Born Walter John Buchanan
2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957

Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director.

He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Grossmith Jr., and was described by The Times as "the last of the knuts." He is best known in America for his role in the classic Hollywood musical The Band Wagon in 1953 co-starring with Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Nanette Fabray, James Mitchell, Oscar Levant and Robert Gist.

Jack Buchanan made his stage acting debut in Britain in 1912, and on Broadway in 1924. Though he made his film debut in 1917 during the silent film era.

After a brief attempt to follow his father's profession (acting) in Glasgow, he became a music hall comedian under the name of Chump Buchanan and appeared on the variety stage in Scotland. Moving to London and adopting the name "Jack Buchanan", he first appeared on the West End in September 1912 in the comic opera The Grass Widow at the Apollo Theatre. Hardship dogged him for a while before he became famous whilst on tour in 1915 in Tonight's the Night. He produced and acted in his own plays both in London and New York City.

Buchanan's health was not robust – spinal arthritis – and, to his regret, was declared unfit when he attempted to enlist for military service in the First World War. 

Buchanan was a frequent broadcaster on British radio, especially during the Second World War. Programmes included The Jack Buchanan Show and, in 1955, the hugely popular eight-part series Man About Town.

On 12 June 1928, Buchanan participated in the first-ever transatlantic television broadcast. It was conducted by Scottish engineer John Logie Baird, an important figure in the technological development of television, and a lifelong friend of Buchanan's (with John Logie Baird he co-owned Television Limited, which manufactured and rented televisions. At the time, the few television sets that existed had been custom-built by engineers and were not available for purchase by the general public in the United Kingdom or the United States).

American television shows on which Buchanan appeared during the era of stores selling television sets included Max Liebman's Spotlight in 1954 and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Buchanan died in London on October 20, 1957 from spinal cancer at age 66.