Gordon Cameron Jackson was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Upon leaving
school aged 15 he gained employment as a draughtsman for Rolls-Royce.
Jackson’s film career began when Ealing producers were looking for a young Scot to take part in the film The
Foreman Went to France (1942). This was the beginning of a fruitful
association with Ealing Studios which saw Jackson appear in such films
as San Demetrio,
London (1943), Pink
String and Sealing Wax (1945) and Whisky
Galore! (1949). As he aged, Jackson went from playing the youthful
innocent to the weathered yet weak adult, notably in Tunes
of Glory (1960), The Great Escape (1963) and The
Ipcress File (1965). From the 1970’s onwards he became a stern
authority figure popular on television serials; Jackson was seen as
Hudson the butler in "Upstairs, Downstairs", and later the
formidable boss in the long-running "The Professionals".
