Roddy McDowall was a rare case of child star that grows up to be as interesting to watch, if not more so as an adult. Darling, sad eyed and sensitive as a lad, he blossomed into a versatile, handsome performer with a pen
chant for playing snobs, men of refinement and eccentrics, nicely punctuated by his gentle speaking voice.
chant for playing snobs, men of refinement and eccentrics, nicely punctuated by his gentle speaking voice. McDowall was born Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17th September 1928) in London to a Merchant Mariner father and a mother who had always wanted to be in movies. He was encolled in elocution class at age five. Both he and his sister, Virginia were encouraged by their mother to try their hands on acting.
He made his debut at the age of ten in 1938 "Murder In The Family" (as the younger bro
ther of Jessica Tandy and Glynis Johns). Altogether there were fifteen British films appearances during this period, when his mother moved her children to America. He had a brief scene in "Man Hunt" (1941). As chance would have it, Twentieth Century-Fox was looking for a boy, preferab
ly English, for their prestigious production of "How Green Was My Valley" (1941) as cast him as Huw. Starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O' Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp and Sara Allgood, McDowall who was cast as the youngest son, stole the scenes he is in.
ther of Jessica Tandy and Glynis Johns). Altogether there were fifteen British films appearances during this period, when his mother moved her children to America. He had a brief scene in "Man Hunt" (1941). As chance would have it, Twentieth Century-Fox was looking for a boy, preferab
ly English, for their prestigious production of "How Green Was My Valley" (1941) as cast him as Huw. Starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O' Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp and Sara Allgood, McDowall who was cast as the youngest son, stole the scenes he is in. He was called to portray bigger stars as children as he did in "Son Of Fury : The Story Of Benjamin Blake" (1942 Tyrone Power) and "The Keys Of The Kingdom" (1944 Gregory Peck). In between, he was giv
en the lead role in the wartime propoganda "On The Sunny Side" (1942), the sentimental drama starring Monty Wooley "The Pied Piper" (1942), after which he scored in one of the most pleasing of all boy-and-his-horse pictures, "My Friend Flicka" (1943).
en the lead role in the wartime propoganda "On The Sunny Side" (1942), the sentimental drama starring Monty Wooley "The Pied Piper" (1942), after which he scored in one of the most pleasing of all boy-and-his-horse pictures, "My Friend Flicka" (1943). MGM borrowed him for the film that featured his best remembered role as an adolescent, "Lassie Come Home" (1943), acting alongside the 11 year-old Elizabeth Taylor who became his life long friend. MGM kept him on to play Irene Dunne's snobby son in "The White Cliffs Of Dover" (1944), before returning to Fox for an expected sequel "Thunderhead - Son Of Flicka" (1945). There was also a musical comedy with Wooley in "Molly and Me" (1945 - Gracie Allen was Molly).
By the time M
GM put him in Jane Powell's musical "Holiday In Mexico" (1946), he was a lanky teen. He played Malcolm in Orson Welles' s "Macbeth" (1948) and he signed with Monogram to star in a batch of immediately forgotten "B" movies, all of which listed him as an associate producer, making him one of the youngest performers to ever receive such a behind-the-scene credit. These pictures include another boy and his dog story - "Rocky" (1948); a quickie version of "Kidnapped"(1948); working on the titled vessel to pay off deb
t in "Tuna Clipper" (1949); "Killer Shark"(1950) seaching for his dad in Mexico and playing a Russian in "Steel Fist" (1952).
GM put him in Jane Powell's musical "Holiday In Mexico" (1946), he was a lanky teen. He played Malcolm in Orson Welles' s "Macbeth" (1948) and he signed with Monogram to star in a batch of immediately forgotten "B" movies, all of which listed him as an associate producer, making him one of the youngest performers to ever receive such a behind-the-scene credit. These pictures include another boy and his dog story - "Rocky" (1948); a quickie version of "Kidnapped"(1948); working on the titled vessel to pay off deb
t in "Tuna Clipper" (1949); "Killer Shark"(1950) seaching for his dad in Mexico and playing a Russian in "Steel Fist" (1952). Like many others, he went over to television and Broadway. He was Mordred in Richard Burton/Julie Andrews stage hit "Camelot" (a role that was snagged by David Hemmings in the screen version).
He came back to the big screen after eight years absence, in "The Subterraneans" (1960) and Doris Day thriller "
Midnight Lace" (1960). He was a private in the starry male cast of the D-Day epic, "The Longest Day" (1962) and as the ruthless Octavius in "Cleopatra" (1963) where he pretty much commanded the screen in the second half of the lengthy movie once Rex Harrison's Caesar was killed off. 
In "Shock Treatment" (1964), he played a weirdo who killed a woman with a pair of pruning sheers. Roddy can be seen in 1965 in "Inside Daisy Clover" (but pretty much remaining in the backgroud); as George Peppard's petulant brother-in-law in "The Third Day"; as apostle Matthew in the biblical "The Greatest Story Ever Told"; as a nasty insensitive studio honcho in "The Loved Ones" and showed his knack in comedy in Disney's "That Darn Cat!".
Midnight Lace" (1960). He was a private in the starry male cast of the D-Day epic, "The Longest Day" (1962) and as the ruthless Octavius in "Cleopatra" (1963) where he pretty much commanded the screen in the second half of the lengthy movie once Rex Harrison's Caesar was killed off. 
