Malcolm McDowell

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Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell 2015.jpg
McDowell in 2015
Born Malcolm John Taylor
13 June 1943 (age 78)
Horsforth, Yorkshire, England
Occupation Actor
Years active 1964–present
Spouse(s)
Margot Bennett

(m. 1975; div. 1980)

Mary Steenburgen

(m. 1980; div. 1990)

Kelley Kuhr (m. 1991)
Children 5, including Charlie
Relatives Alexander Siddig (nephew)
Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor, best
known for his boisterous, charismatic and villainous roles. He was born in the
Horsforth suburb of Leeds and raised in Liverpool. He later trained at the London
Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before embarking on an acting career that has
spanned over 50 years.

McDowell portrayed Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971), the
title character in Caligula (1979), and Mick Travis in the trilogy of if....
(1968), O Lucky Man! (1973), and Britannia Hospital (1982). He has also appeared in
films such as Time After Time (1979), Cat People (1982), Blue Thunder (1983), Star
Trek Generations (1994), Tank Girl (1995), Gangster No. 1 (2000), Easy A (2010),
The Artist (2011) and Bombshell (2019). He also appeared as Dr. Samuel Loomis in
the 2007 remake Halloween and its 2009 sequel, Halloween II.

McDowell has also had a string of roles on television series such as recurring
roles on Entourage (2005–2011) and Heroes (2006–2007); and starring roles on
Franklin & Bash (2011–2014), and Mozart in the Jungle (2014–2018). Later in his
career, he became a prolific voice actor in films, television series and video
games such as Metalocalypse (2007–2012), Bolt (2008), Fallout 3 (2008), God of War
III (2010), The Elder Scrolls Online (2014) and Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015).
He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.[1]

Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 Acting
2.2 Voice acting
3 Personal life
4 Filmography
4.1 Film
4.2 Television
4.3 Video games
4.4 Music videos
5 Theatre
6 References
7 Interviews
8 External links
Early life
McDowell was born Malcolm John Taylor on 13 June 1943 in Horsforth, West Riding of
Yorkshire, the son of hotelier Edna (née McDowell) and RAF officer (and later pub
owner) Charles Taylor. He has an older sister named Gloria and a younger sister
named Judy.[2][3][4] Gloria later had a son, actor Alexander Siddig, alongside whom
McDowell would appear in the film Doomsday (2008). The family moved to Bridlington,
East Riding of Yorkshire, where McDowell's father was stationed at the nearby RAF
Carnaby. They then moved to Liverpool, where McDowell grew up and as a teenager
took a job in a Planters nut factory in nearby Aintree, as well as working at his
father's pub in Burscough, Lancashire.[5] He began taking acting classes while in
school, later moving to London in order to train as an actor at the London Academy
of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).[6]

Career
Acting

McDowell in Voyage of the Damned (1977)

McDowell initially secured work as an extra with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He
made his film debut as school rebel Mick Travis in if.... (1968) by British
director Lindsay Anderson. A landmark of British countercultural cinema, the BFI
named if.... the 12th greatest British film of the 20th century.[7] McDowell's next
roles were in Figures in a Landscape (1970) and The Raging Moon (1971). His
performance in if.... caught the attention of Stanley Kubrick, who cast McDowell
for the lead in A Clockwork Orange (1971), adapted from the novel by Anthony
Burgess. He gained positive reviews for his performance as Alex DeLarge, a young
sadist who undergoes brainwashing by the British government in a near future
society. He was nominated for a Golden Globe, a National Society of Film Critics
nomination, and a New York Film Critics Circle nomination as Best Actor.

