The Famous Faces of Clan MacKinnon

Our notable MacKinnon's come from all around the world, and Leila McKinnon is no exception! McKinnon is an Australian journalist and TV presenter who works for the Nine Network. She is a reporter and presenter for broadcasts including Nine News and A Current Affair, and co-host of Australian Ninja Warrior. Although she grew up in Brisbane, McKinnon was born in Iran to an English mother and a father from New Zealand – her father worked as service manager to the Shah of Iran’s fleet of vehicles.

We are taking a trip to the USA for our next notable member of Clan MacKinnon. American actress, comedian, writer, and singer Kate McKinnon Berthold was a cast member on sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 2012-22, where she was best known for her character work and celebrity impressions - her knack for accents began in the fifth grade, where she impressed her classmates with an impression of the Queen. She appeared in the films Ghostbusters and The Spy Who Dumped Me, and will star in the upcoming Barbie movie, which is directed by her college friend Greta Gerwig.

Our next notable McKinnon is actually a 5 in 1! The New Zealand McKinnon family features several notable members – Major General Walter Sneddon McKinnon was a decorated military man who was appointed Chief of the General Staff of New Zealand in 1958 and at one time held the position of Chairman of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. He had four sons and a daughter. His eldest son, Don McKinnon, was New Zealand’s 12th Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for New Zealand and from 2000-2008 was the Secretary General of the Commonwealth. His next son, Ian, is a former Deputy Mayor of Wellington. A teacher, Ian worked at prestigious private schools in New Zealand and beyond, and latterly held the position of Chancellor at Victoria University of Wellington. Youngest twin sons John and Malcolm are a former New Zealand Ambassador to Beijing and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN and a political historian respectively. Truly an impressive bunch!

Angus McKinnon Young is a musician, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist and songwriter of the band AC/DC. Born in Glasgow, he emigrated to Australia with his family at the age of 7, founding AC/DC in Sydney in 1973 with his brother Malcolm. Young is known for his energetic performances, his school-uniform stage outfits and his “duckwalk.” In 2003, he and the other members of AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Finishing off back where it all began – in the MacKinnon heartlands of the west coast of Scotland. Neil MacKinnon was the first Protestant minister on the Isle of Skye. The eldest son of John Og MacKinnon, who was likely the brother of Clan Chief Sir Lachlan MacKinnon, he was first appointed the Episcopalian minister of Strath in 1627 and later took charge of the church at Sleat. It is said that as a child, MacKinnon’s life was in danger and as a result he spent some time hiding in a cave – the cave has been known ever since as Slochd Altrimen (the Nursing Cave). MacKinnon was notable for preaching in full Highland dress, and never entering the pulpit without being fully armed! He married Janet Macleod of Drynoch and had 5 sons.