In an interview, he said that a magazine named him "King of Punk" after his appearance in "A clockwork orange". This is probably because of the punk references that appears in the movie, such as the droogies costume style.
Is 24 years older than his wife Kelley.
Lives in Santa Barbara, California.
Owns another home in Britain and a summer retreat in Tuscany.
Received death threats from overzealous Star Trek fans after his character killed Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations (1994).
Third son, Seamus Hudson McDowell, was born on January 7, 2009.
Uncle of Alexander Siddig ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993)).
Was captain of the rugby and cricket teams at his high school.
Was the first well-known actor to appear non-animated and in the flesh for "South Park" (1997) because he is one of Trey Parker's favorite actors and he was specifically requested.
When he went to meet with Stanley Kubrick for the first time, he had little knowledge of film and confused him with Stanley Kramer. In preparation, McDowell's friend and mentor, Lindsay Anderson, showed him all of Kubrick's films from Paths of Glory (1957) to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).