He worked with Anderson again for O Lucky Man! (1973), which was inspired by
McDowell's experience working as a coffee salesman, and Britannia Hospital (1982).
McDowell regularly appeared on British television productions in the 1970s in
adaptations of theatre classics, one example being with Laurence Olivier in The
Collection (1976), as part of the series Laurence Olivier Presents. He starred in
Aces High (1975) and co-starred in Voyage of the Damned (1976), and as Dornford
Yates' gentleman hero Richard Chandos in She Fell Among Thieves (1978) and the
title character in Caligula (1979). He made his Hollywood debut as H. G. Wells in
Time After Time (1979). He has often portrayed antagonists, later remarking on his
career playing film villains: "I suppose I'm primarily known for that but in fact,
that would only be half of my career if I was to top it all up".[8] In his
biography Anthony Burgess: A Life, author Roger Lewis commented on McDowell's later
career: "his pretty-boy looks faded and he was condemned to playing villains in
straight-to-video films that turn up on Channel 5".[9]

McDowell appeared in the action film Blue Thunder (1983) as F.E. Cochrane, and the
horror remake Cat People (1982). In 1983, he starred in Get Crazy as Reggie Wanker,
a parody of Mick Jagger. Also in 1983, McDowell starred as the Wolf (Reginald von
Lupen) in Faerie Tale Theatre's rendition of "Little Red Riding Hood" (his wife at
that time, Mary Steenburgen, played Little Red Riding Hood). In 1984, he narrated
the documentary The Compleat Beatles. He is known in Star Trek circles as "the man
who killed Captain Kirk", appearing in the film Star Trek Generations (1994) in
which he played the mad scientist Dr. Tolian Soran, and several overzealous Star
Trek fans even issued death threats for this.[10] McDowell appeared in several
computer games, most notably as Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn in the Wing Commander
series of computer games. His appearance in Wing Commander III marked the series
transition from 2D pre-rendered cutscenes to live-action cutscenes. His appearance
in Wing Commander IV was during the final days of video game live action cutscenes.
McDowell in A Clockwork Orange (1971)
In 1995, he co-starred with actress and artist Lori Petty in the science
fiction/action comedy film Tank Girl. Here, he played the villain Dr. Kesslee, the
evil director of the global Water and Power Company, whose main goal in the story
was to control the planet's entire water supply on a future desert-like, post-
apocalyptic Earth.

McDowell appeared in a 2000 episode of the animated series South Park, which was a
comedic retelling of the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations. In the episode,
McDowell played the real-life narrator of the story in live action, introducing
himself simply as "a British person," in a parody of Masterpiece Theatre, and its
ex-host, Alistair Cooke.[11]

McDowell played himself in Robert Altman's The Player, in which he chastises

protagonist Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) for badmouthing him behind his back. He
worked with Altman once again for The Company (2003) as "Mr. A.", the fictional
director of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. His character was based on real-life
director Gerald Arpino. McDowell had a brief but memorable role as the psychopathic
Gangster in the British crime film Gangster No. 1 (2000). In the film I'll Sleep
When I'm Dead (2003), he played a straight married man who rapes a young drug
dealer to "teach him a lesson". The film also starred Clive Owen as the victim's
elder brother.

McDowell at the 2006 Traverse City Film Festival

In 2006, McDowell portrayed radio mogul Jonas Slaughter on Law & Order: Criminal
Intent. The following year, he portrayed the villainous Mr. Linderman on the first
season of the NBC series Heroes, a role he reprised in the third-season premiere.
He starred in Jerry Was a Man, which appeared as an episode of Masters of Science
Fiction on Sky.[12] He portrayed Terrence McQuewick on Entourage, and he made a
Special Guest Appearance as the icy fashion designer Julian Hodge in the Monk
season 4 episode, "Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show". Never Apologize is a 2007
documentary film of Malcolm McDowell's one-man show about his experiences working
with film director Lindsay Anderson.[13][14]

McDowell appeared as Dr. Samuel Loomis in Rob Zombie's remakes of Halloween and
Halloween II (in 2007 and 2009, respectively).[15] Although the films were not well
received critically, they performed better at the box office and McDowell was
widely praised for his performances and for being perfectly cast.[16][17] He also
played Desmond LaRochette in Robert Whitlow's The List (2007), and Irish patriarch
Enda Doyle in Red Roses and Petrol (2003).[18] His next film is the Canadian
vampire comedy rock and roll film Suck (2009) with actor/director Rob Stefaniuk and
the upcoming Alex Wright film Two Wolves.[19] In December 2009, he made an
appearance in the music video "Snuff" by the heavy metal band Slipknot.[20] He
appears, uncredited, as the curator Lombardi, in the film The Book of Eli (2010).
McDowell portrayed Satan in the Christian comedy thriller film Suing the Devil
(2011).[21]

