8 hours Ago By Jane Bradley
He starred in more than 30 Laurel and Hardy films, has one of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood history and is the inspiration for Homer Simpson’s most famous expression . Now, James Finlayson - one of Scotland’s most successful ever Hollywood actors – has been immortalised in a new portrait to hang in the theatre where he first took to the stage. The painting has been created by 20-year-old Scottish oil painter Connor Draycott, who was commissioned to capture Mr Finlayson’s famous moustachioed look to celebrate the actor’s career and rise to international fame.
Mr Finlayson was born in Larbert, Stirlingshire, in 1887. After the death of his parents, the former tinsmith moved to New York in 1911, aged 24, to follow his dream of becoming an actor. After another move to Hollywood to become a screen actor, Finlayson soon found success alongside legendary due Laurel and Hardy.
He became one of their most popular supporting actors, appearing in more than 30 of their films, including Way Out West in 1937 and 1929’s Big Business. In total, Mr Finlayson appeared in more than 100 films during his career. Famously clumsy in many of his movie Laurel and Hardy movie roles, his trademark expression “Doh!” was picked up by writers of The Simpsons.
It became such a popular catchphrase for lead character Homer Simpson that it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001. The portrait was officially unveiled this month at a ceremony at The Dobbie Hall in Mr Finlayson’s hometown of Larbert, Stirlingshire. The artwork was shown in front of members of his Scottish and American family, some of whom had travelled to Scotland from the US for the occasion, alongside fans of the actor from across the UK.
Mr Draycott, who is studying fine art at the Glasgow School of Art, said: “It was an honour to be invited to create this portrait of James to celebrate his achievements. James is such a well-known face among fans of black-and-white movies and I wanted to capture the distinctive look that made him a real superstar of his day. I was commissioned late in 2023 and set about researching James and his films, so I could recreate his trademark facial expression as accurately as possible.
“There was initially some debate as to whether I should include his moustache in the portrait, as it was actually a false moustache that he wore specially for filming. But we decided that his moustache was such an integral part of his unique look that it should feature in the painting.” Mr Draycott added: “I like the fact that despite his face being so well-known during the 1940s and ‘50s, he could apparently remove the moustache and walk around Hollywood without being recognised by members of the public.
” The portrait now hangs in The Dobbie Hall to commemorate the global success Mr Finlayson achieved from humble beginnings. Mr Draycott was a finalist in the Scottish Portrait Awards 2022, the Scottish Fine Art Awards 2023 and winner of The Shining The Light art award in 2022..
