Michael Elder, well-known to viewers as Dr Wallace in

the Scottish Television soap, High Road, who also acted as script editor and writer on the popular serial, has died at the age of 73.

Born in London, the son of a doctor, he began a long association with the town of St Andrews, moving there when he and his sister, Alison,

travelled north for schooling after their home was bombed during the blitz in the Second World War.

Elder was a pupil at the independent New Park School in the town and later went on to study at Dulwich College, before entering the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

in London.

Family holidays were also spent in St Andrews where the family had relatives and, from a very young age, Elder worked at the Byre Theatre doing a number of jobs, including selling programmes and sweeping the floor. He also performed bit-parts on the Byre stage where he honed his acting skills.

Elder, who was a contemporary of the founder and former chairman of the board of the Byre, the late freelance journalist, A B Paterson, went on tour in repertory theatres across the country.

However, he continued his links with the Byre and he met his wife, actress Sheila Donald - Mrs Culfeathers in the original production of Tony Roper's The Steamie - while both were working there.

The young couple joined the fledgling Gateway Theatre Company which had been formed under the chairmanship of playwright Robert Kemp. They were mainstays until it was wound up in 1965, when the municipalised Lyceum supplanted it. The repertory theatres in Glasgow at the Citizens' and in Edinburgh at the Gateway were part of a post-war attempt in Scotland to create a theatrical movement comparable to what had been achieved in Ireland.

Over 12 years of its existence, the Gateway presented a remarkable amount of new work, which it combined in repertory with classics, contemporary plays and Irish drama, in which it excelled. Much of this extensive output featured Michael Elder.

The couple, who had married in 1953, made their home in Edinburgh. They had two sons, Simon and David.

His many television credits included the classic drama series, Dr Finlay's Casebook.

A prolific writer from a very early age, Elder had many books published, from children's titles and poetry, to an impressive list of 14 science

fiction novels. In addition,

he also completed several scripts for television, including High Road.

He was also editor of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's magazine.

Last year, his history of the Gateway Theatre, entitled What Do You Do During The Day?, was published.