Hector Nicol (9 November 1920 – 2 July 1985) was a Scottish comedian, singer and actor.

Acting career

Nicol starred in few shows during his career. His most notable role was that of a dying gangster in the BBC Television play ''

Just a Boys' Game ''Just a Boys' Game'' is a 1979 '' Play for Today'' written by Peter McDougall and directed by John Mackenzie. It features Frankie Miller, Gregor Fisher, Ken Hutchison, Hector Nicol, Jean Taylor Smith, Katherine Stark, Barry Malone, Michae ...

'' (1979) and also in ''

A Sense of Freedom ''A Sense of Freedom'' is a 1981 Scottish crime film directed by John Mackenzie for Scottish Television. The film stars David Hayman and featured Jake D'Arcy, Sean Scanlan, Hector Nicol, Alex Norton and Fulton Mackay. It is based on the auto ...

'' (1981). He also starred in ''

Take the High Road ''Take the High Road'' (renamed ''High Road'' from 1994 to 2003) was a Scottish soap opera produced by Scottish Television, which started in February 1980 as an ITV network daytime programme, and was broadcast until 2003. It was set in the ficti ...

'', a Scottish

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Singing career

Nicol wrote and sang "The Hearts Song" for Hearts, and "Glory, Glory to the Hibees" for Hibs. He also wrote and sang "The Terrors of Tannadice" for

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

and "Dark Blue Of Dundee" for Dundee. However, he actually supported St Mirren. His 1984

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, ''Bravo Juliet!'', reached number 92 for one week in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

Influence

His influence was important on Scotland's more recent crop of comedians including

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

, Des Clarke and

Elaine C. Smith Elaine Constance Smith (born 2 August 1958) is a Scottish actress, comedian, and political activist. She has starred in the BBC Scotland sitcoms '' City Lights'' (1984–91), ''Rab C. Nesbitt'' (1988–2014) and '' Two Doors Down'' (2016–), ...

. There are many other famous people who have stated they are fans of Hector including Sean Connery,

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' and '' Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowv ...

and

Tommy Sheridan Tommy Sheridan (born 7 March 1966) is a Scottish politician who served as convenor of Solidarity from 2019 to 2021. He previously served as convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) from 1998 to 2004 and as co-convenor of Solidarity from 2 ...

Personal life

Nicol had three sons, two of whom died tragically. One choked to death while eating, while another was murdered in a senseless attack. Stephen Nicol, age 19, was stabbed to death by a 15-year-old boy at a bus stop in Edinburgh on 8 June 1973. At trial, it was revealed that the perpetrator, George Riddell, was not motivated by any greed or anger, but had simply decided to stab someone.

David Brand, Lord Brand David William Robert Brand, Lord Brand (21 October 1923 – 14 April 1996) was a British lawyer and judge. He had a conservative outlook on life, and as a judge he had a reputation for both speedy decisions and severe sentences. His university ...

sentenced Riddell to indefinite detention for the murder of Stephen Nicol, who had suffered from a chronic illness. Nicol nearly left the entertainment business after his son's murder. Nicol, who suffered from angina, died at his home in Edinburgh, at the age of 64.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1920 births 1985 deaths Scottish male comedians Scottish male film actors Scottish male soap opera actors Scottish male television actors Male actors from Paisley, Renfrewshire 20th-century Scottish male singers Scottish songwriters Musicians from Paisley, Renfrewshire 20th-century Scottish male actors 20th-century Scottish musicians 20th-century British comedians British male songwriters {{Scotland-bio-stub