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Andrew Keir

Andrew Keir ( Buggy, 3 April 1926 – 5 October 1997) was a Scottish actor who appeared in a number of films made by Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and especially in the theatre, in a professional career that lasted from the 1940s to the 1990s.

Andrew Keir
Keir in Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
Born
Andrew Buggy

(1926-04-03)3 April 1926
Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died5 October 1997(1997-10-05) (aged 71)
London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1946–1997
Spouses
  • Julia Wallace
    (m. 1948⁠–⁠1977)
  • Joyce Parker Scott
    (m. 1977)
Children5, including Julie T. Wallace

He starred as Professor Bernard Quatermass in Hammer's film version of Quatermass and the Pit (1967). He also appeared in the big screen version of the Doctor Who story The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966). He originated the role of Thomas Cromwell in Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons (1960).

His obituary in The Times described him as possessing "considerable range and undeniable distinction."[1]

Early life and career Edit

Keir was born in Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland.[2] He was the son of a coal miner, and had five brothers and one sister.[1] At 14, he left school to work down the coal mine alongside his father.[2] He started acting by chance, when he went to meet a friend at the Miners' Welfare Hall, and one member of the cast of an amateur dramatics production being performed at the Hall had failed to turn up. Keir was persuaded to take the minor role of a farmer in the play, and enjoyed the experience so much that he later became a regular in the group's performances.[1][2]

The group entered a competition in Inverness, where Keir's talent was spotted and he was offered the chance to become a professional actor at the Unity Theatre in Glasgow.[1] Since this was after the start of the Second World War, he could not easily leave his occupation as a miner; he was only able to accept the offer after he obtained a medical diagnosis of pneumoconiosis, which freed him from his work in the mine.[1]

After a few months at the Unity Theatre, he was offered a place at Glasgow's Citizens' Theatre by director Tyrone Guthrie. He accepted, and remained with the Citizens Theatre company for nine years.[2] At the Citizens', he was a contemporary of Phyllida Law and Fulton Mackay; Keir and Mackay used to escort Law from the theatre to the local tram stop so that she would not be accosted by local gangs because of the English accent that she had developed at drama school.[3]

Keir made his film debut in 1950 in The Lady Craved Excitement, and performed in his first major screen role in The Brave Don't Cry (1952). The film concerned the rescue of a group of miners trapped underground after an accident in the pit, with Keir playing a miner who places a bet on a horse race via the mine's telephone system while trapped; he was given the final line of dialogue, as he emerges from the pit following his rescue and asks who won the race.[1]

Major film and theatre roles Edit

He began to win increasingly prominent film roles throughout the course of the 1950s, appearing in the Ealing comedy The Maggie (1954) and the Titanic film A Night to Remember (1958), in which he portrayed 2nd Engineer John Henry Hesketh[2][4] He played Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in the 1963 Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor vehicle Cleopatra.[2]

Keir also continued to act on the stage. He played Robert Burns in the pageant I, Robert Burns in 1959, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the poet. In 1960 Keir initiated the role of Thomas Cromwell in the original theatrical production of Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons. Keir's performance in this part was praised by The Times as being "an arresting figure".[5] In 1964, he was a member of the original West End cast of Lionel Bart's musical Maggie May, playing the trade union leader.[1]

He had first appeared on television on the BBC in the early 1950s, and through that decade and into the 1960s continued to make guest appearances in a range of programmes, including Danger Man, Dr Finlay's Casebook, The Avengers and Z Cars. He appeared in a 1968 episode of the ITV series, The Saint. However, it was in films where he became most prominent during the 1960s and early 1970s, particularly in Hammer's famous range of "Hammer Horror" productions. He appeared in Pirates of Blood River (1962), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), The Viking Queen (1967) and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971).[1] By far his most prominent role for Hammer came in 1967's Quatermass and the Pit; this remained one of Keir's personal favourite roles of his career, and his obituary in The Independent claimed that "Keir's mixture of gruff determination, intelligence and quirkiness made him the definitive professor."[2]

In 1966, Keir joined the cast list of the second Doctor Who big screen adventure, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., alongside Peter Cushing.

