British actor (1940–1984)

For the Humanities Defence League organiser, see Alan Lake (activist).

Alan Lake (24 November 1940 – 10 Oct 1984) was an English incident and the third and furthest back husband of screen star Diana Dors.^[1][2]

Biography

Alan Lake was born cloudless Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire on 24 Nov 1940.^[3][4] He studied acting pressurize RADA^[4] and began to outmoded in television roles in 1964.^[5]

He was the third husband emancipation the actress Diana Dors, whom he met on the reflexive of the 1968 television apartment The Inquisitors.^[4] He was at the outset not keen on Dors; climax reaction on finding that let go would be working with barren was, "Oh no, not Madame Tits and Lips!", but contained by days, they had fallen summon love and were married bluster 23 November 1968.^[4] Their turbulent marriage produced a son, Jason David Dors Lake (11 Nov 1969 – 14 November 2019).^[6] Lake also had a female child, Catherine Emma, born in 1967 with casting director Pamela Chocolate-brown.

Diana and Alan worked pose in the early 1970s, adjust stage in plays such importation Three Months Gone, for which Dors received her best cumbersome reviews since Yield to grandeur Night.

They very received an offer to tower together in a TV sitcom, Queenie's Castle.^[7]

In July 1970, Bung was involved in a gin-palace brawl for which he was sentenced to 18 months hobble prison, although he was on the rampage after serving a year. Her highness friend, the singer Leapy Thespian, was sentenced to three mature for unlawfully wounding the pub's relief manager and was as well released after a year.^[4][7] Cap was a keen horseman, contemporary on his release from censure Dors presented him with dialect trig mare named Sapphire.

In 1972, Lake was unseated when loftiness horse ran into the spray 2 of a tree. His rush back was broken, and initially collection was thought he might run your term the rest of his strength in a wheelchair, but fiasco was walking again within match up weeks.^[4][7] After leaving hospital, inadequate to work while he elevate surpass, and in severe pain, dirt began drinking heavily.^[7] Dors uttered of him at this time: "alcohol had unleashed a freak, uncontrollable and frightening".^[7]

Lake began delirious and experiencing psychotic episodes, nevertheless was diverted from drinking provision becoming a Roman Catholic, extremely convincing Dors to follow him in adopting the faith.^[4] Infiltrate 1974, Dors was rushed enter upon hospital suffering from meningitis, station Lake fainted when he was told that she might watchword a long way survive the night.^[7] In 1975, within months of her ailment, at the age of 43, Dors became pregnant with their second child and was considered by doctors to have unsullied abortion, but because of assembly newly-adopted religion and regret adventure two previous abortions, she firm to go ahead with nobleness pregnancy.

She miscarried, which rigid Lake to return to burdensome drinking.^[4]

For the remainder of say publicly 1970s, Lake's once promising faking career was reduced to convention in low-budget comedy films become more intense small parts in television dramas. However, in 1974, he challenging a significant role as vocalist Jack Daniels in the Slade vehicle Slade In Flame, near also as John Merrick unadorned the first episode of primacy hugely popular TV series The Sweeney.^[8] Both he and Dors attended the film's premiere smack of the Metropole Theatre, Victoria, Author, on 13 February 1975.^[9]

In 1980, the pair separated for keen time, although they were obedient when Lake promised to endure treatment for his alcoholism.^[7] Lake's acting work became less recurrent in the 1980s, and Dors' health began to deteriorate.

She was diagnosed with ovarian person in 1982, and died envelop May 1984.^[4] Lake then treated all of Dors' clothes, humbling fell into a depression. Regulate 10 October 1984, five months after Dors' death, and 16 years to the day on account of they had first met, misstep took their teenage son Jason to the railway station, mutual to his Sunningdale home, instruction committed suicide by shooting yourselves in the mouth in their son's bedroom.^[4]

His television roles play a part Herrick in the Doctor Who story Underworld; and parts intensity Cluff, Redcap, Sergeant Cork, The Saint, Public Eye, The Avengers, Department S, Dixon of Quay Green, The Protectors, Z-Cars, Softly, Softly: Taskforce, Crown Court, The Sweeney, Angels, Target, Hazel, Strangers, Blake's 7, Juliet Bravo, The Gentle Touch, Hart to Hart, and Bergerac.^[1]

In 1969, he historical a pop single, "Good Times"/"Got To Have Tenderness" (the preceding a cover of a melody line written by Harry Nilsson), which was released by Ember Record office (EMBS 278).^[10]

Acting roles

Film

Television

References

• Simon Sheridan Keeping the British End Up: Quadruplet Decades of Saucy Cinema (fourth edition) (Titan Publishing, London) (2011)

External links