Roddy McDowall

McDowall worked between 1928 and 1998 across voice actor, film director, character actor, screenwriter and stage actor and 6 further recorded occupations. The registers place that work in Shakespearean comedy. This article rests on 9 catalogued photographs, 8 published texts, 2 issued recordings and 14 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.

Roddy McDowall studied at St Joseph's College and University High School. The recorded working language is English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are Shakespearean comedy. Distinctions recorded are Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

• Name — Roddy McDowall • Birth Name — Roderick Andrew McDowall • Born — 17 September 1928 • Birthplace — London, England • Died — 3 October 1998 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, US • Citizenship — * United Kingdom • United States (after 1949) • Education — St Joseph's College • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1938–1998 • Political Party — Democratic • Partner — Montgomery Clift (1950s)

McDowall was born in Herne Hill, London, the only son of Thomas Andrew McDowall (1896–1978), a merchant seaman, and his Irish wife Winifred (née Corcoran). Both of his parents were enthusiastic about the theatre. McDowall and his elder sister, Virginia, were raised in their mother's Catholic faith. He attended St Joseph's College, Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, a Roman Catholic secondary school in London.

McDowall and his sister were taken to the United States by their mother after the outbreak of World War II. He became a naturalised United States citizen on 9 December 1949 and lived in the United States for the rest of his life. McDowall served in the U.S. Army Reserves, and after basic training, was assigned to the 67th Armored Infantry Battalion, 13th Armored Division of the U.S. Army's Organized Reserve Corps headquartered in Los Angeles. Later, he was assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division. McDowall served from 1946 to 1954, spanning from the end of World War II to the end of the Korean War. He then served in the 77th Infantry Division from 1960 to 1962. McDowall's American film career began with the 1941 thriller Man Hunt, directed by Fritz Lang. It was made by 20th Century Fox, which also produced McDowall's next film, How Green Was My Valley (1941), on which he and Maureen O'Hara became lifelong friends. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and McDowall's role as Huw Morgan made him a household name.

• Illustration — McDowall in Lassie Come Home (1943) Fox promoted McDowall to top billing for On the Sunny Side (1942), and he was top billed again for an adaptation of My Friend Flicka (1942). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer borrowed McDowall for the star role in Lassie Come Home (1943) with Elizabeth Taylor, who became another lifelong friend, and kept him for a leading role in The White Cliffs of Dover (1944). In 1944, exhibitors voted McDowall the number-four "Star of Tomorrow" after which Fox gave McDowall another starring vehicle: Thunderhead – Son of Flicka (1945).

McDowall turned to the theatre, taking the title role of Young Woodley in summer stock in Westport, Connecticut, in July 1946. In 1947, he played Malcolm in Orson Welles's stage production of Macbeth in Salt Lake City, and reprised the role in the actor-director's film version in 1948.

• Illustration — McDowall and Roland Winters in Killer Shark (1950) McDowall then signed a three-year contract with Monogram Pictures to make two films a year. He starred in seven films at Monogram, for which he also worked as associate producer, including Kidnapped (1948), an adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson story, wherein he played David Balfour.

After relocating to New York City, McDowall became a frequent presence in live television drama, appearing in numerous televised plays and anthology series throughout the 1950s. He also had a significant career on Broadway, including a production of Misalliance (1953) that he said "broke the mould" in how he was judged as an actor. Ira Levin's No Time for Sergeants (1955–57) was a major hit, followed by a critical success with Compulsion (1957–58) based on the Leopold and Loeb case, after which McDowell won a Tony Award for Peter Brook's The Fighting Cock (1960).

• Illustration — McDowall as Mordred with Richard Burton in the Broadway musical Camelot (1960) McDowall enjoyed another big hit on Broadway with the musical Camelot (1960–63), which starred Julie Andrews and Richard Burton. He took part in a TV production of The Tempest (1960) alongside Burton and Maurice Evans, before appearing in his first film in almost a decade, The Subterraneans (1960), followed by Midnight Lace (1960). He was also seen in The Longest Day (1962) prior to his portrayal of Octavian in Cleopatra. He worked in film throughout the decade, notably in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), Lord Love a Duck (1966), and 5 Card Stud (1968), though his most memorable role was as Cornelius in Planet of the Apes. He appeared in three Planet of the Apes sequels and the TV series. McDowall continued to work regularly in television, including his Emmy-winning turn in Sunday Showcase and a production of The Power and the Glory (1961) with Laurence Olivier, George C. Scott, and Julie Harris. • Illustration — McDowall in full costume, with co-stars Ron Harper (front) and James Naughton (back), in the Planet of the Apes TV series (1974)

