Jimmy Logan
A versatile titan of Scottish theatre who conquered stage, screen, and pantomime as a performer, producer, and beloved national figure.
1928–2001 (age 73)·Scottish performer, producer, impresario and director·Birthday: April 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Jimmy Logan was the beating heart of Scottish entertainment for over half a century, a multihyphenate force who refused to be pigeonholed. Born into a show business family, he was a natural comedian, singer, and actor, finding early fame in revue and pantomime, where his warmth and timing made him a perennial favorite. But Logan was far more than a dame; he possessed serious theatrical ambition. He produced and starred in groundbreaking Scottish plays, most notably the first professional production of John Byrne's 'The Slab Boys', and ran his own theatres, including the legendary Metropole in Glasgow. His drive helped foster a generation of Scottish talent and proved that homegrown work could draw crowds. On screen, he moved effortlessly from cheeky comedies to dramatic roles, his face as familiar in living rooms as in theatre stalls. Awarded an OBE for his services to drama, Logan's legacy is that of a cultural custodian who elevated the entire ecosystem of Scottish performance through sheer talent and entrepreneurial grit.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Jimmy was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jimmy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Jimmy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Died at 73
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
Key Achievements
- Produced and starred in the first professional production of John Byrne's seminal Scottish play 'The Slab Boys' in 1978.
- Owned and operated the Metropole Theatre in Glasgow, a major venue for variety and theatre.
- Awarded an OBE in 1996 for his services to drama and entertainment in Scotland.
Did You Know?
He was the brother of actress and singer Annie Ross, of the famous jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.
Logan performed for troops during the Korean War as part of his National Service.
He was a skilled amateur painter and held several exhibitions of his work.
“The show must go on, but it's the laughter in the hall that tells you it's working.”