In "Shock Treatment" (1964), he played a weirdo who killed a woman with a pair of pruning sheers. Roddy can be seen in 1965 in "Inside Daisy Clover" (but pretty much remaining in the backgroud); as George Peppard's petulant brother-in-law in "The Third Day"; as apostle Matthew in the biblical "The Greatest Story Ever Told"; as a nasty insensitive studio honcho in "The Loved Ones" and showed his knack in comedy in Disney's "That Darn Cat!".
He landed in one of his best roles ever, playing the brilliant, persuasive and d
ownright strange mentor of Tuesday Weld in the satire "Lord Loves A Duck" (1966). He had a starring role in the horror "It!" (1966) where he kept his mother's corpse for companionship and then the western comedy "The Adventures Of Bullwhip Griffin" (1967).
As simian Cornelius, his most famous adult role, who treats captured human Charlton Heston with decency, in sci-fi "Planet Of The Apes" (1968) is a smash hit, although he was hardly recognizable under John Chambers's unforgettable make-up design. He returned to the part
on four more occasions - "Escape From The Planet Of The Apes" (1971); "Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes" (1972) and "Battle For The Planet Of The Apes" (1973). He also appeared on a short-lived TV series version though as a different character.
ownright strange mentor of Tuesday Weld in the satire "Lord Loves A Duck" (1966). He had a starring role in the horror "It!" (1966) where he kept his mother's corpse for companionship and then the western comedy "The Adventures Of Bullwhip Griffin" (1967).As simian Cornelius, his most famous adult role, who treats captured human Charlton Heston with decency, in sci-fi "Planet Of The Apes" (1968) is a smash hit, although he was hardly recognizable under John Chambers's unforgettable make-up design. He returned to the part
on four more occasions - "Escape From The Planet Of The Apes" (1971); "Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes" (1972) and "Battle For The Planet Of The Apes" (1973). He also appeared on a short-lived TV series version though as a different character.Still youthful looking at the age of forty, he was a memeber of a parasitic rock band tormenting the lovely Jennifer Jones in "Angel, Angel Down We Go" (1969) and Disney's semi animated musical "Bedknobs And Broomsticks" (1971) and popped up as 
an ineffectual school principal in "Pretty Maids All In A Row" (1971) opposite friend Rock Hudson. He was the first few to perish in the blockbuster "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), as the doomed ship's waiter and then had one of his last top-billed parts in the well-liked but stodgy horror offering, "Legend Of Hell House" (1973), as an occult researcher.
an ineffectual school principal in "Pretty Maids All In A Row" (1971) opposite friend Rock Hudson. He was the first few to perish in the blockbuster "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), as the doomed ship's waiter and then had one of his last top-billed parts in the well-liked but stodgy horror offering, "Legend Of Hell House" (1973), as an occult researcher. He was an annoying lawyer in another all-star "The Life And Times Of Judge Roy Bean" (1972); one of the victims in the comedy "A
rnold" (1973); a cameo appearance as a supermarket manager in "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" (1974); Barbra Streisand's gay personal assistant in "Funny LAdy" (1975); as a Gypsy woman in the lopsided farce "Rabbit Test" (1978); and the Disney's "The Cat From Outer Space" (1978).
rnold" (1973); a cameo appearance as a supermarket manager in "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" (1974); Barbra Streisand's gay personal assistant in "Funny LAdy" (1975); as a Gypsy woman in the lopsided farce "Rabbit Test" (1978); and the Disney's "The Cat From Outer Space" (1978). Amid a lot of television ass
ignments, he had a terrific part as a hammy horror movie TV host in "Fright Night" (1985), a role he reprised in a little-seen sequel and executive produced comedy "Overboard" (1987) in which he gave himself a thankless role of a butler. In the 1990s he ended up in a lot of unworth
y, direct-to-vidoe fare and lent his voice to many animated movies and TV shows.
ignments, he had a terrific part as a hammy horror movie TV host in "Fright Night" (1985), a role he reprised in a little-seen sequel and executive produced comedy "Overboard" (1987) in which he gave himself a thankless role of a butler. In the 1990s he ended up in a lot of unworth
y, direct-to-vidoe fare and lent his voice to many animated movies and TV shows. In December of 1998 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) honored him for his acting career and critically acclaimed photography by naming its photo archive after him. The collection, wh
ich includes several million negatives and stills, will be known as the Roddy McDowall Photograph Archive at the Margaret Herrick Library.
ich includes several million negatives and stills, will be known as the Roddy McDowall Photograph Archive at the Margaret Herrick Library. Roddy McDowall came a long way since...he died of lung cancer on 3rd October 1998 at the age of 70. The day after his death, Angela Lansbury paid tribute to him on BBC Radio Five 5: Up all Night. She described him as 'one of the most wonderful friends, anybody could possibly have ... we've lost a beloved friend' and that he will be 'so missed'. His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
(Autographed photo - property of author)
1 comment:
Having the privilege of knowing Roddy since I was 6 has been nothing short of a pleasure and I miss him so much. Some days it's hard to believe it's almost been 20 years and other times it feels that he hasn't gone, as if he's still with us. Roddy doesn't want us to remember how he died, but how he lived.
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