McDowall made his lone effort as a director with Tam Lin (1970, also known as The Ballad of Tam Lin and The Devil's Widow). As an actor, he was in Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), and Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). In addition to his television work, most significantly in Columbo, he made his third Apes film as Caesar, son of his earlier character, Cornelius, in 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. He took supporting roles in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972) before his final Apes film, Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). During the short-lived TV spin-off of Planet of the Apes (1974), he made a guest appearance on The Carol Burnett Show in his Planet of the Apes makeup and performed a love duet with Burnett. Asked about his career in a 1975 interview, McDowall said, "I just hope to keep working and in interesting things." For the rest of his life, he alternated between features, TV films, and guesting on TV series, including Overboard, on which he also served as executive producer. In 1989, he said, "I feel as Henry Fonda did that every job I get may be my last. I'm one of those creatures born to be working. I feel better when I'm working. I don't like it when I'm not working and I've never worked as much as I want to." He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1993, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. In one of his final public appearances, McDowall hosted the MGM Musicals Tribute at Carnegie Hall in 1997.

• Illustration — McDowall in 1997

McDowall had a close relationship with American actor Montgomery Clift. McDowall had been introduced to Clift by mutual friend Elizabeth Taylor. McDowall’s relationship with Clift overlapped with Clift's relationship with actor Judy Balaban, during which McDowall would occasionally accompany them on public outings. Balaban has said she was ignorant of Clift's sexual orientation and his close relationship with McDowall. During the two and a half years that Clift stayed away from films, McDowall's career was also nonexistent. He devoted himself entirely to Clift and moved from Los Angeles to New York City to be closer to his idol. McDowall appeared with Clift in Clift’s final movie, The Defector. Clift later stated that he could never have finished the film without McDowall's moral support. McDowall sent flowers to Clift’s funeral after his sudden death. In 1974, the FBI raided McDowall's home and seized his collection of films and television series in the course of an investigation into film piracy and copyright infringement. His collection consisted of 160 16mm prints and more than 1000 video cassettes, at a time before the era of commercial videotapes, when no legal aftermarket existed for film. McDowall had purchased Errol Flynn's home cinema films and transferred them all to tape for longer-lasting archival storage. No charges were filed.

McDowall was diagnosed with cancer, and died on 3 October 1998, aged 70. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean on 7 October 1998, off Los Angeles County. Dennis Osborne, a screenwriter, cared for McDowall in his final months, and was quoted as saying, "It was very peaceful. It was just as he wanted it. It was exactly the way he planned."

