Andrew Keir (né Buggy, 3 April 19265 October 1997) was a Scottish actor who appeared in a number of films made by Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and especially in the theatre, in a professional career that lasted from the 1940s to the 1990s. His obituary in The Times described him as possessing "considerable range and undeniable distinction."
Keir starred as Professor Bernard Quatermass in Hammer's film version of Quatermass and the Pit (1967). He also appeared in the big screen version of the Doctor Who story The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966). He originated the role of Thomas Cromwell in Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons (1960). He played Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in the 1963 Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor vehicle Cleopatra. He was the son of a coal miner, and had five brothers and one sister.
Keir made his film debut in 1950 in The Lady Craved Excitement, and performed in his first major screen role in The Brave Don't Cry (1952). The film concerned the rescue of a group of miners trapped underground after an accident in the pit, with Keir playing a miner who places a bet on a horse race via the mine's telephone system while trapped; he was given the final line of dialogue, as he emerges from the pit following his rescue and asks who won the race. He played Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in the 1963 Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor vehicle Cleopatra. In 1964, he was a member of the original West End cast of Lionel Bart's musical Maggie May, playing the trade union leader.) By far his most prominent role for Hammer came in 1967's Quatermass and the Pit; this remained one of Keir's personal favourite roles of his career, and his obituary in The Independent claimed that "Keir's mixture of gruff determination, intelligence and quirkiness made him the definitive professor." This final performance was praised by The Independent: "This series has so far been hugely enjoyable - thanks in large part to Andrew Keir, who recreates the role of Quatermass in dramatic interludes; lesser actors would treat Kneale's downbeat script with a certain detachment, but Keir is prepared to charge even the most banal lines with a terror that's both a treat and a lesson."
Keir died in hospital in London, aged 71, on 5 October 1997.