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Gerda Stevenson

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Gerda Stevenson
Stevenson at Authors' Reading Month, 2014
Born (1956-04-10) 10 April 1956 (age 69)
West Linton, Peeblesshire, Scotland
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation(s)Actress, director, writer
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1980; died 2022)​
Children2
FamilyRonald Stevenson (father)
Savourna Stevenson (sister)

Gerda Stevenson (born April 10, 1956) is a Scottish actress, director and writer.

Known for her wide-ranging works in media, her notable stage roles include the title character in Edwin Morgan's English translation of Racine's Phèdre, and Lady Macbeth. In film, she starred alongside Celia Imrie in Margaret Tait's Blue Black Permanent (1992) and played the mother of Murron MacClannough in Braveheart (1995) winning the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actress for the former.[1] She was described by The Scotsman in 1999 as "Scotland's finest actress".

In addition to her screen and stage work, Stevenson is also a playwright, poet, and frequently appears on radio; as a reader of short stories and as an actress in adaptations.

Early life

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Stevenson was born on April 10, 1956, in the small village of West Linton in Peeblesshire, Scotland, where she was raised.[2] Her father was Scottish musician and composer Ronald Stevenson.[3][4]

Career

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Stevenson's play Federer vs. Murray has toured New York City and her poetry collection If This Were Real was published by Smokestack Books in 2013. In 2019, her poems illustrated the paintings of her one-time neighbour, Scottish painter Christian Small, in the book Inside & Out - The Art of Christian Small, published by Scotland Street Press.[5] She was a contributing writer to the 2024 book Feminist Theatre Then & Now: Celebrating 50 years.

Her radio work consists of several performances of poems and songs by Robert Burns for the BBC,[6] as well as numerous radio dramas: Self-Control by Mary Brunton as Laura Montreville; For the Love of Willie by Agnes Owens as Liza; The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott for BBC Radio 4, nominated for a Sony Award in 2008, as Jeanie Deans;[7] and Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon.[8] She has also written radio dramas including: Island Blue,[9] Secrets: The Punter's Tale,[10] Secrets: The Escort's Tale[11] and The Apple Tree.[12] She directed the Afternoon Play The Price of a Fish Supper.[13]

In 2002, she played Helen Gilmore in the soap opera River City.[14]

Stevenson won a BAFTA Best Film Actress Award for her role in Margaret Tait's feature film Blue Black Permanent, and has been twice nominated for the CATS awards.[15]

Stevenson directed the film The Storm Watchers, the script for which was written by George Mackay Brown, for the St. Magnus International Festival. She wrote and directed the film Paper Portraits (2025), about workers in the Midlothian paper-making industry, for Penicuik Community Arts Association.[16]

Credits

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1991 Tickets for the Zoo Children's Home Worker
1992 Blue Black Permanent Greta Thorburn
1995 Braveheart Mother MacClannough
1997 Flight: Searching for Scotland Narrator Short film
1998 The Boyhood of John Muir
2004 Dead Man Falls Mrs. MacLeod Short film
2005 Foighidinn: The Crimson Snowdrop Sea Witch
2013 Kiss the Water Herself Voice role

As director

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Year Title Distributor Ref.
2021 The Storm Watchers St Magnus International Festival [17]
2025 Paper Portraits Penicuik Community Arts Association [18]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1976 Play for Today Rachel Galt 1 episode
1980 Square Mile of Murder Madeleine Smith 2 episodes
1983 Grey Granite Ellen Johns 3 episodes
1986 Horizon Jane Bailey 2 episodes
1987 Taggart Mary Imrie 1 episode
1993 The Bill Anne Douglas 1 episode
1993 Doctor Finlay Agnes Miller 1 episode
1994 The High Life Avril 1 episode
1996 Rough Justice Sandra James 1 episode
1999 Life Support Claire Matheson 1 episode
2000 The Bill Annie McCluskey 1 episode
2002 Midsomer Murders Sandra Bradshaw 1 episode
2002-2003 River City Helen Gilmore
2005-2007 Heartbeat Mrs. Cameron 4 episodes
2014 Shetland Maria Markham 2 episodes

Theatre

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Year Title Role Theatre Company Director Notes
1982 Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaites Hameliness Scottish Theatre Company Tom Fleming play by Sir David Lyndsey, adapted by Robert Kemp
1985 Life of Galileo Virginia Scottish Theatre Company Peter Dews play by Bertolt Brecht
2010 The Government Inspector The Governor's Wife Commudicado Gerry Mulgrew play by Nikolai Gogol