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1951 — Family Theatre — Private Huntington (The Professor) — Episode: "Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration" • 1960 — The Twilight Zone — Sam Conrad — Episode: "People Are Alike All Over" • 1961 — Naked City — Donnie Benton — Episode: "The Fault in Our Stars" • 1963 — Arrest and Trial — Paul LeDoux — Episode: "Journey into Darkness" • 1964 — The Alfred Hitchcock Hour — George, Gerald Musgrove — 2 episodes • Combat! — Murfree — Episode: "The Long Walk" • Kraft Suspense Theatre — Robert "Professor" Benson — Episode: "The Wine-Dark Sea" • 1965 — Ben Casey — Dwight Franklin — Episode: "When I am grown to Man's Estate" • 1966 — 12 O'Clock High — Technical Sergeant Willets — Episode: "Angel Babe" • Batman — Bookworm — 2 episodes • Run for Your Life — Gyula Bognar — Episode: "Don't Count on Tomorrow" • 1967 — The Invaders — Lloyd Lindstrom — Episode: "The Experiment" • 1969 — Journey to the Unknown — Rollo Verdew — Episode: "The Killing Bottle" • It Takes a Thief — Roger — Episode: "Boom at the Top" • Night Gallery — Jeremy Evans — Segment: "The Cemetery" • 1969, 1970 — The Name of the Game — Philip Saxon, Early McCorley — 2 episodes • 1972 — Columbo — Roger Stanford — Episode: "Short Fuse" • The Rookies: Dirge for Sunday — Fenner — Episode: "Dirge for Sunday" • Mission: Impossible — Leo Ostro — Episode: "The Puppet" • 1973–1974 — The Carol Burnett Show — Himself – Guest • 1973 — Barnaby Jones — Stanley Lambert — Episode: "See Some Evil... Do Some Evil" • McMillan & Wife — Jamie McMillan — Episode: "Death of a Monster... Birth of a Legend" • 1974 — Planet of the Apes — Galen — 14 episodes • 1976 — Ellery Queen — The Amazing Armitage — Episode: "The Adventure of the Black Falcon" • Mowgli's Brothers — Various (voices) — Television short • 1977 — The Feather and Father Gang — Vincent Stoddard — Episode: "The Mayan Connection" • The Rhinemann Exchange — Bobby Ballard — 3 episodes • The Fantastic Journey — Dr. Jonathan Willoway — 8 episodes • Wonder Woman — Henry Roberts, Professor Arthur Chapman — 2 episodes • 1979 — Buck Rogers in the 25th Century — Governor Saroyan — Episode: "Planet of the Slave Girls" • $weepstake$ — Theodore — Episode: "Billy, Wally and Ludmilla, and Theodore" • Supertrain — Talcott — Episode: "The Green Lady" • Fantasy Island — Gary Pointer — 1 episode • Hart to Hart — Dr. Peterson — Episode: "Hart to Hart" • The Love Boat — Fred Beery — Episode: "Second Chance/Don't Push Me/Like Father, Like Son" S2 E16 • Mork & Mindy — Chuck the Robot (voice) — Episode: "Dr. Morkenstein" • 1980 — The Martian Chronicles — Father Stone — 3 episodes • 1980–1981 — Fantasy Island — Mephistopheles — 2 episodes • 1982–1983 — Tales of the Gold Monkey — Bon Chance Louie — 20 episodes • 1985 — Hollywood Wives — Jason Swankle — 3 episodes • 1985, 1989 — Murder, She Wrote — Gordon Fairchild, Dr. Alger Kenyon — 2 episodes • 1985 — Bridges to Cross — Norman Parks — Episode: "Memories of Molly" • 1987, 1989 — Matlock — Don Mosher, Christopher Hoyt — 2 episodes • 1989 — Around the World in 80 Days — McBaines — 3 episodes • 1991 — The Pirates of Dark Water — Niddler (voice) — 5 episodes • An Inconvenient Woman — Cyril Rathbone — 2 episodes • 1992 — The Legend of Prince Valiant — King Frederick (voice) — Episode: "The Battle of Greystone" • Quantum Leap — Edward St. John V — Episode: "A Leap for Lisa" • Darkwing Duck — Sir Quackmire Mallard (voice) — Episode: "Inherit the Wimp" • 1992–1994 — Batman: The Animated Series — Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter (voice) — 4 episodes • 1993 — 2 Stupid Dogs — Chameleon (voice) — Episode: "Chameleon" • SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron — Lenny Ringtail, Madkat (voice) — Episode: "Enter the Madkat" • 1994 — Red Planet — Headmaster Marcus Howe (voice) — 3 episodes • The Tick — Breadmaster (voice) — Episode: "The Tick vs. The Breadmaster" • 1996 — Tracey Takes On... — Rex Gaydon — Episode: "Nostalgia" • Gargoyles — Proteus (voice) — Episode: "The New Olympians" • Duckman — Akers (voice) — Episode: "Apocalypse Not" • Pinky and the Brain — Snowball (voice) — 6 episodes • 1998 — The New Batman Adventures — Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter (voice) — 2 episodes • Superman: The Animated Series — Episode: "Knight Time"; posthumous role • Behind the Planet of the Apes — Narrator — Television documentary; posthumous role • 1999 — Godzilla: The Series — Hugh Trevor (voice) — Episode: "DeadLoch"; posthumous role

