John Paisley (born 1938) was a Scottish actor, drama teacher, director and writer.
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Early life and acting career
Paisley was born in Scotland in 1938. He graduated from Edinburgh College of Speech and Drama, followed by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1959. He initially worked as an actor and stage manager as part of a repertory in England. He emigrated to Australia in 1961, working as an actor, teacher, writer, and playwright. in Melbourne he appeared as Sir J. M. Barrie in the acclaimed production of "The Death of Peter Pan", (Seasons 1 & 2). He relocated to China to lecture at the Beijing University Department of Foreign Languages from 1999 to 2005, before returning to film work in Chinese productions. He married the painter Zheng Keying, his third wife, in 2005.
His most significant recent role was as John Rabe in the 2009 movie City of Life and Death.
Paisley died peacefully at a nursing home on Christmas Day in 2023 and is survived by his wife and a daughter from an earlier marriage.
