Job Actor, photographer, director
Years active 1938-98
Top Roles Nick Evers, Francis Chisholm, as a boy, Malcolm, John Ashwood II as a Boy, Pvt. Morris
Top GenresDrama, Comedy, Film Adaptation, Family, Romance, Thriller/Suspense
Top TopicsBook-Based, World War II, Animals
Top Collaborators (Producer), (Producer), ,
Shares birthday with Dolores Costello, Anne Bancroft, Helen Vinson  see more..

Roddy McDowall Overview:

Legendary actor, Roddy McDowall, was born Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall on Sep 17, 1928 in Herne Hill, London. McDowall died at the age of 70 on Oct 3, 1998 in Studio City, CA and was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.

MINI BIO:

Clever and resourceful light-haired British born child actor, in Hollywood from 1940, and popular as the star of boy-and-animal films. Proved ineffectual as a young adult star but after ten years learning his craft in the theatre came back as an astringent and interesting character actor who frequently stole scenes from those billed above him. Won great personal popularity as star of the Apes films. Also a photographer. Died from cancer.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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He was honored with one star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Television. McDowall was never nominated for an Academy Award.

BlogHub Articles:

Warner Archive: Produces and Stars In Black Midnight (1949)

By KC on May 13, 2015 From Classic Movies

As a twenty-year-old maturing child star in 1949, must have wondered about his fate. So many actors struggle to successfully make the transition to adult careers. He was at that awkward age when Monogram Studios signed him to a contract, where he would star in and coproduce six films.... Read full article


Mini Tribute:

By Annmarie Gatti on Sep 17, 2012 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Born September 17, 1928, ! started out as a Child Actor (i.e. How Green Was My Valley, My Friend Flicka, Lassie Come Home), and successfully moved on to some fabulous ‘adult’ roles including Midnight Lace, Inside Daisy Clover, Cleopatra, and of course –... Read full article


Stars & Their Hobbies ~

By Raquel Stecher on Nov 30, -0001 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

, Home Movies was a trustworthy kind of a guy and he made many close friends in Hollywood. Every Sunday he would have an open house at his Malibu Beach home. This was a time when the Hollywood elite could come over relax and be themselves. They let their guard down whe... Read full article


Stars & Their Hobbies ~

By Raquel Stecher on Nov 30, -0001 From Out of the Past - A Classic Film Blog

, Home Movies was a trustworthy kind of a guy and he made many close friends in Hollywood. Every Sunday he would have an open house at his Malibu Beach home. This was a time when the Hollywood elite could come over relax and be themselves. They let their guard down whe... Read full article


See all articles

Roddy McDowall Quotes:

Vaner: Have you committed a crime?
Captain Alan Thorndike: No.
Vaner: Was it, um, about a woman?
Captain Alan Thorndike: [smiling] I see you know life.
Vaner: I thought so. They're a dickens of a problem, aren't they, sir?


Alan: Mollymauk does not fool around.


Ingrid Randall: Be careful Gregory, be extremely careful about what you say! I haven't had my coffee yet, and I'm in no mood for stupid, irresponsible remarks.
Gregory Benson: Oh.


read more quotes from Roddy McDowall...



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Roddy McDowall on the
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Roddy McDowall Facts
A clerical error on the part of 20th Century-Fox cost McDowall a likely Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his role as Caesar Augustus Octavian in Cleopatra (1963). The studio erroneously listed him as a leading player rather than a supporting one. When Fox asked the Academy to correct the error, it refused, saying the ballots already were at the printer. Fox then published an open letter in the trade papers, apologizing to McDowall: "We feel that it is important that the industry realize that your electric performance as Octavian in 'Cleopatra,' which was unanimously singled out by the critics as one of the best supporting performances by an actor this year, is not eligible for an Academy Award nomination in that category . . . due to a regrettable error on the part of 20th Century-Fox.".

Along with Woodrow Parfrey, Norman Burton and Eldon Burke, he is one of only four actors to appear in both Planet of the Apes (1968) and "Planet of the Apes" (1974).

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, which includes several million negatives and stills, will be known as the Roddy McDowall Photograph Archive at the Margaret Herrick Library.

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