• Young Woodley (1946) • Macbeth (1947) • Misalliance (1953) • Escapade (1953) • Julius Caesar (1955) • The Tempest (1955) • No Time for Sergeants (1955) • Diary of a Scoundrel (1956) • Good as Gold (1957) • Compulsion (1957) • Handful of Fire (1958) • Look After Lulu (1959) • The Fighting Cock (1959) • Camelot (1960) • The Astrakhan Coat (1967) • Charlie's Aunt (1975) • Dial M for Murder (1995–96) • A Christmas Carol: The Musical (1997)

• Year — Program — Episode/source — Ref. Reference(s) • 1943 — Lux Radio Theatre — My Friend Flicka • 1947 — Suspense — One Way Street • 1948 — The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen — Rocky Iii and the Dead Mans Chest • 1952 — Family Theater — A Lullaby for Christmas

Roddy McDowall is recorded with the occupation character actor. Recorded with the occupation film director. Classed in the genre Shakespearean comedy. Recorded as actor, film director and screenwriter.

After appearing as a child model as a baby, and winning an acting prize in a school play at age nine, McDowell started appearing in films, including I See Ice (1938) with George Formby and Hey! Hey! USA (1938) with Will Hay.

McDowall received recognition as a photographer, working with Look, Vogue, Collier's, and Life. His work includes a cover story on Mae West for Life and the cover of the 1964 Barbra Streisand album, The Third Album. He took the photograph when Streisand performed on The Judy Garland Show in October 1963. He published five books of photographs, each featuring photos and profile interviews of his celebrity friends interviewing each other, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Judy Holliday, Maureen O'Hara, Katharine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, and others, starting with Double Exposure in 1968.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1938 — Convict 99 — Jimmy • Murder in the Family — Peter Osborne • John Halifax — Boy • 1939 — Poison Pen — Choir Boy — Uncredited • 1940 — His Brother's Keeper — Boy • Dead Man's Shoes — Boy • Just William — Ginger • Saloon Bar — Boy • 1941 — You Will Remember — Young Bob Slater • Man Hunt — Vaner • This England — Hugo • How Green Was My Valley — Huw Morgan • Confirm or Deny — Albert Perkins • 1942 — Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake — Young Benjamin Blake • On the Sunnyside — Hugh Aylesworth • The Pied Piper — Ronnie Cavanaugh • 1943 — My Friend Flicka — Ken McLaughlin • Lassie Come Home — Joe Carraclough • 1944 — The White Cliffs of Dover — Young John Ashwood • The Keys of the Kingdom — Young Francis Chisholm • 1945 — Thunderhead, Son of Flicka — Ken McLaughlin • 1945 — Molly and Me — Jimmy Graham • 1946 — Holiday in Mexico — Stanley Owen • 1948 — Rocky — Chris Hammond • Macbeth — Malcolm • Kidnapped — David Balfour • 1949 — Tuna Clipper — Alec MacLennan • Black Midnight — Scott Jordan • 1950 — Big Timber — Jimmy • Killer Shark — Ted • 1952 — The Steel Fist — Eric Kardin • 1958 — The Big Country — Hannassey Watchman — Uncredited • 1960 — The Subterraneans — Yuri Gilgoric • Midnight Lace — Malcolm Stanley • 1962 — The Longest Day — Pvt. Morris • 1963 — Cleopatra — Octavian • 1964 — Shock Treatment — Martin Ashley • 1965 — The Greatest Story Ever Told — Matthew • That Darn Cat! — Gregory Benson • The Third Day — Oliver Parsons • The Loved One — D.J. Jr. • Inside Daisy Clover — Walter Baines • 1966 — Lord Love a Duck — Alan Musgrave • The Defector — Agent Adams • 1967 — The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin — Bullwhip Griffin • The Cool Ones — Tony Krum • It! — Arthur Pimm • 1968 — Planet of the Apes — Cornelius • 5 Card Stud — Nick Evers • 1969 — Midas Run — Wister • Hello Down There — Nate Ashbury • Angel, Angel, Down We Go — Santoro • 1970 — Tam Lin — - — Director. McDowall's only directorial outing. • 1971 — Pretty Maids All in a Row — Proffer • Escape from the Planet of the Apes — Cornelius • Terror in the Sky — Ralph Baird • Bedknobs and Broomsticks — Rowan Jelk • 1972 — Conquest of the Planet of the Apes — Caesar • The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean — Frank Gass • The Poseidon Adventure — Acres • 1973 — Arnold — Robert • The Legend of Hell House — Benjamin Franklin Fischer • Battle for the Planet of the Apes — Caesar • 1974 — Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry — Grocery Store Manager • 1975 — Funny Lady — Bobby • 1976 — Mean Johnny Barrows — Tony Da Vince • Embryo — Frank Riley • 1977 — Sixth and Main — Skateboard • 1978 — Laserblast — Dr. Mellon • The Cat from Outer Space — Mr. Stallwood • Circle of Iron — White Robe • The Thief of Baghdad — Hasan • 1979 — Scavenger Hunt — Jenkins • Nutcracker Fantasy — Franz/Fritz • The Black Hole — V.I.N.CENT. (voice) • 1981 — Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen — Gillespie • 1982 — Evil Under the Sun — Rex Brewster • Class of 1984 — Terry Corrigan • 1985 — Fright Night — Peter Vincent • 1986 — GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords — Nuggit (voice) • Friends Are Forever: Tales of the Little Princess — Zak the Cat (voice) • 1987 — Dead of Winter — Mr. Murray • Overboard — Andrew • 1988 — Doin' Time on Planet Earth — Minister • Fright Night Part 2 — Peter Vincent • 1989 — The Big Picture — Judge • Cutting Class — Mr. Dante • 1990 — Shakma — Sorenson • 1991 — Timmy's Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas — Narrator (voice) • Going Under — Secretary Neighbor • 1992 — Double Trouble — Philip Chamberlain • 1993 — The Evil Inside Me — Pauly • The Return of Captain Sinbad — Narrator (voice) • 1994 — Mirror, Mirror II: Raven Dance — Dr. Lasky • 1995 — The Grass Harp — Amos Legrand • The Alien Within — Dr. Henry Lazarus • Last Summer in the Hamptons — Thomas • 1996 — Star Hunter — Riecher • It's My Party — Damian Knowles • 1997 — The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo — King Murphy • 1998 — Something to Believe In — Gambler • A Bug's Life — Mr. Soil (voice) — Posthumous release • Star Power: The Creation of United Artists — Narrator (voice) — Posthumous release

