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Alastair Sim (October 9, 1900 – August 19,
1976) was a Scotland|Scottish character
actor|character actor, whose comic appearance
ensured him success in a string of classic United
Kingdom|British films.

He was born in Edinburgh into a family of tailors.
He was an elocution lecturer at Edinburgh
University|New College, Edinburgh University from
1925 until 1930, and would later be rector from
1948 until 1951. He married Naomi in 1932 and they
remained together until his death in 1976.
Alastair was always ambiguous about fame and never
signed autographs.

Preferring the Theater|stage, he made his London
début in Othello in 1930. He also appeared for a
season at the Old Vic.
He made his film debut in The Case of Gabriel
Perry (1935).  He spent the remainder of the
decade playing supporting roles in films, and was
often credited as "stealing the scene" from the
leading actors.  By the 1940s he had progressed to
leading roles, and in 1950 he was voted the most
popular film actor in United Kingdom|Britain in a
national cinema poll.

His films include Green for Danger (1946),
Waterloo Road (film)|Waterloo Road (1947), Alfred
Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950), Folly to be Wise
(1953), The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954) and An
Inspector Calls (also 1954) but arguably his most
widely admired role was as the title character in
Scrooge (1951 film)|Scrooge (1951).  He played the
headmistress Miss Fitton (and her brother
Clarence) in the St. Trinian's series.  His most
frequently played role was as Captain Hook in six
different productions of Peter Pan between 1941
and 1968.

Alastair's performance as Mr. Squales in London
Belongs to Me (1948) so impressed Alec Guinness
that he based his performance in The Ladykillers
(1955) on it. So much so that Alastair is often
thought to have done it.

Sim was made Order of the British Empire|CBE. 
Prior to his death, he played the judge in the
popular television program|television series
Misleading Cases by A. P. Herbert.  He died in
London, England from cancer. 

==References==
* Naomi Sim, Dance and Skylark: Fifty years with
Alastair Sim, London: Bloomsbury, 1987.
* David Quinlan, Quinlan's Film Comedy Stars,
1992, ISBN 0-7134-6149-7

==External link==
*http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0799237/ IMDb entry
for Alastair Sim