ACTOR Andrew Keir, whose lengthy career included appearances in many of Scotland's best-known films and television series, died yesterday aged 71, following a short illness.

Mr Keir, who was from a Shotts mining family, appeared in classic films such as Walt Disney's Greyfriars Bobby. More recently, he played the Duke of Argyll in the blockbuster Rob Roy.

He also played the lead role in Quatermass and the Pit, and starred in The Brave Don't Cry, produced by John Grierson, and in Alexander McKendrick's The Maggie. On the small screen, he appeared in Hamish Macbeth - produced by his daughter, Deirdre - Strathblair, Kidnapped, and Ivanhoe.

His theatre roles included the Lionel Bart musical, Maggie May, and the original West End production of A Man for All Seasons, in which he played the leading role of Thomas Cromwell.

Mr Keir left school at 14 to follow his father down the pits, where he worked for six years. His first acting role, at the age of 17, was as a 65-year-old farmer in a production staged by Shotts Miners' Welfare Drama Club.

He became a professional actor through a chance encounter with his local amateur dramatic society.

As a teenage performer with the Unity Theatre Group, he was spotted by director Tyrone Guthrie and asked to join Glasgow's Citizens' Theatre Company, where he remained for nine years.

He never forgot his roots, once telling an interviewer that actors who complained about their profession would at least never face the back-breaking prospect of working as a miner. He showed another a faint blue smudge on one of his fingers, explaining that coal dust was still under his skin 50 years after leaving the pits.

He is survived by his wife Joyce and five children from a previous marriage. His family were present at St George's Hospital, London, when he died.

His daughter, Deirdre, is one of Britain's most successful television drama producers. Her credits, in addition to Hamish Macbeth, include Morse.