Alan Lake (24 November 1940 – 10 October 1984) was an English actor and the third and final husband of screen star

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a Bombshell (slang), blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Mamie Van ...

Biography

Alan Lake was born in

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

on 24 November 1940.Donnelley, Paul (2003) ''Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries'', Omnibus Press, , p. 221-2 He studied acting at

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

and began to work in television roles in 1964. He was the third husband of the actress

, whom he met on the set of the 1968 television series ''The Inquisitors''. He was initially not keen on Dors; his reaction on finding that he would be working with her was, "Oh no, not Madame Tits and Lips!", but within days, they had fallen in love and were married on 23 November 1968. Their stormy marriage produced a son, Jason David Dors Lake (11 November 1969 – 14 November 2019). Lake also had a daughter, Catherine Emma, born in 1967 with casting director Pamela Brown. Diana and Alan worked together in the early 1970s, on stage in plays such as ''Three Months Gone'', for which Dors received her best critical reviews since '' Yield to the Night''. They also received an offer to appear together in a TV sitcom, '' Queenie's Castle''.Upton, Julian (2004) ''Fallen Stars: Tragic Lives and Lost Careers'', Critical Vision, , p. 33-9 In July 1970, Lake was involved in a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

brawl for which he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, although he was released after serving a year. His friend, the singer Leapy Lee, was sentenced to three years for unlawfully wounding the pub's relief manager and was also released after a year. Lake was a keen horseman, and on his release from prison Dors presented him with a mare named Sapphire. In 1972, Lake was unseated when the horse ran into the bough of a tree. His back was broken, and initially it was thought he might spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, but he was walking again within three weeks. After leaving hospital, unable to work while he recovered, and in severe pain, he began drinking heavily. Dors said of him at this time: "alcohol had unleashed a monster, uncontrollable and frightening". Lake began hallucinating and experiencing psychotic episodes, but was diverted from drinking after becoming a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, also convincing Dors to follow him in adopting the faith. In 1974, Dors was rushed to hospital suffering from

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

, and Lake fainted when he was told that she might not survive the night. In 1975, within months of her illness, at the age of 43, Dors became pregnant with their second child and was advised by doctors to have an abortion, but because of her newly adopted religion and regret at two previous abortions, she decided to go ahead with the pregnancy. She miscarried, which led Lake to return to heavy drinking. For the remainder of the 1970s, Lake's once promising acting career was reduced to appearances in low-budget comedy films and small parts in television dramas. However, in 1974, he had a significant role as singer Jack Daniels in the

Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...

vehicle '' Slade In Flame'', and also as John Merrick in the first episode of the hugely popular TV series '' The Sweeney''. Both he and Dors attended the Slade in Flame premiere at the Metropole Theatre, Victoria, London, on 13 February 1975. In 1980, the pair separated for a time, although they were reconciled when Lake promised to undergo treatment for his alcoholism. Lake's acting work became less frequent in the 1980s, and Dors' health began to deteriorate. She was diagnosed with

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different ...

in 1982, and died in May 1984. Lake then burned all of Dors' clothes, and fell into a depression. On 10 October 1984, five months after Dors' death, and 16 years to the day since they had first met, he took their teenage son Jason to the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

, returned to his

Sunningdale Sunningdale is a village and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England and is adjoined by green buffers including Sunningdale Golf Club and Wentworth Golf ...

home, and committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth in their son's bedroom. His television roles included Herrick in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' story ''

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

''; and parts in '' Cluff'', '' Redcap'', '' Sergeant Cork'', '' The Saint'', '' Public Eye'', '' The Avengers'', '' Department S'', ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'', '' The Protectors'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'', '' Softly, Softly: Taskforce'', ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...

'', '' The Sweeney'', ''

Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'', '' Target'', ''

Hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...

'', ''

Strangers A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity (social science), identity and Character structure, chara ...

'', ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four series of thirteen 50-minute episodes were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, prod ...

'', ''

Juliet Bravo ''Juliet Bravo'' is a television in the United Kingdom, British television police procedural drama series, first broadcast on 30 August 1980, that ran for six series and a total of 88 episodes on BBC One, BBC1. The theme of the series concerned ...

'', ''

The Gentle Touch ''The Gentle Touch'' is a British police procedural drama series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which began on 11 April 1980 and ran until 24 November 1984. The series is notable for being the first British series to feature a fema ...

'', '' Hart to Hart'', and '' Bergerac''. In 1969, he recorded a pop single, "Good Times"/"Got To Have Tenderness" (the former a cover of a song written by

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal overdub experi ...

), which was released by Ember Records (EMBS 278).

