Alastair Sim - Early Life

Early Life

Alastair Sim was born in Edinburgh in 1900. His mother had been born on the island of Eigg, and when she came to the mainland in her teens she could speak only Gaelic. His father, Alexander Sim, was a prosperous businessman with property in Braemar and Edinburgh. He designed and paid for the construction of the Earl Haig Gardens in Edinburgh for the use of returning servicemen to sit in during the day.

Alastair Sim was educated at the independent George Heriot's School in Edinburgh. He became an elocution and drama lecturer at the University of Edinburgh from 1925 until 1930, where he was later rector from 1948 until 1951. He once remarked to an interviewer, "As I passed imperceptibly from a beautiful child to a strong and handsome lad, I wanted more than anything else in the world to be, of all things, a hypnotist. I practised on gentle dogs."

His biography states that as a young man, he was employed for a while as a lumberjack. Colleagues found him lacking enthusiasm for the work, and after a bad experience with whisky he never drank it again.

Read more about this topic:  Alastair Sim

Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:

    The early Christian rules of life were not made to last, because the early Christians did not believe that the world itself was going to last.
    George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)

    All my life I have said, “Whatever happens there will always be tables and chairs”—and what a mistake.
    Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)