Lewis Howden is known and loved for his portrayal of Sgt Billy McCabe in the BBC's hit crime drama Shetland. While the detective drama might be Lewis's most notable role, having starred in the show for over a decade, he's also appeared in a number of other major shows, including Taggart, Annika and Hope Springs. But did you know that he comes from a family of actors?
Keep reading to find out all we know…
Lewis's comedy icon father
Lewis isn't the only famous face in his family. His father, Alex Howden, was a comedian and actor, who initially found fame performing stand-up in working men's clubs throughout Scotland and the North of England.
Alex, who was nicknamed 'Happy' due to his larger-than-life personality, was perhaps best known for his roles in the 1998 adaptation of Irvine Welsh's The Acid House, as well as for playing a hangman in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis.
© Roger Donovan / Alamy StockHe also appeared in the Scottish football film A Shot at Glory and 2001's Monarch of the Glen.
After his death in 2015, Irvine Welsh described Alex as "one of the nicest and funniest people it's been my privilege to know".
Alex met his wife Freda when they were just teenagers at Norton Park Secondary school. They went on to welcome three children together. As well as Lewis, they share a daughter Freda, a hairdresser and make-up artist, and Kathryn, an actress.
© BBC Studios / Scotland / Jamie SimpsonLewis's famous sister
Like Lewis, his sister Kathryn also followed in their father's footsteps into the world of entertainment.
While Lewis initially embarked on a career as an analytical chemist, he turned to acting after Kathryn encouraged him to join her as a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Kathryn has appeared in a number of TV shows and films over the years but is perhaps best known for playing Maggie McLean in the Scottish drama, River City.
© BBC Studios / Scotland / Jamie SimpsonShe also played Mrs Carter in the BBC's Agatha Christie adaptation Murder is Easy, and has appeared in episodes of Outlander, Holby City and Taggart. In 2014, she played the role of Sophie Dalglish in the BBC's hit medical drama, Silent Witness.
Both Kathryn and Lewis are also stars of the stage and even performed together in Linda McLean's play, Any Given Day, at the Traverse Theatre in 2010 before co-starring in David Harrower's A Slow Air the following year.
© Robbie Jack / Corbis via Getty ImagesDuring an interview with The Herald in 2018, Kathryn described her and Lewis's upbringing as "quite mad".
"Whenever people asked: 'Are you working class?' I never used to know what to say. My dad didn't work 9-5," she said.
The actress also revealed that her dad worked as a bus driver whilst trying to break into the comedy circuit and would leave his passengers on board mid-route to perform routines at the local social club.
"He would say: 'Just nipping into the loo, ladies,'" Kathryn said. "He stole a bus once as well," she continued. "My dad used to have a key for the depot. He couldn't get a taxi after a gig, so he just went in and took a bus. We woke up in the morning and parked in the wee tiny scheme where we lived was this double-decker bus."
