Mike McStay, affectionately known as Mac to his schoolmates, had a remarkable high school career at Leyton County High School, located in Leyton East, with his family home situated in Chingford.
Mac's talents as an actor shone brightly in the school's dramatic society, where he consistently impressed in a variety of productions, thanks in part to the school's long-standing tradition of excellence in drama, which was fostered by a succession of exceptional English masters who directed the annual school play.
The first of these masters was David Brown, followed by David Newton, Martial Rose, and Basil Brown, all of whom played a significant role in shaping the school's dramatic society.
Mac's early appearances on stage included two roles in Hamlet in 1948, followed by the role of Brutus in Julius Caesar in 1949.
Later that year, he received widespread recognition for his lead role in Richard of Bordeaux, a performance that was followed by a string of leading roles in a diverse range of plays, including Othello, The Government Inspector, Androcles and the Lion, and MacDuff in Macbeth.
In 1952, Mac toured West Germany with the school's drama group, led by Martial Rose, and also demonstrated his athletic prowess as a sound goal-keeper for the school's first XI and a skilled player of inter-school basketball.
Mac was a prolific contributor to the school magazine, penning witty articles that spanned the gamut from nonsense poetry to scathing critiques of films and plays.
As a charismatic individual with a strong sense of humor, Mac's clowning antics did not always sit well with everyone, but he earned great respect for his bravery in debating the Chairman of the local Education Committee, Cllr J.J. Walsh, a left-wing figure who was not always supportive of the educational system.
Mac's interests extended to sports, jazz, theater, cinema, and contemporary literature, and he was an exceptional conversationalist.
Upon leaving Leyton, where he served as School Captain in his final year, Mac went on to attend Bristol University, where he won a scholarship to study English and Drama.
Throughout his career, Mac appeared in numerous TV shows in Britain, but he is perhaps most famously recognized for his role as one of the bandits in the cult classic film Robbery, directed by Peter Yates.
