Gerda Stevenson
Gerda Stevenson (born 10 April 1956 in Peeblesshire, Scotland) is a Scottish actress, director and writer, described by "The Scotsman" in 1999 as "Scotland's finest actress". She has played many parts in the theatre, including the title role in Edwin Morgan's English translation of Racine's "Phèdre", and Lady Macbeth, and has appeared in many television dramas. She was Murron MacClannough's mother in the Mel Gibson film "Braveheart", and her voice is familiar to listeners of British radio, as a reader of short stories and adaptations. In particular, she has performed several poems and songs  by Robert Burns for the BBC. Her play "Federer Versus Murray" toured to New York in 2012, and her poetry collection "If This Were Real" was published by Smokestack Books in 2013. She has adapted a number of works for radio: "Self-Control" by Mary Brunton in which Stevenson played the part of Laura Montreville; "For the Love of Willie" by Agnes Owens in which Stevenson played the part of Liza; "The Heart of Midlothian" by Sir Walter Scott for BBC Radio 4, nominated for a Sony Award in 2008, in which Stevenson played the part of the heroine Jeanie  Deans; and "Sunset Song" by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. She has written radio plays including: "Island Blue", "Secrets: The Punter's Tale", "Secrets: The Escort's Tale" and "The Apple Tree". She directed the Afternoon Play "The Price of a Fish Supper". Stevenson's partner is the Scottish Gaelic poet Aonghas MacNeacail. Her father is the musician and composer Ronald Stevenson. Her sister Savourna Stevenson (born 1961) has recorded works on the Scottish harp, the clàrsach. She is a graduate of RADA.