Andrew Keir

Infobox actor
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name = Andrew Keir


imagesize = 200px
caption = Andrew Keir in "Quatermass and the Pit" (1967)
birthname = Andrew Buggy
birthdate = Birth date|1926|04|03|df=yes
location = Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland
deathdate = Death date and age|1997|10|05|1926|04|03|df=yes
deathplace = London, England
othername =
yearsactive = 1946–1996
spouse = Julia Wallace (1948–1977)
Joyce Parker Scott (1977–1997)
homepage =
notable role = Professor Bernard Quatermass in "Quatermass and the Pit" (1967) and "The Quatermass Memoirs" (1996)
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Andrew Keir (April 3, 1926 – October 5, 1997) was a Scottish actor, who rose to prominence featuring in a number of films from Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and particularly in the theatre, in a professional career that lasted from the 1940s to the 1990s. He is most remembered for starring as Professor Bernard Quatermass in Hammer's film version of "Quatermass and the Pit" (1967). He also originated the role of Thomas Cromwell in Robert Bolt's play "A Man for All Seasons" in 1960.

His obituary in "The Times" newspaper described him as possessing "considerable range and undeniable distinction."cite news|title=Andrew Keir; Obituary|publisher=The Times|date=1997-10-08|page=21]

Early life and career

Keir was born Andrew Buggy in Shotts, North Lanarkshire.cite news|title=Obituary: Andrew Keir|first=John|last=Ruscoe|publisher=The Times|date=1997-10-07] He was the son of a coalminer, and had five brothers and one sister. When he was fourteen years old he left school and began working down the coal mine alongside his father. He began 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 became a regular in the group's performances.

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. As this was during 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.

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. 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 she had developed at drama school. [cite news|title=It's never too late for an Oscar|first=Brian|last=Pendreigh|publisher=The Times|date=1997-12-28|page=3]

He made his film debut in 1950 in "The Lady Craved Excitement", but had his first notable role on screen in 1952's "The Brave Don't Cry". "The Brave Don't Cry" told the story of the rescue of a group of miners trapped underground after an accident in the pit, and Keir played a miner who places a bet on a horse race via the mine's telephone system while trapped, and has the final line of the film as he emerges from the pit after his rescue and asks who won the race.

Major film and theatre roles

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 James Hesketh. [cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051994/fullcredits#cast|title=Full cast and crew for A Night to Remember (1958)|publisher=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=2007-05-10] He played Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in the 1963 Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor vehicle "Cleopatra".

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"'s theatre critic as being "an arresting figure." [cite news|title=A Man for All Seasons|publisher=The Times|date=1960-07-02|page=12] In 1964 he was a member of the original West End cast of Lionel Bart's musical "Maggie May", playing the trade union leader.

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". 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), "" (1966) and "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb" (1971). 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."

Later career

Keir continued to appear on screen throughout the 1970s and 80s, in films such as "Zeppelin" (1971) and "The Thirty-Nine Steps" (1978). He also continued to have success with television roles, being nominated for BAFTA Scotland's Best Actor award for his role in the BBC series "Workhorses". He continued appearing in television series well into the 1990s, 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.

Keir, also featured in the Children's Film Foundation title Haunters of the Deep.Fact|date=October 2007

His final major role on screen was as the Duke of Argyll in the 1995 film "Rob Roy". This was another role that became one of his particular favourites. His final professional engagement was resuming the role of Quatermass for the 1996 BBC radio serial "The Quatermass Memoirs".cite book|title=The Quatermass Memoirs - sleeve notes|first=Andrew|last=Pixley|publisher=BBC Worldwide|year=2006|location=London|id=ISBN 1846 071054] This final performance was praised by "The Independent"'s radio reviewer: "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." [cite news|title=Radio The Quatermass Memoirs Radio 3|first=Robert|last=Hanks|publisher=The Independent|date=1996-03-06|page=7]

He died in hospital in London, aged seventy-one. From 1948 until 1977 he had been married to Julia Wallace, and they had two sons and three daughters. In 1977 he married Joyce Parker Scott who survived him, as did his five children from the previous marriage. One of his daughters was the actress Julie T. Wallace. [cite news|title=I Have Always Wanted to Pose Naked for Playboy|first=Lester|last=Middlehurst|publisher=Daily Mail|date=1997-05-03|page=35]

References

External links

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