Roddy McDowell, an American actor of British descent, who played more than one hundred and twenty roles

American actor of British origin, Roddy McDowell was born on September 17, 1928 in the capital of Great Britain. His debut at the cinema took place at the age of ten. The boy was invited to participate in the episodes because of his colorful appearance. He looked like a confident teenager, clean and at the same time carelessly dressed. Roddy starred in five films, where he was not even included in the credits. All roles were called the same - "boy".

The first prominent role

In 1940, the McDowell family moved to America, to the city of Los Angeles. There, Roddy continued to act in the usual role of the boy. And only in the film "How Green Was My Valley" the young actor received a small but rather memorable role. His character, Hugh, the youngest child in a mining family, occupies a special place in the plot. The action revolves around his retrospective memories relating to the surrounding people. However, Hugh does not influence the events taking place.

Acquaintance with the future megastar of Hollywood

Another notable role of Roddy McDowell was the high school student Joe Carraclough in the film directed by Fred Wilcox "Lassie returns home." On set, the young actor met the best friend of his life - Elizabeth Taylor, who was then quite a girl - she was barely nine years old.

Distraction

Roddy McDowell grew up, and soon he began a period of already serious roles, characteristic and memorable. The most significant character is Octavian Augustus from Cleopatra, a historical drama directed by director Joseph Mankiewicz in 1963. For the role of Emperor Roddy McDowell was nominated for an Oscar.

In 1968, the actor appeared in a double image, Caesar and Cornelius from the fantastic movie "Planet of the Apes". The picture was continued: in different years three more full-length series were created.

Television and voice

Further, Roddy McDowell starred in several successful film projects, among which were "Overboard" with the inimitable Goldie Hawn in the title role, "The Adventure of Poseidon", "Evil Under the Sun." The actor was often invited to take part in various television projects. In the series "Colombo", "Batman", "Twilight Zone", "Quantum Leap." In addition to filming Roddy McDowell was engaged in voice acting, his voice was spoken by cartoon characters, such as Mr. Soyle from "The Adventures of Flick", created in 1998.

At the end of his career, the actor actively engaged in public and administrative activities in the apparatus of the Academy of Cinematography, occupying various posts in the administration and coordination council. McDowell was a valuable worker: he knew the film industry from the inside, and many years of experience on the set allowed him to solve the most difficult administrative tasks.

Roddy McDowell: Filmography

In his career, the actor starred in more than one hundred and twenty films and television series. Below is a sample list of films with his participation.

• "Pied Piper" (1942), the character of Ronnie Kavanagh;
• "The Thundercloud" (1945), the role of Mack Laughlin;
• "Macbeth" (1948), the character of Malcolm;
• "Abducted" (1948), the role of David Balfour;
• "Theater Celanese" (1952), a character by Richard Miller;
• "Twilight Zone" (1964), the role of Sam Conrad;
• "The Storm" (1960), the character Ariel;
• "Midnight Lace" (1960), the role of Malcolm Stanley;
• "Ben Casey" (1966), the character of Dwight Franklin;
• "In battle" (1967), the role of Murphy;
• "The Eleventh Hour" (1964), the character of Alec Harnes;
• "Cleopatra" (1963), the role of Octavian Augustus;
• "Vertical Takeoff" (1967), character Wils Willetz;
• "The Third Day" (1965), the role of Oliver Parsons;
• "Spy" (1966), the character of the agent Adams;
• "Invaders" (1968), the role of Lloyd Lindstrom;
• "The Iron Side" (1975), character Jamie Shannon;
• "Name of the game" (1971), the role of Earley McCaury;
• "Colombo" (1968), the character of Roger Stanford;
• "Running Midas" (1969), the role of Uister;
• "Medical Center" (1976), played by Karl Marris;
• "The taste of evil" (1971), the character of Dr. Michael Lomas;
• "Recruits" (1976), the role of Fenner;
• "Sisters Snoop" (1974), a character Lionel Standish;
• "Barnaby Jones" (1973), played Stanley Lambert;
• "Arnold" (1973), the role of Robert;
• "Hell House and its Legend" (1973), character Benjamin Fisher;
• "Police Woman" (1974), the role of Moulton;
• "Planet of the Apes" (1974), the character of Geilen;
• "The Funny Lady" (1975), the role of Bobby Moore.

Roddy McDowell, whose films have always been in the top of the ratings for a long time, was considered one of the best actors in Hollywood and could have decorated with his game more than one film project, but human opportunities are limited - more was not enough time.

Personal life

The private space of the actor was always limited to the walls of his house in one of the districts of Los Angeles. He lived alone, communicated only with the closest people. Perhaps Roddy McDowell, whose family did not exist, did not find it necessary to bind themselves by marriage.

If you follow the public information, then he and the children were not. The reasons for this way of life are unknown, but since everyone chooses his own way, no one has tried to find out how Roddy lives in his own house.

In the spring of 1998, Roddy McDowell, whose personal life had never been publicized, appeared at the Oscar Awards in the company of actress Louise Rainer. Every movement to the actor was given with difficulty, many months of indisposition affected. This access to people was necessary for Roddy, he seemed to come to say goodbye to colleagues and friends. The audience greeted him with applause, the last in his life.

McDowell passed away on October 3, 1998 from a severe oncological disease. All the last months, next to him, was his best friend, screenwriter Denny Osborne. After the death of Roddy actress Angela Lansberry spoke on the radio with a farewell speech.