Acting roles

Film

* '' Catch Us If You Can'', aka ''Having a Wild Weekend'' (1965) — Cameraman (uncredited) * '' Sky West and Crooked'', aka ''Gypsy Girl'' (1966) — Camlo * '' The Christmas Tree'' (1966) — Truck Driver (uncredited) * '' Charlie Bubbles'' (1967) — Airman * ''

Freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

'' (1971) — Dean * ''Swedish Wildcats'' (1972) — Bodyguard * '' Hide and Seek'' (1972) — Lorrimer * '' Layout for 5 Models'' (1972) — Andy * '' Percy's Progress'' (1974) — Derry Hogan * '' The Swordsman'' (1974) — Reynaud Duval * '' The Amorous Milkman'' (1975) — Sandy * '' Slade In Flame'' (1975) — Jack Daniels * '' The Office Party'' (1976) — Mr. Barnes * '' The Playbirds'' (1978) — Harry Dougan * '' Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair'' (1979) — David Galaxy * '' Yesterday's Hero'' (1979) — Georgie Moore * '' Don't Open Till Christmas'' (1984) — Giles Harrison

Television

* ''Catch Hand'', episode "Fifteen-Bob-An-Hour Men" (1964) — Charlie * ''

No Hiding Place ''No Hiding Place'' is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV (TV network), ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series ''Murder Bag'' ...

'', episode "Real Class" (1964) — Third Player * ''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of United Kingdom, British television plays which ran on BBC One, BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic ...

: Wear a Very Big Hat'' (1965) — Harry Atkins * '' Cluff'', episode "The Village Constable" (1965) — Tod Meller * ''

Mary Barton ''Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life'' was the Debut novel, first novel by English author Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in 1848. The story is set in the English city of Manchester between 1839 and 1842, and deals with the difficulties ...

'' (1964), 1 episode — Knobstick * ''

: Stand Up, Nigel Barton'' (1965) (TV) * ''

Hereward the Wake Hereward the Wake (Old English pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/ , modern English pronunciation / ) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resistance to the Norman Conquest of E ...

'': four episodes (1965) — Edwin * '' Redcap'', episode "The Moneylenders" (1966) — Lance Corporal Farrington * '' The Saint'', episode "Locate and Destroy" (1966) — Jacob * '' Thirteen Against Fate'', episode "The Traveller" (1966) — Robert Eloi * '' The Avengers'', episode "The House That Jack Built" (1966) — Prison Officer (uncredited) * ''

Thirty-Minute Theatre ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' was a British anthology drama series of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, which was used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short running length, and which ...

'', episode "The Wake" (1967) * ''

: Dial Rudolph Valentino One One'' (1967) — Con * ''

'', episode "She's Not Yours, She's Mine: Part 2" (1967) — Speedy * '' Public Eye'', episode "It Must Be the Architecture – Can't Be the Climate" (1968) — Murchinson * ''Thief'' (1968) * '' The Avengers'', episode "The Forget-Me-Knot" (1968) — Karl * ''A Bit of Crucifixion, Father'' (1968) — Gilbert * ''

'', episode "A Quiet Sunday" (1968) — Kimber * ''

'', episode "No Love Lost" (1969) — Keith Proctor * ''The Contenders'' (miniseries, 1969) — Tom Stocker * '' Department S'', episode "Dead Men Die Twice" (1969) — The Dandy * ''

'', episode "The Informant" (1972) — Dennis Brown * '' The Protectors'', episode "See No Evil" (1972) — Thug * '' The Adventurer'', episode "Icons Are Forever" (1973) — Carlo * ''

'', episode "Hi-Jack" (1973) — Brian Peake * ''

'', episode "Knocker" (1974) — Jimmy Goddard * '' Softly, Softly: Task Force'', episode "See What You've Done" (1974) — Richard Spencer * '' The Sweeney'', episode "The Ringer" (1975) — Merrick * ''

'', episode "Two in the Mind of One" (1975) * ''

'', episode "Tonight and Every Night" (1975) — Danny * ''

'', episode "Domino" (1976) — Ron Mason * ''

'', episode "Celebration" (1976) — Tony * '' Target'', episode "Lady Luck" (1977) — Swain * ''

'', episode "Error of Judgement" (1977) — Stan * ''

'', episode ''

'' (1978) — Herrick * ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'': "Destiny" (1978) — Monty Goodman * '' Hazell'', episode "Hazell Settles the Accounts" (1978) — Creasey * ''

'', episode "Driver" (1978) — George Armstrong * '' The Black Stuff'' (1980) — Dominic * ''

'', episode "Aftermath" (1980) — Chel * ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, ...

'': "Rumpole's Return" (1980) — Meacher * ''

'', episode "Trouble at T'Mill" (1980) — Ted Galway * '' The Olympian Way'' (1981) * ''

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

'', episode "The Secret Folk" (1982) — Zsika * ''

'', episode "Joker" (1982) — Malcolm Webster * ''

'', episode "A Breach of the Peace" (1982) — Tom Tully * '' Hart to Hart'', episode "Passing Chance" (1983) — Nick * '' Bergerac'', episode "Tug of War" (1984) — Jack Broughton * ''

'', episode "Work Force" (1984) — Grogan * '' Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense'': "Paint Me a Murder" (1984) — Davey

References

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

External links

* * *
Alan Lake
biography at Avengers Forever {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake, Alan 1940 births 1984 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English Roman Catholics History of mental health in the United Kingdom Male actors from Stoke-on-Trent Suicides by firearm in England 20th-century English male actors 1984 suicides Burials in Berkshire