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Alastair Sim, CBE (October 9, 1900 - August 19, 1976) was a Scottish character actor, who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is well known for his role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge , and his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two of the well-loved St. Trinian's films. His father, Alexander, designed and paid for the construction of the Earl Hague Gardens in Edinburgh for the use of the returning servicemen to sit during the day. Alexander was offered, but refused, a knighthood. He was a prosperous businessman with property in Braemar and Edinburgh. Born in Edinburgh, Sim was educated at George Heriot's School. He became an elocution and drama lecturer at New College, Edinburgh University from 1925 until 1930, and rector from 1948 until 1951. Preferring the stage, Sim made his London début in Othello in 1930. He also appeared for a season at the Old Vic. He made his film debut in The Case of Gabriel Perry (1935). He spent the remainder of the decade playing supporting roles in films, and was often credited as "stealing the scene" from the leading actors. By the 1940s, he had progressed to leading roles, and in 1950, he was voted the most popular film actor in Britain in a national cinema poll. His films include Waterloo Road (1944), Green for Danger (1946), Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950), Laughter in Paradise (1951), Folly to be Wise (1953), The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954) and An Inspector Calls (also 1954). He played the headmistress Miss Fritton (and her brother Clarence) in the St. Trinian's series. Sim's performance as Mr. Squales in London Belongs to Me (1948) so impressed Alec Guinness that he based his own performance in The Ladykillers (1955) on it. [ citation needed ] He portrayed Captain Hook in six different productions of Peter Pan between 1941 and 1968. Probably his best-remembered performance, however, was as the title character in Scrooge , the 1951 adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol . In 1971, Sim revisited the Scrooge character by lending his voice to an Academy Award-winning animated version of Dickens' story. Prior to his death, he played the judge in the popular television series Misleading Cases by A. P. Herbert. He married Naomi (1913-1999) in 1932; they remained together until his death in 1976. With his wife, he is credited with mentoring George Cole and other young British actors. Sim was always ambivalent about fame and never signed autographs. In 1959, Sim successfully sued the perpetrators of a televised baked beans advertisement (which had a voiceover sounding uncannily like his), claiming he would not "prostitute his art" advertising anything. Sim was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1953, but later refused a knighthood. He died in London, England from cancer.
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