Film actor Andrew Keir was born - On this day in history

Scottish actor Andrew Keir, who played Professor Bernard Quatermass in The Quatermass and the Pit, was born on 3 April 1926 in Shotts.

Keir was the son of a coal miner and initially became a coal miner himself at the age of fourteen. He began his acting career in the local Miners' Welfare Hall, before being talent spotted and offered the chance to become a professional actor, which he accepted when a diagnosis of pneumoconiosis ended his work as a miner. His film debut was the 1950 production The Lady Craved Excitement.

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