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1960 — The Tempest — Ariel • 1967 — The Cricket on the Hearth — Cricket Crocket (voice) • 1968 — The Legend of Robin Hood — Prince John • 1971 — Terror in the Sky — Dr. Ralph Baird • A Taste of Evil — Dr. Michael Lomas • What's a Nice Girl Like You...? — Albert Soames • 1973 — Miracle on 34th Street — Dr. Sawyer • 1974 — The Elevator — Marvin Ellis • 1976 — Flood! — Mr. Franklin • 1978 — The Immigrants — Mark Levy • The Thief of Baghdad — Hasan • 1980 — The Memory of Eva Ryker — MacFarland • The Return of the King — Samwise Gamgee (voice) • 1981 — The Million Dollar Face — Derek Kenyon • 1984 — The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood — Prince John • 1985 — Alice in Wonderland — March Hare • 1987 — The Wind in the Willows — Ratty (voice) • 1988 — Remo Williams: The Prophecy — Chuin • 1991 — Timmy's Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas — Narrator (voice) • 1994 — Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is — Jeremy Sennet • 1996 — Dead Man's Island — Trevor Dunnaway • Unlikely Angel — Saint Peter

McDowall served for several years in various capacities on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation that presents the Academy Awards (Oscars), and on the selection committee for the Kennedy Center Awards. He was chairman of the Actors' Branch for five terms. He was elected president of the Academy Foundation in 1998, the year that he died. He worked to support the Motion Pictures Retirement Home, where a rose garden named in his honour was officially dedicated on 9 October 2001. It remains part of the campus.

For his contributions to television, McDowall received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, at 6632 Hollywood Blvd.

• Award — Year — Category — Work — Result — Ref. Reference(s) • Golden Globe Awards — 1964 — Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture — Cleopatra • National Board of Review Awards — 1941 — Best Acting — How Green Was My Valley • Primetime Emmy Awards — 1961 — Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Single Program — NBC Sunday Showcase ("Our American Heritage: Not Without Honor") • 1964 — Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role — Arrest and Trial ("Journey into Darkness") • Saturn Awards — 1983 — Best Supporting Actor — Class of 1984 • 1986 — Fright Night