Archie Duncan (actor)

Archie Duncan
Duncan in an episode of Sherlock Holmes (1954)
Born(1914-05-26)26 May 1914
Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died24 July 1979(1979-07-24) (aged 65)
London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1948–1975

Archie Duncan (26 May 1914 – 24 July 1979) was a Scottish actor born in Glasgow.[1]

Duncan's father was a regimental sergeant major in the army and his mother was a postmistress. He attended Glasgow's Govan High School and worked as a welder in Glasgow shipyards for a decade.[2]

He began his career in repertory theatre and West End plays. His professional acting debut was in Juno and the Paycock in May 1944 at the Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow.[2]

Although he appeared in over 50 television series and movie roles, he is best remembered for Inspector Lestrade in the 1954 series Sherlock Holmes[3]: 960  and Little John in The Adventures of Robin Hood[3] from 1955 to 1959.

Duncan was replaced in the Little John role by Rufus Cruikshank for 10 episodes after Duncan was injured when a horse bolted toward spectators, mostly children, watching the location filming of the episode "Checkmate" on 20 April 1955. He grabbed the bridle, stopping the horse, but the cart it was pulling ran over him causing a fractured kneecap and cuts and bruises. He received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct[4] and £1,360 in damages from Sapphire films.[2]

He also played the ditch digger in the 1969 film Ring of Bright Water who dispatched the star otter Mij with his spade, towards the end.[5]

On 24 July 1979, aged 65, Duncan died at his London home.[2]

  1. ^ "Archie Duncan Filmography". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Aaker, Everett (2011). Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters: All Regular Cast Members in American Crime and Mystery Series, 1948-1959. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. pp. 204–206. ISBN 978-0-7864-6409-8.
  3. ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  4. ^ "No. 40546". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 July 1955. p. 4305.
  5. ^ "Ring of Bright Water - BBC Two". BBC.