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Brian Cox
Brian Denis Cox, CBE
(Born Dundee, 1 June 1946)
Brian Cox CBE is one of Britain's most respected and prolific stage and screen actors. A fan of the movies since his boyhood in post-war Dundee,
Brian began acting at the Dundee Repertory Theatre, then the Royal Court, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He has made his mark in Hollywood in films such as Manhunter (1986), Rob Roy (1995), the Bourne films (2002-4), X-Men 2 (2003) and Troy (2004).
Brian's ancestry
Tracing Brian's ancestry we discovered a typical Dundonian family; almost everyone worked in the jute mills or a related industry. The exhibition traced his roots in 'women's town', and unearthed a poignant story about a great grandfather who came to Glasgow from Ireland looking for a better life but died in an asylum.
We also followed the stories of his aunts and uncles, including their service and sacrifice in the Great War, and the tale of a masseur to French football teams.
The photograph on the left is of Brian and his father Charles (Chic) Cox, circa 1950 (click to enlarge).
Image: Private Collection
1881 census
Tracing further back, we uncovered this entry from the 1881 Census (right, click to enlarge). This shows Brian's great grandfather Bernard Cox, a 'drainer', and his family in Dundee. Some of the children, including Brian's grandfather Hugh, had already left home. One son was a mill worker at the age of 12.General Register Office for Scotland 282/04 003/04 037
The photograph on the left is of Hugh Cox, a dock labourer, and his wife Elizabeth McArdle, in the early 20th century (click to enlarge). They had 13 children between about 1879 and 1904. Their lives were shaped by the grinding work of the Dundee mills and docks, poor living conditions, and by the shattering experience of the First World War.
Image: Private Collection
Images of Brian's exhibition
Brian paid a visit to the Famous Scots Exhibition; his visit was captured in these photographs, reproduced with kind permission of the photographer, Rob McDougall.
A partnership between the National Records of Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon© Crown copyright
