{{Short description|Scottish actor (1936–2022)}} {{Use British English|date=May 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}} {{sources|date=July 2010}} '''Ralph McKenzie Riach''' (26 January 1936<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ralph Riach {{!}} TVSA |url=https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=2324 |access-date=2022-04-01 |website=www.tvsa.co.za}}</ref> – 20 March 2022)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marshall |first=Michelle |date=2022-03-21 |title=Ralph Riach dead: Braveheart and Taggart star dies aged 83 as tributes pour in for actor |url=https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/1583845/ralph-riach-dead-death-taggart-braveheart-tributes-news-latest |access-date=2022-04-01 |website=Express.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> was a Scottish actor from Elgin, Moray.
==Early years== Riach was born in Elgin, Scotland. He was educated at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, and he worked in Perth on a variety of jobs before he began his acting career.<ref name=ci>{{cite magazine |date=July 2022 |page=46 |title=Ralph Riach, 86 |magazine=Classic Images}}</ref>
==Career== Riach portrayed John McIver (better known as "TV John") in BBC One Scotland's comedy/drama ''Hamish Macbeth''. His career began at the age of 50, when he appeared in ''Lost Empires'' (1986). He appeared in television shows including ''Chancer'', ''Mosley'', ''Taggart'', ''Monarch of the Glen'', ''Peak Practice'', ''Doctor Finlay'', and ''Tutti Frutti''.
Film appearances included ''The House of Mirth'' (2000), ''The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'' (1999), ''Braveheart'' (1995), ''Copying Beethoven'' (2006) and ''Cloud Atlas'' (2012).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/film-reviews/copying-beethoven/2007/04/20/1176697063840.html|title=Copying Beethoven - Film Reviews|date=21 April 2007|work=Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=14 July 2010}}</ref> He also portrayed John Laurie in ''We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story'' (2015). In 2014, he played a scene in Scottish feature film ''Time Teens: The Beginning'' directed by Ryan Alexander Dewar. He appeared in the short film ''Darkness in The Afternoon'' in 1999.{{cn|date=March 2022}}
==Filmography==
=== Film === {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1990 |''Crossing the Line'' |Laundry Manager | |- |1995 |''Braveheart'' |Priest No. 1 | |- |1997 |''In Praise of Older Women'' |Conde | |- |1998 |''Dangerous Beauty'' |Lorenzo Gritti | |- |1998 |''The Governess'' |Mr. Hewlett | |- |1999 |''My Life So Far'' |Sir David Drummond | |- |1999 |''The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'' |English Judge | |- |2000 |''The House of Mirth'' |Lord Hubert Dacy | |- |2002 |''Anazapta'' |Physician | |- |2004 |''One Last Chance'' |Mr. Murray | |- |2004 |''The Rocket Post'' |Old Donald | |- |2006 |''Copying Beethoven'' |Wenzel Schlemmer | |- |2007 |''Death Defying Acts'' |Mr. Robertson | |- |2008 |''Is Anybody There?'' |Clive | |- |2008 |''Good'' |Brunau | |- |2012 |''Cloud Atlas'' |Ernie | |- |2014 |''What We Did on Our Holiday'' |Jimmy Cazzarotto | |- |2015 |''Time Teens'' |The Meridian | |- |2018 |''The Party's Just Beginning'' |The Caller | |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable sortable" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1986 |''Lost Empires'' |Edinburgh Empire M.D. |Episode #1.1 |- |1986–2003 |''Taggart'' |Various roles |5 episodes |- |1986 |''First Among Equals'' |Frank Boyle |Episode #1.8 |- |1987 |''Tutti Frutti'' |Barman |Episode: "Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O" |- |1987 |''Watching'' |Mr. Ambrose |2 episodes |- |1988 |''City Lights'' |Glasgow Museum Official |Episode: "I'm Willie, Fly Me" |- |1990 |''The Play on One'' |Fr Maxwell |Episode: "Changing Step" |- |1990–1991 |''Chancer'' |Willy Stebbings |15 episodes |- |1991 |''4 Play'' |John Breck |Episode: "Ball on the States" |- |1991 |''Clarissa'' |Uncle Anthony |3 episodes |- |1991, 1998 |''Casualty'' |Mr. Nichol / Alex |2 episodes |- |1992 |''Rides'' |Mr. Goodwin |Episode: "Which One of You Is the Victim?" |- |1992 |''The Bill'' |Gordon Ellis |Episode: "Priorities" |- |1993 |''Screen Two'' |Dr. Sutherland |Episode: "The Long Roads" |- |1993–1994 |''Doctor Finlay'' |Dr. Gilmore |10 episodes |- |1995 |''Kavanagh QC'' |Malcolm Gibson |Episode: "Heartland" |- |1995 |''Wycliffe'' |Dr. Bonner |Episode: "Lost Contact" |- |1995–1997 |''Hamish Macbeth'' |TV John / Euan McIver |20 episodes |- |1997 |''Lloyds Bank Channel 4 Film Challenge'' |Ted |Episode: "Nurse Ajax" |- |1997, 2000 |''Peak Practice'' |Malcolm McReadie / Mr. Rees |2 episodes |- |1998 |''Mosley'' |Ramsay MacDonald |3 episodes |- |2000 |''Murder Rooms: Mysteries of theReal Sherlock Holmes'' |The Strand Editor |Episode: "The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes" |- |2000 |''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' |Mr. Asmodius |Episode: "A Man of Substance" |- |2000 |''Brotherly Love'' |Reverend McDonald |5 episodes |- |2000, 2001 |''Monarch of the Glen'' |Geordie McCann |2 episodes |- |2001 |''The Russian Bride'' |Larry |Television film |- |2003 |''Canterbury Tales'' |Mr Malcolm Wickens |Episode: "The Miller's Tale" |- |2004 |''55 Degrees North'' |Stanley Hanson |Episode #1.5 |- |2004 |''Quite Ugly One Morning'' |Alexander Kinross | rowspan="4" |Television film |- |2005 |''The Strange Case of Sherlock'' ''Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle'' |Cleeve |- |2006 |''Low Winter Sun'' |Mister Gillot |- |2007 |''Wedding Belles'' |John Eddie |- |2010–2011 |''Rosamunde Pilcher's Shades of Love'' |Noel's Lawyer |3 episodes |- |2011 |''South Riding'' |Lord Sedgmire |Episode #1.3 |- |2011 |''Young James Herriot'' |Professor Henry Legge | rowspan="2" |3 episodes |- |2011–2013 |''Doctors'' |Marcus Tidwell / Ron Wise |- |2012 |''New Tricks'' |Colin Ogilvy |Episode: "Glasgow UCOS" |- |2013 |''M.I. High'' |Bodger |Episode: "Grosse Encounters" |- |2015 |''Holby City'' |Frank Thorpe |Episode: "Cover Up" |- |2015 |''We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story'' |John Laurie |Television film |- |2016 |''Shetland'' |Man on Beach |Episode #3.1 |- |2017–2018 |''Fortitude'' |Ralfi Sigurdson |9 episodes |- |2018 |''Grandpa's Great Escape'' |Mr. Willkins |Television film |- |2018 |''Still Game'' |Old Ricky |Episode: "Balls Up" |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0722661}} * {{discogs artist|Ralph Riach}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Riach, Ralph}} Category:1936 births Category:2022 deaths Category:People from Elgin, Moray Category:Scottish male film actors Category:Scottish male radio actors Category:Scottish male television actors
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