About Frank Gilhooley…

Frank Gilhooley was raised the youngest of seven children, in the small mining community of Loanhead, near Edinburgh, Scotland.

Though a keen artist and creative writer, it wasn’t until his 30th year that he decided to seek a career in acting and gained a role in Edinburgh Theatre workshop’s community play about the land girls of World War Two... Wave Me Goodbye, where he played Alex the mis-understood conscientious objector, in the first performance of his adult life in which he received touching reviews from various Scottish newspapers.

Soon after, he performed in the Edinburgh Fringe as Frank Rowley, the sandal wearing rugby playing butcher in John Godber’s hilarious Rugby play Up ‘n Under, where he was approached by his agent Lovett Logan, who represents him to this day.

Since that time, Frank has amassed a diverse television and movie CV, working with many wonderful directors including , Ken Loach in Its A Free World (Sixteen Films), James Gunn in Guardians Of The Galaxy (Marvel), Anna Foerster in Outlander (Starz), Dave Mackenzie in Outlaw King (Sigma Film), and most recently with Althea Jones in Mrs Davis (Warner Brothers), and Mike Newell in The Spirit Of 1926 (The Macallans).

Frank as The Ghillie in The Macallans movie The Spirit Of 1926

Frank (aka John Maclean) after a particularly emotional day of performing with his on screen sister Kathryn Howden in River City.

More locally Frank is also known in Scotland for his roles as Mark the angry quizmaster (& barman) in the phenomenally funny comedy series Still Game (BBC), and also for his creepy role as John Maclean the incestual rapist in Rivercity (BBC).

Frank being put in his place by Drax The Destroyer (Dave Bautista) in Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Having studied since 2006 with Los Angeles’ widely acclaimed performance coach Bernard Hiller, almost a decade ago Bernard asked Frank to consider teaching this unique and powerful method. This was a request which Frank wholeheartedly embraced with open arms. This new adventurous direction in life has widened Frank’s profile and he now teaches his own Performance Masterclasses across the country and across the world, which in turn has led to Frank branching into writing and directing.

Frank in California with LA’s incredible Performance & Life Coach Bernard Hiller

“Bernard Hiller quite literally re-programmed my soul. He showed me a beautiful world of colour that in my ignorance, I never even knew existed.”

Frank’s latest movie Betrayal is a political thriller set in a Northern Irish borders community, and tells the story of an IRA resurgence as a direct result of Brexit. All the actors in the movie were performers from Frank’s Edinburgh masterclass.

During Covid, Frank finally completed his mental health resilience book ‘Avoiding The Downward Spiral of Fear’, which is currently on sale in paperback from Amazon, and is also available to download on Kindle, and at almost 600 pages it’s a hell of a read.

In Frank’s Masterclasses, he promotes the principle of living from the heart and seeking a life of authenticity & adventure. 

A few years before Covid, Frank cycled across Western Australia for a children’s cancer charity, then more recently he has commenced a more consistent role of charity engagement by committing to organising bucket list treks and events every two years which seen him lead a group of ten trekkers up Kilimanjaro a couple of years ago, and in 2023 leading a group of 14 to trek the Inca Trail to the lost city of Machu Picchu in Peru.

Frank at Kilimanjaro Base Camp, a few hours before the final push to the summit.

Frank as Mark The Barman in Still Game

Franks motto in life...
“If you wonder if you can, you definitely can. And by the way, I know I haven’t met you yet, but trust me, I love you!”

Using his deeply emotional healing method, Frank has guided performers and creatives of all genres, and non creatives too, to shed their fears and live a brighter future full of love, adventure and fulfilment for almost a decade now.

“Life supports what supports life, but it’s all about that initial leap of faith”

Frank Gilhooley