Scots In Hollywood Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sean Connery

Arguably the best known Scottish actor, Sean Connery (1930-2020) was born in Edinburgh. He had several jobs in his younger days, including that of lorry driver, lifeguard and artist's model, before deciding to become an actor. A few small film roles followed before he made his breakthrough as James Bond in the 1962 film "Dr No". He would play the role of James Bond a total of seven times, as well as starring in several other films, including "The Untouchables", "A Bridge Too Far" and "Highlander".

"The Hunt for Red October" is based on Tom Clancy's book of the same name. Set during the Cold War, Connery plays a Soviet navel captain in charge of a nuclear submarine who wishes to defect to the US. The film also stars Alec Baldwin as CIA analyst Jack Ryan.

Answer: Brian Cox

Brian Cox was born in Dundee in 1946. Having graduated from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art at the age of 17, he went on to become one of the founding members of the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. A classically trained Shakespearean actor, Cox has been appearing in film and TV since the early 1970s. Other credits include "Manhunter", "The Ring" and TV show "Succession".

"Braveheart", released in 1995, stars Mel Gibson as William Wallace, a Scottish knight who fought against the tyranny of England's Edward I in an attempt to regain Scottish independence. While not historically accurate, the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Cox plays the role of William's uncle Argyle.

Answer: Deborah Kerr

Deborah Kerr (1921-2007) was born in Glasgow. Having initially trained as a ballet dancer, Kerr made her film debut in "Contraband" in 1940. Nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, she is perhaps best known for her role in "The King and I". Other notable films include "From Here to Eternity", "King Solomon's Mines" and "An Affair to Remember".

"The King and I" was adapted from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name. Kerr stars as Anna, governess to the children of the King of Siam, played by Yul Brynner. The film was released in 1956 and won five Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Brynner. Kerr was nominated for Best Actress but lost out to ingrid Bergman.

Answer: Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire in 1969. Having studied law at Glasgow University, he initally trained with an Edinburgh law firm but was fired just one week before graduating. He decided to move to London to pursue acting. A few theatre credits and small film roles ensued before he achieved his first leading role as the Phantom in the 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Phantom of the Opera", based on the novel by Gaston Leroux. He has also appeared in "300" , "P.S. I Love You" and "How to Train Your Dragon".

"The Bounty Hunter" is a 2010 romantic comedy directed by Andy Tennant, whose other films include "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Hitch". Butler plays a bounty hunter tasked with bringing his ex-wife, played by Jennifer Aniston, to jail after she skips her bond hearing after being arrested for assaulting a police officer.

Answer: Karen Gillan

Karen Gillan was born in Inverness in 1987. After completing a qualification in Acting and Performance at Telford College in Edinburgh, she went on to study at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. She first came to prominence playing Amy Pond in "Doctor Who", the Doctor's companion (2010-2013). She also appeared alongside The Rock and Kevin Hart in "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" and "Jumanji: The Next Level".

"Guardians of the Galaxy" is a 2014 film featuring a team of Marvel superheroes led by Peter Quill/Star-Lord, played by Chris Pratt. The film also features Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper. Gillan plays Nebula, an adopted daughter of Thanos.

Answer: Kelly Macdonald

Kelly Macdonald was born in Glasgow in 1976. While working as a waitress in Glasgow, she auditioned for the part of Ewan McGregor's (Renton) love interest Diane in "Trainspotting", based on the novel by Irving Welsh. She has also appeared in "Gosford Park", "Nanny McPhee" and was the voice of Merida in Pixar's "Brave". In 2013, she married Dougie Payne, the bass player in the Scottish band Travis.

"Trainspotting" is a 1996 film about a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh. The film is based on a 1993 book of the same name by Irvine Welsh. Macdonald plays Diane Coulston, the underage love interest of main character Renton, played by Ewan McGregor.

Answer: Robbie Coltrane

Robbie Coltrane (1950-2022) was born Anthony Robert McMillan in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, near Glasgow. He adopted the stage name Coltrane in tribute to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. After various film and TV performances in the 1980s, he came to prominence playing the titular character in the TV show "Cracker" (1993-2006), a criminal psychologist.

