Brian Cox as honorary patron for King's campaign

A dedicated supporter of the arts in Scotland, Cox will be at the heart of the £25m campaign to save the King’s Theatre for future generations.

Opened in 1906 The King’s Theatre is one of Scotland's oldest and most loved theatres. Now 110 years old it is in dire need of major redevelopment to bring it up to twenty first century standards and to meet the needs of modern audiences. 

Capital Theatres plans to transform the historic building to modernise and preserve it for generations to come. The charm and heritage of the Edwardian auditorium will be retained and its front of house and backstage facilities will be modernised to create a vibrant theatre which attracts the best performing companies.

In his support for the King’s Theatre, Cox says: ‘The King’s Theatre is a gem which deserves to be preserved.  If we don’t invest in our theatres, we stand to lose a vital part of Scotland’s cultural heritage and a theatre for everyone for generations to come.’

Brian Cox began his acting career first at Dundee Repertory Theatre in 1961 and then as one of the founding members of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, performing in its first show, The Servant O’ Twa Maisters, in October 1965. A celebrated actor of stage and screen with countless credits for film, theatre, TV and radio, Cox is already an Honorary Patron for the Lyceum and a patron for Scottish Youth Theatre. He is also a patron of "THE SPACE", a training facility for actors and dancers in his native Dundee and an "ambassador" for Screen Academy Scotland.

Brian Cox famously returned from some years teaching and directing at the Moscow Arts theatre school to play King Lear at the King’s Theatre Edinburgh in 1991. He performed at the Festival Theatre in the RSC’s production of Music Man in 1995 and has appeared most recently in Scotland in the Lyceum’s production of John Byrne’s Uncle Varick in 2004, and Waiting for Godot in the Lyceum’s 50^th anniversary programme in 2015.