Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge is the main character in A Christmas Carol. Bob Cratchit and Jacob Marley were other main characters, and let’s not forget the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future! And how about Tiny Tim! But Ebenezer Scrooge is the star of the show. I believe the best actor who played Scrooge is none other than Alastair Sim in 1951 version of the film.
A bit about Alastair Sim’s acting career. You will discover that he was quite the accomplished thespian.
Alastair Sim Acting Career
Alastair George Bell Sim (born October 9, 1900, died August 19, 1976) was a character actor. He started acting professionally at the age of thirty and became a well-liked West End performer. In the big theatres in and around London’s West End, mainstream professional theatre is presented. West End theatre is typically regarded as being the greatest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world, along with Broadway theatre in New York City. Sim stayed in that West End theatre until his passing in 1976.
Since 1935, he also acted in more than fifty British movies. This of course includes the enduring 1951 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ short story A Christmas Carol. That movie was titled A Christmas Carol in the United States and Scrooge in Great Britain. He was a skilled dramatic actor, but he is most known for his comedic-sinister roles.
University Career
Sim’s passion of and skill for poetry reading led to his hiring as a lecturer in elocution. This was at the University of Edinburgh in 1925. He got the job after a string of unsuccessful career attempts. He had tried stints as a jobbing labourer and a clerk in a local government office. In 1930, he transitioned to the professional stage with the aid of famed playwright John Drinkwater. At the time, Drinkwater also taught at the private elocution and theatre school he then ran. Read more about him by clicking here .
In 1948 Sim was elected as Rector of the University of Scotland, beating out fellow contestant Harold MacMillan, later to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Sim held the position for three years, afterwhich he was awarded an Honourary Doctorate of Law. Quite an honour Sim, indeed.
Shakespearean Talent
Sim quickly established himself on the London scene despite his slow start. He had extensive experience performing Shakespeare and other classics during his more than one year in the Old Vic company. Sim continued this passion throughout his acting life
Sim acted in 10 Shakespearean plays throughout his career. He developed a close professional relationship with playwright James Bridie in the modern repertoire that lasted from 1939 until the dramatist’s passing in 1951. Sim not only performed in but also directed Bridie’s works.
Ebenezer Scrooge Calls
Sim was a major British film star in the latter 1940s and for the most of the 1950s. Later, he produced fewer films and mostly focused on stage work. Sim appeared regularly in both new and classic plays in the West End in addition to successful productions at the Chichester Festival.
He was a fiercely private man who seldom granted interviews and refused to sign autographs throughout his career. He also Bah, Humbugged a Knighthood in the early 1970s ! So, a bit of Ebenezer came to Sim honestly, but no matter. He was the best Scrooge ever and I love to watch him at work every year at Christmas time !
