John MacLeod of MacLeod was born as John Wolrige-Gordon in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, on 10 August 1935. He was the elder of the twin sons of Captain Robert Wolrige-Gordon, MC and his wife Joan Walter. His younger twin brother, Patrick Wolrige-Gordon, would later become a ToryMember of Parliament. The twins had an older brother, Robert Wolrige-Gordon, who would later succeed his father as the 21st laird of Hallhead, 10th feudal baron of Esslemont. Joan Walter was the daughter of DameFlora MacLeod of MacLeod, the 28th chief of Clan MacLeod. John Wolrige-Gordon was educated at Eton College, in England; McGill University, in Canada; and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, in England. After National Service in the Black Watch Regiment, he started a career in acting and singing. He was named heir to his grandmother in 1951, changed his surname to MacLeod of MacLeod, and was recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms as John MacLeod of MacLeod, Younger. He matriculated arms at Lyon Office in 1962. He later succeeded as chief of Clan MacLeod in 1976. In 2000, faced with the high cost of repairs to Dunvegan Castle, his clan's seat for more than 800 years, he put the Black Cuillin range in Skye on the market for £10 million. With the proceeds of the sale, he also planned to build an 80-bedroom hotel on his Skye estate. The planned sale caused outrage at the time and was never completed.
Family
MacLeod of MacLeod married Drusilla Mary Shaw on 25 July 1961. The marriage was dissolved by divorce, without issue, on 31 March 1971. MacLeod of MacLeod also had a natural son, Stephan. A daughter born out of Wedlock Tammi MacLeod MacLeod of MacLeod secondly married Azima Melita Kolin 19 March 1973, daughter of Duko Kolin of Sofia. The couple had two children: Hugh Magnus ; and Elena Mary Nadezhda. His second marriage was dissolved by divorce on 28 August 1992. On 27 March 2004, he married for a third time, Ulrika Thram.
Cricket
During the 1980s, McLeod became a keen playing member of the , a bunch of keen amateurs including founding member Bramwell Tovey. The club's poet was Alan Gibson, The Times cricket correspondent and former Test Match Special commentator. Such was MacLeod's modesty that few of the members knew about his background until a piece appeared about him in one of the Sunday broadsheets. MacLeod was by all accounts a decent batsman and would usually open the batting for the Peasants with a statuesque West Indian named Tony Jenkins who drove trains on London's Central Line. The club was based in Essex and most of the fixtures were played in this county - some considerable distance from MacLeod's London home in Chelsea.
Death and successor
On 12 February 2007, MacLeod of MacLeod died of leukaemia, aged 71, in London, England. His funeral was held at Duirinish Free Church of Scotland, at Dunvegan. He was buried at the ruined stone church at Kilmuir. MacLeod was succeeded by his second son, Hugh Magnus MacLeod, as 30th chief of Clan MacLeod.