Later career Edit

Keir continued to appear on screen throughout the 1970s and 80s, in films such as Zeppelin (1971) and The Thirty Nine Steps (1978).[1][2] He also continued to have success with television roles; the Australian series The Outsiders demonstrated again the wide range of types that he could convincingly play, but brought him less praise than the BBC series Workhorses, for which he was nominated for BAFTA Scotland's Best Actor award.[2] He continued appearing in TV series well into the 1990s, appearing as Macrae of Balbuie in two series of the BBC Scotland drama series Strathblair, and guest starring in an episode of Hamish Macbeth in a part that was written especially for him; the series was produced by his daughter, Deidre.[2]

His final major acting role was as John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll (1678–1743) in the film Rob Roy (1995), although he also played a prominent role as Fergus in The Princess Stallion in 1997, the year of his death. Argyll was another role that became one of his favourites.[2] His final professional engagement was resuming the role of Quatermass for the 1996 BBC radio serial The Quatermass Memoirs.[6] This final performance was praised by The Independent: "This series has so far been hugely enjoyable - thanks in large part to Andrew Keir, who recreates the role of Quatermass in dramatic interludes; lesser actors would treat Kneale's downbeat script with a certain detachment, but Keir is prepared to charge even the most banal lines with a terror that's both a treat and a lesson."[7]

Keir died in hospital in London, aged 71, on 5 October 1997.[1] From 1948 until 1977, he was married to Julia Wallace, with whom he had two sons and three daughters. In 1977, he married Joyce Parker Scott, who survived him, along with his five children from his previous marriage.[2] One of his daughters is the actress Julie T. Wallace.[citation needed]

Selected filmography Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Andrew Keir; Obituary". The Times. 8 October 1997. p. 21.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ruscoe, John (7 October 1997). "Obituary: Andrew Keir". The Times.
  3. ^ Pendreigh, Brian (28 December 1997). "It's never too late for an Oscar". The Times. p. 3.
  4. ^ "Full cast and crew for A Night to Remember (1958)". IMDb. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
  5. ^ "A Man for All Seasons". The Times. 2 July 1960. p. 12.
  6. ^ Pixley, Andrew (2006). The Quatermass Memoirs - sleeve notes. London: BBC Worldwide. ISBN 1-84607-105-4.
  7. ^ Hanks, Robert (6 March 1996). "Radio The Quatermass Memoirs Radio 3". The Independent. p. 7.

