Lamb (1986), Grandfather George in
John Boorman's
Hope and Glory (1987) (for which he received a second Best Supporting Actor
BAFTA nomination), the elder
Robert de Brus in
Braveheart (1995) and as the touchingly crafty villager in
Waking Ned (1998), the latter of which earned him both
Screen Actors Guild Award and a
Satellite Award. In 1996, he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from
BAFTA Scotland. He was the subject of an episode of
This is Your Life in 1999, when he was surprised by
Michael Aspel. ==Personal life==