David Hayman


David Hayman is a Scottish film, television and stage actor and director from Glasgow. His acting credits include Sid and Nancy, Hope and Glory, Rob Roy, The Jackal, Trial & Retribution, Legionnaire, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Vertical Limit, The Tailor of Panama, Flood, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Paradise, Taboo, Our Ladies, The Nest, Bull, and Andor.

Early life

Hayman was born in Glasgow. At the age of six, his family were relocated to Drumchapel, Glasgow. He had a happy upbringing in Drumchapel, nearer to the countryside, as part of a working class family with three children.
He left school at 16 years of age without any academic qualifications, but like his father, secured a job in the shipyards as an apprentice electrician. Despite having no family history of acting, he heeded advice from a local amateur dramatics group to apply for a position at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. After work one day, he stepped off the bus and headed to the academy in his boiler suit, despite normally being very shy, and successfully enrolled.

Career

He began his acting career at the Citizens Theatre in the city. At the venue, Hayman played roles such as Hamlet, the lead in the Beaumarchais directed plays, The Marriage of Figaro, and Al Capone. On television, he gained national prominence playing the role of the notorious Barlinnie Prison convict turned sculptor, Jimmy Boyle, in the tv movie A Sense of Freedom. He also made uncredited appearances in early episodes of the comedy sketch show Scotch and Wry.
After this film for television, Hayman focused on performing character roles rather than the lead. His long list of film credits include appearances supporting Gary Oldman in Sid and Nancy, Bruce Willis in The Jackal, Kevin Spacey in Ordinary Decent Criminal and Pierce Brosnan in The Tailor of Panama. He also appeared in Hope and Glory, directed by John Boorman, as well as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Hayman is known for his role as Chief Supt. Michael Walker in Lynda La Plante's long-running crime thriller Trial & Retribution, which ran for twelve series from 1997 to 2009. He has a distinct scar over his left eye, which he chose to use as character makeup, along with a shaved head, for his part in the series.
Hayman has also had success in directing film and TV productions. Silent Scream, is a study of convicts in Barlinnie Prison, examining the life of convicted murderer Larry Winters. The film was entered into the 40th Berlin International Film Festival. Later followed The Hawk, starring Helen Mirren as a woman who begins to suspect that her husband is a serial killer. He was also in The Near Room, a film about child abuse and corruption set in Glasgow.
In 2009, Hayman appeared in an episode of the BBC series Robin Hood. In September 2011, Hayman hosted a documentary reconstructing the unsolved murders of Glasgow serial killer Bible John, who murdered three young women in the late 1960s. The documentary was named In Search of Bible John, and looked at the evidence which links Peter Tobin to the killings.
In 2012, Hayman played the Earl of Worcester in the BBC2 adaptation of Henry IV, Part I.
On stage, Hayman appeared as Chris in the 2011 production of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie at the Donmar Theatre, London. In 2012, he returned to the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow to play the lead in King Lear alongside George Costigan.
In March 2014, Hayman presented a BBC Two documentary exploring how shipbuilding industry along the river Clyde and four resulting ships; Cutty Sark, CS Mackay-Bennett, CSS Robert E. Lee and helped shaped up the Commonwealth. In July 2016, Hayman presented a BBC Two documentary highlighting Scapa Flow's key role in World War I.
In November 2018, Hayman presented a BBC One documentary telling the story of Captain Jack McCleery and his role, alongside his colleagues, in pioneering Royal Navy's naval aviation with their trial flight on HMS Furious and the subsequent Tondern raid. In 2019, he appeared in the Scottish film Our Ladies, alongside Marli Siu.
In 2021, he starred in the British crime movie Bull, alongside Neil Maskell. The same year, he presented Wonders of Scotland with David Hayman on ITV.

Charity work and awards

In 1992, Hayman was awarded the Glasgow Lord Provost's award for outstanding services to the performing arts. In 2001 he founded the humanitarian charity Spirit Aid which is dedicated to children of the world whose lives have been devastated by war, genocide, poverty, abuse or lack of opportunity at home and abroad. Hayman is currently Head of Operations of the charity which undertakes humanitarian relief projects from Kosovo to Palestine, Guinea-Bissau, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Malawi and South Africa.

Personal life

David Hayman has three sons: David Jr., Sammy, and Sean.