Radio

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Date Title Role Director Station
12 September 1982 – 10 October 1982 The Bride of Lammermoor BBC Radio 4
16 May 1985 Watching Waiters BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play
13 March 1990 Fair Kirsten Marilyn Imrie BBC Radio 3
1 June 1990 The Interview Reader Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Morning Story
11 June 1990 Blood and Ice Marilyn Imrie BBC Radio 4 The Monday Play
27 October 1990 Witchwood BBC Radio 4 Saturday Playhouse
7 February 1995 The Upshot BBC Radio 4 Thirty Minute Theatre
14 December 1997 The Secret Commonwealth fairy voice Patrick Rayner BBC Radio 4
22 January 1998 Tam o'Shanter Hamish Wilson BBC Radio 4
21 March 1998
(Recorded on 22 February 1998)		 Camelot[19] Nimue BBC Radio 2
6 December 1999 – 13 December 1999 The Last Days of Mankind Giles Havergal BBC Radio 3 Sunday Play
5 February 2001 – 16 February 2001 Telling Liddy Bridie Pam Wardell BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Drama
11 February 2001 Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off Mary, Queen of Scots / Marian Marilyn Imrie BBC Radio 4
11 March 2001 Every Bit of It Georgia Susan Roberts BBC Radio 4
19 February 2002 A Hundred Miles[20] Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play
25 August 2002 – 1 September 2002 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie[21] Jean Brodie Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Classic Serial
25 January 2003 – 1 February 2003 Inspector Rebus: The Falls[22] Jean Burchill Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 The Saturday Play
31 March 2003 – 11 April 2003 Self-Control Laura Montreville Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Drama
6 May 2003 The Whole Story and Other Stories: Gothic by Ali Smith Reader David Jackson Young BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Reading
5 April 2004 – 9 April 2004 For the Love of Willie Liza Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Drama
10 January 2005 – 21 January 2005 The Gowk Storm Innkeeper's Wife David Ian Neville BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Drama
31 March 2005 Wooden Heart Uta Mary Ward Lowery BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play
16 May 2005 A Breath from Other Planets Mathilde Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play
25 February 2006 Christabel's Anarchist Christabel Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play
7 August 2006 – 2 October 2006 Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery[23] Steve Patrick Rayner BBC Radio 4
30 August 2006 The Madeleine Effect: Mangoes by Joanna Blythman Reader Kirsty Williams BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Reading
9 September 2007 – 16 September 2007 The Heart of Midlothian[7] Jeanie Deans Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Classic Serial
23 March 2008 The Muse of Rose Street[24] Reader Monise Durrani BBC Radio 4
16 May 2008 – 4 July 2008 Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery[25] Steve Patrick Rayner BBC Radio 4
4 December 2009 Distributing Dave[26] BBC Radio Scotland Drama
22 December 2009 The Three Knots[27] Old Woman Kirsty Williams BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play
11 June 2010 – 30 July 2010 Paul Temple and Steve[28] Steve Patrick Rayner BBC Radio 4
23 September 2010 The Second Mr Bailey[29] Margaret Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play
25 January 2011 The Culture Café: Completely Burns[30] Reader Esme Kennedy BBC Radio Scotland
14 February 2011 The Book Café[31] Reader BBC Radio Scotland
28 February 2011 Secrets: The Punter's Tale[10] Cara Bruce Young BBC Radio Scotland Drama
8 May 2011 Hume, the Philosophical Historian[32] Reader Louise Yeoman BBC Radio 3 Sunday Feature
24 August 2011 – 12 October 2011 A Case for Paul Temple[33] Steve Patrick Rayner BBC Radio 4
12 October 2011 I Confess: The Power of the Confession[34] Isobel Gowdie Liza Greig BBC Radio 3 The Essay

Personal life

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Stevenson was married to Scottish Gaelic poet Aonghas MacNeacail from 1980 until his death in 2022. They have two children.[35]

Her sister, Savourna Stevenson, has recorded works on the Scottish harp, the clàrsach.

She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

References

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  1. ^ "BAFTA Scotland Awards 1993". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Braveheart actress composes song for local school". Peeblesshire News. Galashiels, Scotland. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  3. ^ Gasser, M., "Ronald Stevenson, Composer-Pianist : An Exegetical Critique from a Pianistic Perspective" (Edith Cowan University Press, Western Australia, 2013)
  4. ^ "Braveheart actress composes song for local school". Peeblesshire News. Galashiels, Scotland. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Scotland Street Press | Bookstore | Inside and Out". www.scotlandstreetpress.com. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  6. ^ BBC – Robert Burns – Works read by Gerda Stevenson
  7. ^ a b BBC – Classic Serial – The Heart of Midlothian
  8. ^ BBC – Classic Serial – Sunset Song
  9. ^ BBC – Woman's Hour Drama – Island Blue
  10. ^ a b BBC – BBC Radio Scotland – Secrets: The Punter's Tale
  11. ^ BBC – BBC Radio Scotland – Secrets: The Escort's Tale
  12. ^ BBC – Afternoon Play – The Apple Tree
  13. ^ BBC – Afternoon Play – The Price of a Fish Supper
  14. ^ "River City - Helen Gilmore". BBC.
  15. ^ The Government Inspector theatre programme, Communicado, 2010
  16. ^ Riach, Alan and Stevenson, Gerda, "Paper Portraits", in The National, pp. 26 & 27, ISSN 1358-4286
  17. ^ McMillan, Joyce (9 June 2021). "Gerda Stevenson on filming George Mackay Brown's play, The Storm Watchers". The Scotsman. Edinburgh, Scotland. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  18. ^ Riach, Alan and Stevenson, Gerda, "Paper Portraits", in The National, pp. 26 & 27, ISSN 1358-4286
  19. ^ CastAlbums » Camelot » BBC Radio 2 Cast
  20. ^ Scottish Theatre Archive – A Hundred Miles
  21. ^ Radio – Scattered dreams – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Sue Arnold, The Observer, 1 September 2002
  22. ^ BBC – The Saturday Play – Inspector Rebus: The Falls
  23. ^ BBC – Paul Temple – Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery
  24. ^ BBC – The Muse of Rose Street
  25. ^ BBC – Paul Temple – Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery
  26. ^ BBC – BBC Radio Scotland – Distributing Dave
  27. ^ BBC – Afternoon Play – The Three Knots
  28. ^ BBC – Paul Temple – Paul Temple and Steve
  29. ^ BBC – Afternoon Play – The Second Mr Bailey
  30. ^ BBC – BBC Radio Scotland – The Culture Café: Completely Burns
  31. ^ BBC – BBC Radio Scotland – The Book Café
  32. ^ BBC – Sunday Feature – Hume, the Philosophical Historian
  33. ^ BBC – Paul Temple – A Case for Paul Temple
  34. ^ BBC – The Essay – I Confess: The Power of the Confession
  35. ^ Wilson, Brian (17 January 2023). "Aonghas MacNeacail obituary". The Guardian. London, England. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
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