Leon Sinden: Actor who worked with Hall and Dench but was best known for fostering the Pitlochry Festival Theatre

While his elder brother Donald basked in film glory and a celebrated career in the theatre, Leon Sinden found his greatest satisfaction on the stage in Scotland – almost as far away as possible from his childhood days in East Sussex.

He made the country his home and was fêted for his association with the Pitlochry Festival Theatre over half a century. He spent eight seasons there as an actor (1965-94) and, on retiring from the stage in 1994, created the annual Leon Sinden Awards for the Best Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role as voted for by the company's audiences. He cemented his love for Scotland by playing George Carradine, the estate lawyer, in the television soap Take the High Road on and off from 1980 to 1994.

Sinden was born in Ditchling, where his parents, Alfred and Mabel (née Fuller), ran a chemist's shop. In 1941, while still at school, he began his acting career with the Mobile Entertainments Southern Area company, which was based at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, and toured South Coast Army camps during the Second World War. His brother joined it the following year.

In 1945, Sinden became a founding member of the Ditchling Players, an amateur company, and he remained a patron of it until his death. Turning professional in 1948, he worked in English rep, then discovered the Scottish theatre, first acting with Wilson Barrett's company in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen (1949-55). A fellow actor there was Walter Carr and, on the company's closure in 1955, they switched to Perth rep and bought a house together. Their relationship lasted until Carr's death in 1998.

Sinden toured with the New Zealand Players Theatre (1947) and made his West End début as Colonel Barrington in Ross (Haymarket Theatre, 1960-61) alongside Alec Guinness. He spent a season (1962-63) in Stratford-with the RSC, taking roles such as the Friar in Measure for Measure, Philostrate in A Midsummer Night's Dream (directed by Peter Hall and starring Judi Dench as Titania) and Philario in Cymbeline (opposite Vanessa Redgrave).

Sinden headed to New York for his Broadway debut as Arnold Makepiece in Semi-Detached (Music Box Theatre, 1963), starring Leonard Rossiter and directed by Tony Richardson. He returned there as Solomon Isaacs in London Assurance (Palace Theatre, 1974-75) with his brother, and director Ronald Eyre, following his appearance in the London revival (Aldwych Theatre, 1970). He was working with Peter Hall and Donald again in the West End for She Stoops to Conquer (Queen's Theatre, 1993-94).

His roles at Pitlochry included Colonel Lukyn in The Magistrate, the Duke in The Revenger's Tragedy (both 1965), Sir Peter Teaze in The School for Scandal (1966), Skinner in Liberty Hall (1981) and Mr Bullamy in The Magistrate (1991). He also directed some of the company's productions and acted in many other Scottish theatres. Sinden, who died of cancer, was the uncle of Donald's actor sons, Jeremy (who died in 2006) and Marc.

Leon Fuller Sinden, actor and director: born Ditchling, East Sussex 20 July 1927; partner to Walter Carr (died 1998); died Perth 4 November 2015.