Cornerstone No. 187, page 15
Great Scot!
63: Andrew Cruickshank
He was, in a way, one of A.J. Cronin’s creations (see GS 11) starring in
as Dr. Angus Cameron in that series that ran for many years
(1962 to 1971) on BBC Television. Andrew John Maxton Cruickshank was born
in Aberdeen on Christmas Day 1907 and there he was educated at Aberdeen
Grammar School, with all good plans laid, to continue with his formal education
by entering into further education in civil engineer-
ing … but, the call of the footlights and boards was
stronger than that of the floodlights and bawds (if
you follow my rather crude analogy) and Andrew
went into drama, touring in provincial theatres
before going on to bigger stuff such as a role in
at the Savoy in London. Sounds easy
doesn’t it – a bit of ‘amdram’ up in the
(and perhaps in
) then the bright lights
of the
but it does not go so easily.
Months of hard work, auditioning, being rejected,
living in dubious ‘digs’ and living ‘out of the can’
were to follow before his first foot on the ladder of
stardom with his role in
in
1930. The kaleidoscope world of acting beckoned
– one in which an actor can portray characters of multi-coloured and varying
backgrounds and be himself in many ways in front of an adoring public – or can
he?
Andrew Cruickshank was to become ‘typecast’ as a stern commander of
authority, such as a judge, as you soon shall read, or as a doctor (Stein in
–1957; Lynch-Cliffe in
– 1958 or even
as Dr. Cameron (a different one) in
– 1958. Also as a
police officer – Inspector Baxter in
– 1949 and Inspector Clement Pill
in
of the same year; but he had other strings to his theatrical
bow – Maudelyn, in
on Broadway in 1934 or in
(as three characters) in London in 1935. These were high times for our
subject – he enjoyed full employment during the terrible recession; however,
higher prizes were to come – in the cinema. A.C.’s first film role was that of
Robert Burns (a good start for a Scot) in
in 1937. In all, Andrew
Cruickshank appeared in some 30 films including the celebrated
in 1964 as Mr. Justice Crosby and in
(1984) as
Conway Jefferson. He even had a part in the 1960 Norman Wisdom Comedy