Roddy McDowall

Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall was born on 17 September 1928 in Herne Hill, London, the only son of Thomas Andrew McDowall, a merchant seaman, and his Irish wife Winifred, née Corcoran. He was raised alongside his elder sister, Virginia, in the Catholic faith, and attended St Joseph's College in Upper Norwood, London. Both of his parents were enthusiastic about the theatre. McDowall died on 3 October 1998, having accumulated more than 270 screen and stage roles over a career spanning more than six decades.

McDowall began performing as a child model and won an acting prize in a school play at age nine. His early British film appearances included I See Ice (1938) with George Formby and Hey! Hey! USA (1938) with Will Hay. After the outbreak of World War II, he and his sister were brought to the United States by their mother. His American film career opened with the 1941 Fritz Lang thriller Man Hunt, followed immediately by How Green Was My Valley (1941), in which his portrayal of Huw Morgan made him a household name. That film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and on its set McDowall and Maureen O'Hara became lifelong friends. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer borrowed him from Fox for the star role in Lassie Come Home (1943) alongside Elizabeth Taylor, who also became a lifelong friend. McDowall became a naturalised United States citizen on 9 December 1949 and lived in the country for the remainder of his life.

McDowall served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1946 to 1954, assigned at various points to the 67th Armored Infantry Battalion of the 13th Armored Division and later to the 63rd Infantry Division, both part of the Army's Organized Reserve Corps headquartered in Los Angeles. He subsequently served in the 77th Infantry Division from 1960 to 1962. His transition from child star to adult performer was marked by a turn to the stage, beginning with 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, reprising the role in Welles's 1948 film version. He also signed a three-year contract with Monogram Pictures, starring in seven films for the studio and serving as associate producer, including Kidnapped (1948), in which he played David Balfour.

After relocating to New York City, McDowall became a frequent presence in live television drama throughout the 1950s while simultaneously building a substantial Broadway career. His stage work during this period included Misalliance (1953), which he credited with reshaping how he was perceived as an actor, and the drama Compulsion (1957–58), based on the Leopold and Loeb case. He also appeared on Broadway in Dial "M" for Murder and The Astrakhan Coat. His Broadway career spanned from 1953 to 1995.

McDowall's Broadway work reached a peak with his performance in Jean Anouilh's The Fighting Cock, directed by Peter Brook, for which he received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1960. He subsequently played Mordred in the original Broadway production of the musical Camelot (1960–63), which starred Julie Andrews and Richard Burton. His television work during this period included an Emmy-winning appearance in Sunday Showcase and a production of The Power and the Glory (1961) alongside Laurence Olivier, George C. Scott, and Julie Harris.

McDowall's return to Hollywood in the 1960s produced some of his most recognized screen work. He portrayed Octavian in Cleopatra (1963), a performance that earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination. He appeared in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), and 5 Card Stud (1968), before taking on the role of Cornelius in Planet of the Apes (1968), which became one of his most enduring characterizations. He reprised related roles across three sequels and a television spin-off, including playing Caesar in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). His other film credits from the 1970s include Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), and The Legend of Hell House (1973). McDowall also made his sole directorial effort with The Ballad of Tam Lin (1970).

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s McDowall continued working across film and television, with credits including Fright Night (1985) and the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, in which he voiced Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, as part of the DC Animated Universe. One of his final film roles was providing a voice in A Bug's Life (1998). In 1997 he hosted the MGM Musicals Tribute at Carnegie Hall. He was the subject of the television program This Is Your Life in 1993, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

Beyond performing, McDowall served for several years in various capacities on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, including five terms as chairman of the Actors' Branch, and was elected president of the Academy Foundation in 1998. He also served on the selection committee for the Kennedy Center Honors. McDowall was a founding member of the National Film Preservation Board and represented the Screen Actors Guild on that board until his death. He was additionally active as a photographer and journalist, and contributed to various charities related to the film industry and film preservation.