Theatre

Filmography

Acting

  • Just Your Luck as Alec
  • Axe as Radio and Television Shows
  • The Eagle of the Ninth as Liathan
  • Scotch & Wry
  • Time of the Eagle
  • A Sense of Freedom as Jimmy Boyle
  • Enemy at the Door as Oberleutnant Hellman
  • Eye of the Needle as Canter
  • Ill Fares The Land
  • Fame Is the Spur as Arnold Ryerson
  • Coming Out of the Ice as Guard Commander 1
  • Love Story: Mr. Right
  • It'll All Be Over in Half an Hour
  • Reilly: The Ace of Spies as Von Jaegar
  • Fell Tiger as Joe Borrow
  • Murphy's Law as Jack
  • Sid and Nancy as Malcolm McLaren
  • Heavenly Pursuits as Jeff Jeffries
  • Hope and Glory as Clive
  • Walker as Father Rossiter
  • Venus Peter as Kinnear
  • Silent Scream as PO 4 – Barlinnie Prison Staff
  • Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive as Plumber
  • Underbelly as Stephen Crowe
  • Between the Lines as David Lindsay
  • Finney as McDade
  • Ghosts as Les Rudkin
  • Rob Roy as Sibbald
  • The Near Room as Dougie Patterson
  • The Short Walk as Captain
  • Smilla's Sense of Snow as Telling
  • Twin Town as Dodgy
  • Regeneration as Maj. Bryce
  • The Jackal as Terek Murad
  • The Boxer as Joe Hamill's Aide
  • Friendly Voices as Alec
  • Trial & Retribution as Det. Supt. Michael Walker
  • Getting Hurt as Corvin
  • My Name Is Joe as McGowan
  • Legionnaire as Recruiting Sergeant
  • The Lost Son as Nathalie's Pimp
  • The Match as Scrapper
  • Ordinary Decent Criminal as Tony Brady
  • Last Orders
  • Best as Tommy Dougherty / The Barman
  • Vertical Limit as Frank 'Chainsaw' Williams
  • The Tailor of Panama as Luxmore
  • Murder Rooms: The Photographer's Chair as Mitchell
  • The Last Great Wilderness as Ruaridh
  • As the Beast Sleeps as Alec
  • The Wild Dogs as Victor
  • Tough Love as Barry Hindes
  • Still Game as Vince
  • Gifted as Michael Sanderson
  • De drabbade as Häxjägaren
  • Gladiatress as General Rhinus
  • Fuse as Lem
  • Where the Truth Lies as Reuben
  • Rag Tale as Picture Editor – The Rag, Geoff Randal
  • A Shot in the West as Henry Wynn
  • Small Engine Repair as Jesse Gold
  • Speed Dating as Doctor Birmingham
  • Flood as Major General Ashcroft
  • Unknown Things as Dr MacGregor
  • The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas as Pavel
  • The Promise
  • Wasted as Joe
  • Lewis as Richie Maguire
  • Robin Hood as Abbott
  • Burke & Hare as Danny McTavish
  • Screwed as Keenan
  • Birthday as Prison Warden
  • Top Boy as Joe
  • In Search of Bible John
  • Sawney: Flesh of Man as Sawney Bean
  • The Domino Effect as Robert
  • Henry IV, Part I
  • The Paradise as Jonas Franks
  • The Field of Blood as Red Willie McDade
  • Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit as Ambassador Sergey Dostal
  • Shetland TV as Joe Dalhousie
  • Queen and Country as Clive Rohan
  • Castles in the Sky as Frederick Lindemann
  • New Tricks as Ralph Paxton
  • Macbeth as Lennox
  • Dartmoor Killing as Tom
  • Viceroy's House as Ewart
  • Taboo as Brace
  • Finding Your Feet as Ted
  • Two Graves as Tommy
  • The Break
  • Dirt Road to Lafayette as Uncle John
  • Blinded by the Light as Mr Evans
  • Fisherman's Friends as Jago
  • The Corrupted as DCI Raymond Ellery
  • Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes as Private Frazer
  • Our Ladies
  • The Nest as Souter
  • Bull as Norm
  • Landscapers as William Wycherley
  • Doc Martin as George
  • Fisherman's Friends: One and All as Jago
  • Andor as Chieftain
  • The Walk-In as Older Lenny
  • My Neighbor Adolf as Mr. Polsky
  • Raging Grace as Mr. Garrett
  • Son of a Critch as Leo Critch
  • Protection as Sid Nyles

    Directing

  • Silent Scream
  • Firm Friends TV
  • Black and Blue TV
  • A Woman's Guide to Adultery TV
  • The Hawk
  • Cardiac Arrest TV
  • Finney TV
  • The Near Room
  • Harbour Lights TV

    Presenter

  • Clydebuilt: The Ships That Made The Commonwealth TV
  • Scotland's War at Sea TV
  • The Battle for Scotland's Countryside TV
  • Hayman's Way TV
  • Wonders of Scotland with David Hayman TV