Simon Lack (19 December 19138 August 1980) was a Scottish actor. He was born Alexander MacAlpine, in

Cleland, North Lanarkshire Cleland is a village near Motherwell and Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. As of 2018, it has a population of about 3,000. The village has a strong coal mining heritage, and is a typical example of a working class village in North Lanarks ...

, Scotland. Known locally as Alec, he was the youngest child and only son of his father, Alexander McAlpine (known as Sandy) and his mother, Euphemia Ritchie. His sisters were Charlotte (Lottie), Mary, Euphemia (Euphie), Agnes (Nan), and Jenny. Another sister, Jessie, died in childhood. Sandy McAlpine was a stonemason but worked down the mines when there was no masonry work available, making Simon Lack's later role in Proud Valley particularly poignant to those who knew him from his youth. Euphemia Ritchie's family were somewhat wealthier, but she was disowned on account of her choice of husband, and the family lived for many years in a one-room flat (known in Scottish working class language as a 'single end'), although it seems eventually one of her uncles relented and came to their aid. Alec's earliest ventures into acting were in local theatres. He seems to have chosen the pseudonym Simon Lack when he embarked upon the London stage. He lost five years during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(as did so many British actors). He served in the European theatre and was present at Monte Cassino. After the war he returned to acting, getting back into stage work. He was also a member of the BBC Radio company during the late 1950s/early 1960s, and notably guest-starred in all but two of the

Paul Temple Paul Temple is a fictional character created by English writer Francis Durbridge. Temple is a professional author of crime fiction and an amateur private detective. With his wife Louise, affectionately known as 'Steve' in reference to her jo ...

serials (mysteries) that starred

Peter Coke Peter John Coke ( "cook"; 3 April 1913 – 30 July 2008) was an English actor, playwright and artist. Early life Peter John Coke was born in Southsea, Hampshire on 3 April 1913.

and Marjorie Westbury. His television roles included two ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' serials; ''

The Mind of Evil ''The Mind of Evil'' is the second serial of the Doctor Who (season 8), eighth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 January to 6 March 1971. In th ...

'' (1971) and ''

The Androids of Tara ''The Androids of Tara'' is the fourth serial of the 16th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 25 November to 16 December 1978. The serial is set on ...

'' (1978). He also guest-starred in episodes of ''The Saint'', ''Jason King'', and ''

Doomwatch ''Doomwatch'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, which ran on BBC1 between 1970 and 1972. The series was set in the then present day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist ...

''. He had co-starring roles in ''

Telford's Change ''Telford's Change'' is a 1979 BBC television series by Brian Clark which stars Peter Barkworth. The theme music was composed and played by jazz composer John Dankworth. Outline Barkworth plays a bank manager, Mark Telford, who takes a backward ...

'', '' Enemy at the Door'' and ''The Borgias''.

Filmography

References

External links

*
The Simon Lack Affair
1913 births 1980 deaths People from Cleland, North Lanarkshire Scottish male film actors Scottish male television actors 20th-century Scottish male actors British military personnel of World War II {{UK-film-actor-stub