Roddy McDowall
From RoyalWeb
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| + | This page represents my older biography of Roddy. To see the latest version please visit:<br> | ||
| + | [http://knol.google.com/k/will-johnson/roddy-mcdowall-biography-ancestry-and/4hmquk6fx4gu/696#view "Roddy McDowall", on Chairpotato's Entertainment Channel on Knol] | ||
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'''Roddy McDowall''', born Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 London – 3 October 1998 Los Angeles), British-born actor (His name is frequently misspelled Roddy McDowell with an 'e'.) | '''Roddy McDowall''', born Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 London – 3 October 1998 Los Angeles), British-born actor (His name is frequently misspelled Roddy McDowell with an 'e'.) | ||
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This page is locked, if you'd like to add or correct anything, please email me. I am available for hire to assist you to trace your family or create a biography of you or your relative. I charge $25 per hour. | This page is locked, if you'd like to add or correct anything, please email me. I am available for hire to assist you to trace your family or create a biography of you or your relative. I charge $25 per hour. | ||
| − | http:// | + | http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/hyujx7mco9jp/boid33/roddymcdowall1.jpg |
http://www.listal.com/image/167848/180full-roddy-mcdowall.jpg | http://www.listal.com/image/167848/180full-roddy-mcdowall.jpg | ||
http://www.pamelasuemartin.net/movies/poseidon/images/roddy_mcdowell.jpg | http://www.pamelasuemartin.net/movies/poseidon/images/roddy_mcdowell.jpg | ||
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| + | http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wjhonson/Famous/RoddyMcDowall.JPG<br>as Octavian in 1963's Cleopatra | ||
==Roddy McDowall== | ==Roddy McDowall== | ||
| − | Born in London in 1928 to Thomas Andrew McDowall (1896-1978) and his wife Winsfriede L. Corcoran (1899-1965), Roddy McDowall had already been in several British films when his family moved to the United States "at the end of 1940" (Roddy McDowall interview on YouTube) to escape the war. (see [http://books.google.com/books?id=OIQumuY6auEC&pg=PA219&dq=Roddy+mcDowall&lr=&sig=ACfU3U0TK1BdpDrU-HW7DSwKSn66PLU8rg here]). His big break came when he was cast in 1941's ''[[How Green Was My Valley]]'', an emotional drama directed by John Ford. Not as well known, the original director of this movie was | + | Born in London in 1928 to Thomas Andrew McDowall (1896-1978) and his wife Winsfriede L. Corcoran (1899-1965), Roddy McDowall had already been in several British films when his family moved to the United States "at the end of 1940" (Roddy McDowall interview on YouTube) to escape the war. (see [http://books.google.com/books?id=OIQumuY6auEC&pg=PA219&dq=Roddy+mcDowall&lr=&sig=ACfU3U0TK1BdpDrU-HW7DSwKSn66PLU8rg here]). His big break came when he was cast in 1941's ''[[How Green Was My Valley]]'', an emotional drama directed by John Ford. Not as well known, the original director of this movie was William Wyler. He is the one who saw Roddy's screen-test and chose him for the part. Wyler is also known for being the second husband, of [[Henry Fonda]]'s first wife Margaret Sullavan. |
Close on that role, Roddy McDowall was cast in ''My Friend Flicka'' (watch the first 35 seconds [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4GjaWmmASk here]). He is also well-known, from his childhood, for his role opposite, the then-unknown [[Elizabeth Taylor]], in her screen debut, in 1943's ''Lassie Come Home''. It is possibly from this time that Elizabeth and Roddy became close friends. Elizabeth's selection for this movie was an absolute fluke. The director wanted a young girl with an English accent. Elizabeth had been born and lived for some years in London where her father had run an art gallery. | Close on that role, Roddy McDowall was cast in ''My Friend Flicka'' (watch the first 35 seconds [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4GjaWmmASk here]). He is also well-known, from his childhood, for his role opposite, the then-unknown [[Elizabeth Taylor]], in her screen debut, in 1943's ''Lassie Come Home''. It is possibly from this time that Elizabeth and Roddy became close friends. Elizabeth's selection for this movie was an absolute fluke. The director wanted a young girl with an English accent. Elizabeth had been born and lived for some years in London where her father had run an art gallery. | ||