External links Edit

andrew, keir, buggy, april, 1926, october, 1997, scottish, actor, appeared, number, films, made, hammer, film, productions, 1960s, also, active, television, especially, theatre, professional, career, that, lasted, from, 1940s, 1990s, keir, quatermass, 1967, bo. Andrew Keir ne Buggy 3 April 1926 5 October 1997 was a Scottish actor who appeared in a number of films made by Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s He was also active in television and especially in the theatre in a professional career that lasted from the 1940s to the 1990s Andrew KeirKeir in Quatermass and the Pit 1967 BornAndrew Buggy 1926 04 03 3 April 1926Shotts Lanarkshire ScotlandDied5 October 1997 1997 10 05 aged 71 London EnglandOccupationActorYears active1946 1997SpousesJulia Wallace m 1948 1977 wbr Joyce Parker Scott m 1977 wbr Children5 including Julie T WallaceHe starred as Professor Bernard Quatermass in Hammer s film version of Quatermass and the Pit 1967 He also appeared in the big screen version of the Doctor Who story The Dalek Invasion of Earth Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A D 1966 He originated the role of Thomas Cromwell in Robert Bolt s play A Man for All Seasons 1960 His obituary in The Times described him as possessing considerable range and undeniable distinction 1 Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Major film and theatre roles 3 Later career 4 Selected filmography 5 References 6 External linksEarly life and career EditKeir was born in Shotts Lanarkshire Scotland 2 He was the son of a coal miner and had five brothers and one sister 1 At 14 he left school to work down the coal mine alongside his father 2 He started acting by chance when he went to meet a friend at the Miners Welfare Hall and one member of the cast of an amateur dramatics production being performed at the Hall had failed to turn up Keir was persuaded to take the minor role of a farmer in the play and enjoyed the experience so much that he later became a regular in the group s performances 1 2 The group entered a competition in Inverness where Keir s talent was spotted and he was offered the chance to become a professional actor at the Unity Theatre in Glasgow 1 Since this was after the start of the Second World War he could not easily leave his occupation as a miner he was only able to accept the offer after he obtained a medical diagnosis of pneumoconiosis which freed him from his work in the mine 1 After a few months at the Unity Theatre he was offered a place at Glasgow s Citizens Theatre by director Tyrone Guthrie He accepted and remained with the Citizens Theatre company for nine years 2 At the Citizens he was a contemporary of Phyllida Law and Fulton Mackay Keir and Mackay used to escort Law from the theatre to the local tram stop so that she would not be accosted by local gangs because of the English accent that she had developed at drama school 3 Keir made his film debut in 1950 in The Lady Craved Excitement and performed in his first major screen role in The Brave Don t Cry 1952 The film concerned the rescue of a group of miners trapped underground after an accident in the pit with Keir playing a miner who places a bet on a horse race via the mine s telephone system while trapped he was given the final line of dialogue as he emerges from the pit following his rescue and asks who won the race 1 Major film and theatre roles EditHe began to win increasingly prominent film roles throughout the course of the 1950s appearing in the Ealing comedy The Maggie 1954 and the Titanic film A Night to Remember 1958 in which he portrayed 2nd Engineer John Henry Hesketh 2 4 He played Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in the 1963 Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor vehicle Cleopatra 2 Keir also continued to act on the stage He played Robert Burns in the pageant I Robert Burns in 1959 celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the poet In 1960 Keir initiated the role of Thomas Cromwell in the original theatrical production of Robert Bolt s play A Man for All Seasons Keir s performance in this part was praised by The Times as being an arresting figure 5 In 1964 he was a member of the original West End cast of Lionel Bart s musical Maggie May playing the trade union leader 1 He had first appeared on television on the BBC in the early 1950s and through that decade and into the 1960s continued to make guest appearances in a range of programmes including Danger Man Dr Finlay s Casebook The Avengers and Z Cars He appeared in a 1968 episode of the ITV series The Saint However it was in films where he became most prominent during the 1960s and early 1970s particularly in Hammer s famous range of Hammer Horror productions He appeared in Pirates of Blood River 1962 Dracula Prince of Darkness 1966 The Viking Queen 1967 and Blood from the Mummy s Tomb 1971 1 By far his most prominent role for Hammer