Coltrane would later achieve worldwide fame playing Rubeus Hagrid in the "Harry Potter" film franchise, based on the novels by J.K. Rowling. The first of these, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was released in 2001.

He suffered from osteoarthritis in later life due to his weight and passed away in 2022 at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Scotland.

Answer: Ashley Jensen

Ashley Jensen was born in Annan, Dumfrieshrire in 1969. She appeared in various roles on TV throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, in shows such as "Casualty", "The Bill", and "Eastenders", but it was playing Maggie Jacobs alongside Ricky Gervais in "Extras" when she achieved recognition. From 2006-2010 she played Christina McKinney in the ABC drama "Ugly Betty", a role which further cemented her reputation as a top actress.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is a 2010 DreamWorks animation about a Viking teen who wishes to become a dragon slayer, but finds himself befriending a dragon instead. Jensen voices Phlegma the Fierce, a female Viking.

Answer: James McAvoy

James McAvoy was born in Glasgow in 1979. His rise to stardom came with his role of Mr Tumnus in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" in 2005. He also appeared in "Atonement (2007)" and starred as Charles Xavier in the "X-Men" franchise.

"Split" is a 2016 psychological thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan. McAvoy plays a character with several split personalities who kidnaps three teenage girls and imprisons them in a secure underground facility.

Answer: Lindsay Duncan

Lindsay Duncan was born in Scotland in 1950. Her first TV role was in "Up Pompeii" in 1975. She appeared in various productions throughout the 1970s to the 2020s.

In the 2013 film "About Time", she plays the mother of Domhnall Gleeson's character. The film, also starring Rachel McAdams, is about a man who continually travels into the past to try to improve his life while incurring unexpected changes in his future.

Answer: John Hannah

John Hannah was born in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, in 1962. As well as playing opposite Gwyneth Paltrow as James Hammerton in the 1998 film "Sliding Doors", he also starred as Jonathan Carnahan in "The Mummy" franchise. His big breakthrough, however, was arguably playing the role of Matthew in "Four Weddings and a Funeral", during which he gave a moving rendition of W.H. Auden's "Funeral Blues" at the funeral of Gareth, played by Simon Callow.

"Sliding Doors" is a film about how a a small act, such as missing a train, can have unintended consequences which could affect your life.

Answer: Robert Carlyle

Robert Carlyle was born in Glasgow in 1961. He starred as Gaz in the 1997 film "The Full Monty", about a group of recently unemployed male factory workers in Sheffield who decide to become strippers.

He is also know for playing Begbie in the 1996 film "Trainspotting", and playing the titular character in the TV series "Hamish Mcbeth".

Answer: Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor was born in Perth in 1971. His breakthrough role came as Renton in "Trainspotting" based on the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name, about drug users in Edinburgh. He also portrayed the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the "Star Wars" franchise, as well as appearing in "Moulin Rouge!" (2001) and "The Island" (2005).

"Black Hawk Down", released in 2001, is based on a 1999 book by Mark Bowden, about the crew of a US Black Hawk helicopter shot down in Somalia during the Battle of Mogadishu.

Answer: Laura Fraser

Laura Fraser was born in Glasgow in 1975. Her other acting credits include playing Lydia Rodarte-Quayle in "Breaking Bad (2012-2013)", Eve Stone in the 2016 series "The Missing" and The Future in the 2001 sci-fi film "Vanilla Sky", starring Tom Cruise.

"A Knight's Tale" is a 2001 action comedy starring Heath Ledger as peasant who poses as a knight in order to compete in tournaments. Fraser plays Kate, a female blacksmith eager to prove that her armour is just as good as her competitors.

Answer: Georgia King

Georgia King was born in Edinburgh in 1986. Her big break came playing Rosamond Oliver in the 2006 TV adaptation of "Jane Eyre" at the age of 18, while she was working in a cheese shop. She has appeared in various other film/TV roles including "Austenland" (2013), "Vice Principals" (2016-2017) and "Devs (2020)".

"One Day" is a 2011 film starring Anne Hathaway (Emma Morley) and Jim Sturgess (Dexter Mayhew), about a couple who meet up on the same day every year over the course of twenty years. King plays Suki Meadows, a girlfriend of Dexter.