By Amy Learmonth July 07, 2020

Clan Hannay: How Many Famous Hannay's Do You Know?

After writing the blog feature on Clan Hannay and their origins, I was so interested in the clan and their rich history that I decided to do a little bit of research into some notable Hannays who are part of this great clan. Clan Hannay is full of some very interesting people including actors, pilots and even fictional characters, read on to find out all about Clan Hannay's most distinguished members.

Ray Hanna

Ray Hanna in MH434 Ray Hanna


Raynham George Hanna, better known as Ray Hanna, was an RAF Fighter Pilot born in 1928 and raised in New Zealand. He had been interested in planes and flying from a very young age, however there was very little opportunity within the Royal New Zealand Air Force, so in 1949, at only 21, he moved to the UK to join the Royal Air Force (RAF). He had a very successful career within the RAF and was even awarded the Queens Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in 1960 and received the Air Force Cross in 1961. He was promoted to Squadron Leader in 1968, a position he held until 1971 when he retired from the RAF. He also joined the Red Arrows in 1965 and was a very active member of this, he held the position of Red 1 for four years and also helped design the Diamond Nine Formation which is still used by the Red Arrows today. In the early 1980's he started up The Old Flying Machine Company, which he operated with the help of his son. The company displayed vintage military aircraft all around the world and even provided planes for films, including Saving Private Ryan.

John Hannah

John Hannay John Hannah

John Hannah was born in 1962 and grew up in East Kilbride just outside of Glasgow. When John finished school he started an apprenticeship to become an electrician, while he was completing this he joined his local Theatre Club, he became so interested in acting that he joined the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama as soon as he finished his apprenticeship. A few years later he achieved his first role in Brond, however his big break came in 1994 when he was cast as Matthew in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hannah even won a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance. Appearing in over 40 films and 30 TV shows, including Cold Blood and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, with leading roles in both. His most recent role was as DI Stephen Grover in The Victim.

Daryl Hannah

Daryl Hannay Daryl Hannah

Daryl Hannah was born in Chicago in 1960 and is actually of Scottish descent (along with Norwegian, Danish, Irish, English and German descent). Daryl attended the University of Southern California where she studied ballet and acting and she gained her first acting job in 1978 with a minor role in the horror film The Fury. Hannah's big break only came along a few years later when she was cast as Pris in Blade Runner in 1982. She has appeared in over 70 movies with names including Kill Bill, Splash and A Walk to Remember, she has also dabbled in directing and acting. However, Hannah is known for much more than her acting career as she is also an activist for ethical issues and humanitarian and animal rights, participating in many protests all over America and she even has her own website and weekly blog called dhlovelife which is filled with content on how we can all live harmoniously with the planet and all other living things.

Mark Hanna

Mark Hanna 2 Mark Hanna

Marcus Alonzo Hanna, better known as Mark Hanna, was born in New Lisbon in the state of Ohio in 1837. He was made a partner in the family grocery business in his early twenties and so began his long career as a businessman. Shortly after this he married, and then became a partner in his father-in-laws coal and steel business. This soon led to Hanna becoming involved in iron, transportation, banking and publishing businesses and he was even a millionaire before his 40th birthday. Once he reached this milestone he focused his attention on politics, by working to promote the republican nomination for president. Hanna started doing this in 1880 for John Sherman and then for William McKinlay, in 1895 Hanna left his job to promote McKinlay full time and even invested some of his own money into the campaign. He was then made Senator, a position he held until his death in 1904.

Richard Hannay

Richard Hannay 2 Richard Hannay (Portrayed in The 39 Steps)

Richard Hannay was a character created by John Buchan, a Scottish Novellist. Hannay was based on a spy from Edinburgh who served in the Second Boer War and featured in 7 of Buchan's books and 3 other books by varying authors between 1985 and 2017. Although, Buchan's books were very popular and widely read, the Hannay initially became famous through his appearance in the 1935 film The 39 Steps.

If you know of any other famous members of Clan Hannay, be sure to let us know, we would love to hear from you!