[5] He was the son of Henry Alexander Mavor (1858–1915), an electrical engineer and industrialist, and his wife Janet Osborne.
[6][7] He went to school at Glasgow Academy and then studied medicine at the University of Glasgow graduating in 1913,[8] later becoming a general practitioner, then consultant physician and professor after serving as a military physician during World War I, seeing service in France and Mesopotamia.
[11] Ronald became drama critic of The Scotsman after retiring from medicine, Director of the Scottish Arts Council and Deputy Chairman of the Edinburgh Festival.
[12] Bridie was the founder of the Citizens Theatre[13][14] in Glasgow, in association with joint founders art director Dr Tom Honeyman and cinema magnate George Singleton, who also created the Cosmo, predecessor of today's Glasgow Film Theatre.
[5] In 1950 he founded the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art, part of the Royal Conservatoire today.