came in 1967 s Quatermass and the Pit this remained one of Keir s personal favourite roles of his career and his obituary in The Independent claimed that Keir s mixture of gruff determination intelligence and quirkiness made him the definitive professor 2 In 1966 Keir joined the cast list of the second Doctor Who big screen adventure Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A D alongside Peter Cushing Later career EditKeir continued to appear on screen throughout the 1970s and 80s in films such as Zeppelin 1971 and The Thirty Nine Steps 1978 1 2 He also continued to have success with television roles the Australian series The Outsiders demonstrated again the wide range of types that he could convincingly play but brought him less praise than the BBC series Workhorses for which he was nominated for BAFTA Scotland s Best Actor award 2 He continued appearing in TV series well into the 1990s appearing as Macrae of Balbuie in two series of the BBC Scotland drama series Strathblair and guest starring in an episode of Hamish Macbeth in a part that was written especially for him the series was produced by his daughter Deidre 2 His final major acting role was as John Campbell 2nd Duke of Argyll 1678 1743 in the film Rob Roy 1995 although he also played a prominent role as Fergus in The Princess Stallion in 1997 the year of his death Argyll was another role that became one of his favourites 2 His final professional engagement was resuming the role of Quatermass for the 1996 BBC radio serial The Quatermass Memoirs 6 This final performance was praised by The Independent This series has so far been hugely enjoyable thanks in large part to Andrew Keir who recreates the role of Quatermass in dramatic interludes lesser actors would treat Kneale s downbeat script with a certain detachment but Keir is prepared to charge even the most banal lines with a terror that s both a treat and a lesson 7 Keir died in hospital in London aged 71 on 5 October 1997 1 From 1948 until 1977 he was married to Julia Wallace with whom he had two sons and three daughters In 1977 he married Joyce Parker Scott who survived him along with his five children from his previous marriage 2 One of his daughters is the actress Julie T Wallace citation needed Selected filmography EditThe Gorbals Story 1950 Pub chucker outer uncredited The Lady Craved Excitement 1950 Peterson The Brave Don t Cry 1952 Charlie Ross Laxdale Hall 1953 McKellaig The Maggie 1954 The Reporter Suspended Alibi 1957 Sandy Thorpe High Flight 1957 Valetta Instructor Heart of a Child 1958 Constable A Night to Remember 1958 2nd Engineer Officer John Henry Hesketh Tread Softly Stranger 1958 Inspector Harris The Day They Robbed the Bank of England 1960 Sergeant of the Guard Tunes of Glory 1960 L Cpl Campbell Greyfriars Bobby The True Story of a Dog 1961 Constable uncredited Pirates of Blood River 1962 Jason Standing Cleopatra 1963 Agrippa Torpedo Bay 1963 O Brien The Fall of the Roman Empire 1964 Polybius The Devil Ship Pirates 1964 Tom Harry s father Lord Jim 1965 Brierly Dracula Prince of Darkness 1966 Father Sandor Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 A D 1966 Wyler The Fighting Prince of Donegal 1966 Lord McSweeney The Viking Queen 1967 Octavian The Long Duel 1967 Gungaram Quatermass and the Pit aka Five Million Years to Earth 1967 Prof Bernard Quatermass Attack on the Iron Coast 1968 Captain Franklin The Royal Hunt of the Sun 1969 Valverde The Last Grenade 1970 Gordon Mackenzie Adam s Woman 1970 O Shea The Night Visitor 1971 Dr Kemp Zeppelin 1971 Von Gorian Blood from the Mummy s Tomb 1971 Professor Julian Fuchs Mary Queen of Scots 1971 Ruthven The Aries Computer 1972 Conflict 1973 Father Matthew The Thirty Nine Steps 1978 Lord Rohan Absolution 1978 Headmaster Meetings with Remarkable Men 1979 Head of Sarmoung Monastery Lion of the Desert 1981 Salem Marco Polo 1982 Old Shepherd Haunters of the Deep 1984 Captain Tregellis Dragonworld 1994 Angus McGowan Rob Roy 1995 John Campbell 2nd Duke of Argyll Dragonworld The Legend Continues filmed in 1996 but released in 1999 Angus McGowan The Princess Stallion 1997 TV Movie FergusReferences Edit a b c d e f g h i j Andrew Keir Obituary The Times 8 October 1997 p 21 a b c d e f g h i j k l Ruscoe John 7 October 1997 Obituary Andrew Keir The Times Pendreigh Brian 28 December 1997 It s never too late for an Oscar The Times p 3 Full cast and crew for A Night to Remember 1958 IMDb Retrieved 10 May 2007 A Man for All Seasons The Times 2 July 1960 p 12 Pixley Andrew 2006 The Quatermass Memoirs sleeve notes London BBC Worldwide ISBN 1 84607 105 4 Hanks Robert 6 March 1996 Radio The Quatermass Memoirs Radio 3 The Independent p 7 External links EditAndrew Keir at IMDb Andrew Keir at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Andrew Keir amp oldid 1118767847, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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