The Wall "teacher" Alex McAvoy passes on
Written by Matt   
Thursday, 16 June 2005

Tributes are being paid to Alex McAvoy, the Glasgow-born actor who has just died, aged 77. The actor began his acting career as a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, and is probably best remembered for his role as The Teacher in Pink Floyd's The Wall movie, and the subsequent Final Cut video EP.

The actor had a long career, much of it on British TV, with roles in shows including the WW2 comedy "Dad's Army", police drama "Z Cars", and the comedy "Minder". His biggest TV role was Sunny Jim in "The Vital Spark", with his character in the show between 1965 and 1974.

Other than The Wall, Alex appeared in a few other movies, most recently 2001's "Strictly Sinatra".

Shown here is a still from The Wall, with Alex keeping the children in check during the Another Brick In The Wall sequence. However, his work in this movie, and the subsequent Final Cut EP, showed another side to his acting, with the menace of the teacher contrasting with the melancholy of the oppressed husband.