ELIZABETH MacLennan, actress and writer and one of the founders of the ground breaking theatre group 7:84, has passed away after a short illness.

 

The Glasgow-born actress formed 7:84 Theatre with her late husband, the playwright John McGrath and her brother, David MacLennan, who died last year.

7:84 was formed in 1971 and MacLennan performed in many of its plays including its most famous production, The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil (1973), as well as Trees in the Wind, and Men Should Weep.

In 1990, she published an account of her time with the company, entitled The Moon Belongs to Everyone.

She appeared on television and in films in the 1960s and 1970s, including Dr. Finlay's Casebook and Z Cars.

The actress, who was the mother of playwright Kate McGrath, was the daughter of Sir Hector MacLennan, a gynaecologist and obstetrician, and his wife, Isobel, also a doctor and an activist in public health.

Her grandfather, RJ MacLennan, was the editor of the Glasgow Evening News.

7:84's name came from a statistic, published in The Economist in 1966, that seven per cent of the population of the UK owned 84 per cent of the country's wealth.

Playwright Kieran Hurley tweeted: "Very saddened to learn of the death of Liz MacLennan. A giant figure in Scottish theatre, and a wonderful woman."

The actor Tam Dean Burn said: "Very sad to hear of the passing of Liz Maclennan. My heart goes out to all her family, friends & comrades."

Helen Eastman, the editor of Ms MacLellan's book of poetry for Live Canon books said: "Liz inspired the rest of us to be better. I was one of many young women she befriended, championed and worked with. She brought passion, integrity and fun to everything she did. As a playwright, actress, poet and friend, she was never complacent. She kept on taking risks and never lost her faith that the arts matter and that artists must challenge and change the world. She believed in communities, deep friendships and solidarity. I am desperately saddened to lose her as a collaborator and friend."