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Alan MacNaughtan, actor
Born 4 March, 1920 in Bearsden. Died 29 August 2002 in London, aged
82
ALASDAIR STEVEN
ALAN MacNaughtan was one of those actors who
played important roles both on stage and television with such style
and grace yet never became a household name. This was despite
several appearances in now-famous productions at the National
Theatre when Laurence Olivier ran the company in the Seventies, and
also in some well-remembered television series.
MacNaughtan, a quiet, studious man, preferred to shun the limelight
and preferred, away from work, to walk the hills, play tennis and
sail.
At Glasgow Academy he showed sufficient promise as an actor to try
for (and be awarded) a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art in London. In 1940 he graduated with the prestigious Bancroft
Gold Medal.
He made his professional debut with the Old Vic Company that year as
the King of France in King Lear. After the war, MacNaughtan appeared
at several repertory theatres before playing the lead in the smash
hit of the year Dial M for Murder in London in 1952.
Many roles followed, both in London and Broadway (he wasparticularly
notable as the bishop in the original production of Hadrian the
Seventh in 1969) before he joined Olivier’s company at the Old
Vic.
In Peter Shaffer’s historic Equus, (1973) MacNaughtan memorably
played the father of the horse-fixated boy. The following year he
was in John Dexter’s stunning production of Moliere’s The
Misanthrope, which starred Alex McCowen and Diana Rigg. That toured
Britain and had a successful run on Broadway.
The Financial Times, commenting on MacNaughtan’s performance, said
it combined "an exact blend of staidness and humanity".
Dressed in a very grand silk dinner suit, MacNaughtan cut an
imposing figure.
Also in 1974 MacNaughtan played the central role in a new play
(Grand Manoeuvres) concerning the Dreyfus case. As Dreyfus he made a
memorable impression, capturing the distraught officer’s sad
plight. Other appearances at the National included The Cherry
Orchard, Richard II and Measure for Measure.
MacNaughtan was a regular in the original Dr Finlay’s Casebook
(with Andrew Cruickshank and Bill Simpson, and he was also seen in
Maigret, Paul Temple, and The Expert. He co-starred with Kenneth
More in the BBC’s drama about the French Resistance The White
Rabbit (1967) and in other series, such as My Son, My Son (1979), To
Serve Them All Our Days (1986), A Very British Coup (1988)and Life
in Nazi Germany (1997).
His film appearances included roles in Victim (with Dirk Bogarde)
and Family Life directed by Ken Loach.
Three years ago MacNaughtan was diagnosed as suffering from cancer,
which he calmly faced with his usual courage and fortitude. He was
unmarried.
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