In 2011, McDowell was cast in the role of Stanton Infeld on the TNT original series
Franklin & Bash, and appeared in the Academy Award-winning film The Artist. In
2012, McDowell appeared in the horror films Vamps and Silent Hill: Revelation. On
16 March 2012, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, aptly outside the
Pig n' Whistle British pub on Hollywood Boulevard. His fellow British actor Gary
Oldman was in attendance and paid tribute to McDowell for inspiring him to become
an actor.[5]

In 2013, he appeared as the title character in the psychological thriller The

Employer, for which he won Best Actor at the Los Angeles Movie Awards.[22] In 2013,
McDowell also ventured into the Steampunk genre, starring in the short film Cowboys
& Engines alongside Richard Hatch and Walter Koenig. In 2013, he starred as King
Henry II of England in the film Richard the Lionheart, with Gregory Chandler as the
title character. He portrayed Father Murder in the 2016 Rob Zombie film 31.[23][24]
McDowell also played Boogeyman in Abnormal Attraction (2018) co-starring Gilbert
Gottfried, Bruce Davison, Tyler Mane and Leslie Easterbrook.[25]

Voice acting

McDowell at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival

McDowell was the featured narrator in the documentary The Compleat Beatles,
released in 1982. He voiced Lord Maliss in Happily Ever After (1993), the Superman
villain Metallo in Superman: The Animated Series, Mad Mod on Teen Titans, Merlyn in
DC Showcase: Green Arrow (2010), Arkady Duvall (son of Ra's al Ghul) on Batman: The
Animated Series and as the voice of a Death Star commander on a Robot Chicken
episode parodying Star Wars. He is also a regular on the second season of the Adult
Swim cartoon Metalocalypse as Vater Orlaag and other characters. McDowell also
voiced Dr. Calico in Disney's Bolt (2008) and the henchman Reeses II in the
animated series Captain Simian & the Space Monkeys, a show laced with references to
many movies including his own role in A Clockwork Orange.[citation needed]

In 2006–07, he contributed spoken word to two Pink Floyd tribute albums produced by
Billy Sherwood: Back Against the Wall and Return to the Dark Side of the Moon. He
has also provided voice-over work for Borgore on his album #NEWGOREORDER (2014). In
2008, McDowell began a recurring role as Grandpa Fletcher on Phineas and Ferb. He
also narrated the award-winning documentary Blue Gold: World Water Wars.[citation
needed]

McDowell reprised his role of Metallo in the video game Superman: Shadow of
Apokolips and an episode of Justice League Unlimited. He also provided his voice
for the character President John Henry Eden in the video game Fallout 3, Rupert
Pelham in the game WET, King Solomon in the Word of Promise Audio Bible, and the
CEO of Stahl Arms in Killzone 3, Jorhan Stahl.[26] He also voiced Daedalus in God
of War III. He is the voice for the primary antagonist Molag Bal in the MMO The
Elder Scrolls Online. He is also the voice of Dr. Monty in Call of Duty: Black Ops
III.[citation needed]

McDowell portrayed Caiaphas in The Truth & Life Dramatised audio New Testament
Bible, a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatised audio New Testament which uses
the RSV-CE translation.

McDowell is the host of Fangoria's Dreadtime Stories, a monthly series of radio

dramas with a mystery, horror, science fiction and dark humour theme. Each month, a
new episode is available for download, and scripts, as used by McDowell and the
supporting actors, are also available at the Fangoria website.[citation needed]

In 2020, he interpreted Gabriele Tinti's poetry inspired by epigraphs collected in

the National Roman Museum.[27]

Personal life
McDowell first met actress and publicist Margot Bennett in March 1969,[28] and they
were married from April 1975 to September 1980.[29] He met actress Mary Steenburgen
in 1978 while filming Time After Time, and they married in September 1980. They had
two children together, Lilly (born 22 January 1981) and filmmaker Charlie (born 10
July 1983), before they divorced in 1990.[29][30] He married Kelley Kuhr, 24 years
his junior, in 1991. They live in Ojai, California, and have three sons together:
Beckett (born 29 January 2004), Finnian (born 23 December 2006), and Seamus (born 7
January 2009).