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[[Tab Hunter]] mentions Roddy in his autobiography ''Tab Hunter Confidential : The Making of a Movie Star'' : "While making shakes [at the Rexall drugstore at Hollywood and Highland], I met my first bona fide movie star. It was the night of the big 1948 Christmas parade...Dick Clayton brought along Roddy McDowall. Roddy was only twenty, but he'd been in pictures his whole life....We hit it off, gabbing and laughing...." (''Confidential'', p48). Several years later, Tab and Roddy posed shirtless for a fan magazine spread entitled "Calling All Girls". | [[Tab Hunter]] mentions Roddy in his autobiography ''Tab Hunter Confidential : The Making of a Movie Star'' : "While making shakes [at the Rexall drugstore at Hollywood and Highland], I met my first bona fide movie star. It was the night of the big 1948 Christmas parade...Dick Clayton brought along Roddy McDowall. Roddy was only twenty, but he'd been in pictures his whole life....We hit it off, gabbing and laughing...." (''Confidential'', p48). Several years later, Tab and Roddy posed shirtless for a fan magazine spread entitled "Calling All Girls". | ||
| − | [[Farley Granger]] mentions Roddy in his autobiography ''Include Me Out: My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway'' (see [http://books.google.com/books?id=FKmpeKeSsNAC&pg=PA26&dq=Roddy+mcDowall&lr=&sig=ACfU3U1NfVxJTlHnXUakbjf0TV1XFD3QYQ#PPA29,M1 here]). He knew Roddy prior to Farley's enlistment in the Navy at age 18, and then much later he further remarks, "It was 1953. I found an apartment on the Upper East Side in Manhattan....My old pal Roddy McDowall and also Monty Clift lived '''on the same block'''" (emphasis mine) (see [http://books.google.com/books?id=FKmpeKeSsNAC&pg=PA26&dq=Roddy+mcDowall&lr=&sig=ACfU3U1NfVxJTlHnXUakbjf0TV1XFD3QYQ#PPA142,M1 page 142]) | + | [[Farley Granger]] mentions Roddy in his autobiography ''Include Me Out: My Life from Goldwyn to Broadway'' (see [http://books.google.com/books?id=FKmpeKeSsNAC&pg=PA26&dq=Roddy+mcDowall&lr=&sig=ACfU3U1NfVxJTlHnXUakbjf0TV1XFD3QYQ#PPA29,M1 here]). He knew Roddy prior to Farley's enlistment in the Navy at age 18 [this would have been 1943], and then much later he further remarks, "It was 1953. I found an apartment on the Upper East Side in Manhattan....My old pal Roddy McDowall and also Monty Clift lived '''on the same block'''" (emphasis mine) (see [http://books.google.com/books?id=FKmpeKeSsNAC&pg=PA26&dq=Roddy+mcDowall&lr=&sig=ACfU3U1NfVxJTlHnXUakbjf0TV1XFD3QYQ#PPA142,M1 page 142]) |
It is true that Roddy has moved to New York City. In one interview he claims this was because when he was seventeen, his agent told him that he'd never work again. So he moved to New York sometime between then and 1952 and took to Broadway. | It is true that Roddy has moved to New York City. In one interview he claims this was because when he was seventeen, his agent told him that he'd never work again. So he moved to New York sometime between then and 1952 and took to Broadway. | ||
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Right about the time that Liz was having an affair with Richard Burton, while still married to Eddie Fisher, Eddie comments in his autobiography that "...Roddy McDowall and his close friend [[John Valva]]..." (page 243) And again, "...my years of hatred for Roddy McDowall were finally going to pay off. He would never give [[Mia Farrow|Mia]] [Farrow] permission to marry me...." (pg 289) | Right about the time that Liz was having an affair with Richard Burton, while still married to Eddie Fisher, Eddie comments in his autobiography that "...Roddy McDowall and his close friend [[John Valva]]..." (page 243) And again, "...my years of hatred for Roddy McDowall were finally going to pay off. He would never give [[Mia Farrow|Mia]] [Farrow] permission to marry me...." (pg 289) | ||
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| + | Again Tab Hunter in his autobiography puts Roddy living in New York City in 1960 when he says "Roddy McDowall and I had seen ''Rocco and His Brothers'', at the Sutton Theater in New York when it first came out" (pg 243). | ||
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| + | The only film that Roddy directed, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam-Lin_%28film%29 "Tam-Lin"] came out in 1970 to a limited British release. The Scottish castle settings were designed by [[Tessa Kennedy]]. Also in a bit part was [[Peter Hinwood]] as "Guy". | ||
Roddy McDowall appeared, in a small role in the 1971 [[Walt Disney|Disney]] fantasy film ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'', as the village priest. | Roddy McDowall appeared, in a small role in the 1971 [[Walt Disney|Disney]] fantasy film ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'', as the village priest. | ||
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[[Category:England]] | [[Category:England]] | ||
[[Category:New York]] | [[Category:New York]] | ||
| + | [[Category:GLBT]] | ||
