Andrew Keir
Encyclopedia : A : AN : AND : Andrew Keir
Keir, the son of a coal-miner, initially worked in the coal mines of his home town himself, leaving school to become a miner at the age of fourteen. He avoided being drafted into service during WWII and worked the mines for six years until 1946, when, at the age of twenty, he joined the Glasgow Citizen's Theatre to train as an actor.
He made his film debut in the early Hammer film The Lady Craves Excitement in 1950. His film work then went on to include well-known pictures such as A Night to Remember (1958), Cleopatra (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Lord Jim (1965) and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966).
Probably his best-known role during this period, and his major starring role, was as Professor Bernard Quatermass in the 1967 Hammer Films adaptation of the BBC television serial Quatermass and the Pit.
Later film roles included parts in the 1978 version of The Thirty-Nine Steps and Rob Roy (1995).
Keir also enjoyed an extensive television career, with guest starring roles in a variety of popular British television series, from Ivanhoe (1958) to Hamish Macbeth (1996). In between, he appeared in popular series such as The Avengers, The Saint, Taggart and Boon. He also starred in the popular Australian television series The Outsiders (1976).
Keir also worked on the radio, most notably when he returned to the role of Quatermass for the 1996 drama-documentary The Quatermass Memoirs, broadcast on BBC Radio 3. This made him one of only two actors - Brian Donlevy being the other - to play the part of the Professor twice.
Keir was married to Joyce Scott, and they had five children: Andrew, Maureen, Sean, Deirdre and Julie. Sean, Deirdre and Julie (known professionally as Julie T. Wallace) all became actors, with Sean and Deirdre both later moving into producing.
He died on 5 October, 1997, in London, England, aged 71.
See also
External links
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) | The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) | The Evil of Frankenstein (1964) | Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) | Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) | The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) | Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974) |- | style="font-size: 95%;" |Dracula
Dracula (1958) | The Brides of Dracula (1960) | [[Dracula: Prince of Darkness]] (1966) | Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) | Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) | Scars of Dracula (1970) | Dracula AD 1972 (1972) | The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) |- | style="font-size: 95%;" |The Mummy
The Mummy (1959) | The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964) | The Mummy's Shroud (1966) | Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) |- | style="font-size: 95%;" |The Karnstein Trilogy
The Vampire Lovers (1970) | Lust for a Vampire (1971) | Twins of Evil (1972) |- | style="font-size: 95%;" |Other notable films
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) | The Curse of the Werewolf (1961) | The Phantom of the Opera (1962) | The Kiss of the Vampire (1962) | The Devil-Ship Pirates (1963) | The Gorgon (1964) | The Nanny (1965) | Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966) | The Plague of the Zombies (1966) | The Reptile (1966) | Quatermass and the Pit (1967) | The Devil Rides Out (1967) | Hands of the Ripper (1971) | Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971) | Countess Dracula (1971) | Vampire Circus (1972) | To the Devil a Daughter (1976) |- | style="font-size: 95%;" |Directors
Roy Ward Baker | Terence Fisher | Freddie Francis | John Gilling | Seth Holt | Peter Sasdy | Don Sharp |- | style="font-size: 95%;" |Actors & Actresses
Ralph Bates | Peter Cushing | Veronica Carlson | Edward de Souza | Clifford Evans | Michael Gough | Andrew Keir | Duncan Lamont | Christopher Lee | Miles Malleson | Francis Matthews | André Morell | Ingrid Pitt | Oliver Reed | Michael Ripper | Barbara Shelley | Thorley Walters |- | style="font-size: 95%;" |Other notable names
Jack Asher (cinematographer) | Roy Ashton (make-up artist) | James Bernard (composer) | Eddie Powell (stuntman) | Bernard Robinson (designer) | Jimmy Sangster (writer, director)
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