McDowell became a fan of Liverpool FC after moving to Liverpool as a child,

spending much of his childhood at Anfield, and continues to support the team.[31]
[32]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1967 Poor Cow Billy Scenes deleted
1968 If.... Mick Travis
1970 Figures in a Landscape Ansell
1971 The Raging Moon Bruce Pritchard Nominated—National Society of Film
Critics Award for Best Actor
A Clockwork Orange Alex DeLarge Evening Standard British Film Award for
Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
1973 O Lucky Man! Mick Travis / Plantation Thief Also writer
1975 Royal Flash Capt. Harry Flashman
1976 Aces High Gresham
Voyage of the Damned Max Gunter
1979 The Passage Capt. Maxim Von Berkow
Caligula Caligula
Time After Time H.G. Wells Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1982 Cat People Paul Gallier
Britannia Hospital Mick Travis: The Media
The Compleat Beatles Narrator Voice
Documentary
1983 Blue Thunder Col. F.E. Cochrane
Cross Creek Max Perkins
Get Crazy Reggie Wanker
1987 The Caller The Caller
1988 Buy & Cell Warden Tennant
Sunset Alfie Alperin
1989 Mortacci Edmondo
1990 Il Maestro Walter Goldberg
Moon 44 Major Lee
Class of 1999 Dr. Miles Langford
Maggio musicale Pier Francesco Ferraioli
Happily Ever After Lord Malice Voice
In the Eye of the Snake Professor Baldwin
Jezebel's Kiss Benjamin J. Faberson
Disturbed Dr. Derrek Russell
Schweitzer Albert Schweitzer
1991 The Assassin of the Tsar Timofeyev / Yurovsky
1992 The Player Himself Cameo
Chain of Desire Hubert Bailey
1993 Vent d'est General Smyslovsky
Night Train to Venice Stranger
Bopha! De Villiers
1994 Cyborg 3: The Recycler Lord Talon Direct-to-video
Milk Money Waltzer
Star Trek Generations Dr. Tolian Soran
1995 The Surgeon Dr. Stein
Dangerous Indescretion Roger Everett
Tank Girl Kesslee
Fist of the North Star Ryuken
Kids of the Round Table Merlin
Sharks of the Red Triangle Narrator Voice
Documentary
Fatal Pursuit Bechtel
1996 Where Truth Lies Dr. Vernon Renquist
Ringer Noel
1997 2103: The Deadly Wake Captain Sean Murdoch
Asylum Sullivan Rane / Doc
Hugo Pool Henry
Mr. Magoo Austin Cloquet
1998 The Fairy King of Ar Ian
The First 9½ Weeks Francois Dubois Direct-to-video
The Gardener Ben Carter
1999 Southern Cross Felipe Solano
Love Lies Bleeding Malcolm Mead
Y2K General Seward
My Life So Far Uncle Morris MacIntosh
2000 Gangster No. 1 Gangster 55
2001 Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures Himself Documentary
Just Visiting Wizard
The Void Dr. Thomas Abernathy Direct-to-DVD
2002 Between Strangers Alan Baxter
I Spy Gundars
The Barber Dexter Miles
2003 I'll Sleep When I'm Dead Boad
Tempo Walter Shrenger
Inhabited Dr. Phil Werner Direct-to-DVD
The Company Alberto Antonelli
Red Roses and Petrol Enda Doyle Also associate producer
2004 Pact with the Devil Henry
Hidalgo Major Davenport Uncredited
Evilenko Andrej Romanovic Evilenko
Bobby Jones: A Stroke of Genius O.B. Keeler
Tempesta Paul Valenzin
In Good Company Teddy K - Globecom CEO Uncredited
Pinocchio 3000 Scamboli Voice
2005 Rag Tale Richard (The Chief) Morton
Mirror Wars: Reflection One Murdock
Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone Ogthar Voice
Direct-to-DVD
2006 Bye Bye Benjamin Mr. Coleman Short film
Cut Off James Burton
2007 The List Desmond Larochette
Exitz Percy
Never Apologize Himself Documentary; also writer and producer
Halloween Dr. Samuel Loo