Actor Malcolm McDowell: biography, personal life, family, movies

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Malcolm McDowell is an English actor, producer and screenwriter. He gained world fame thanks to the main role in Stanley Kubrick's film "A Clockwork Orange", he also became famous for his participation in the films "Caligula" and "Cat People". In recent years, he often works on television, appeared in the series "Handsome", "Heroes" and "Mozart in the Jungle".

Childhood and youth

Malcolm McDowell was born June 13, 1943 in Horsforth, Yorkshire. His real name is Malcolm John Taylor. As a child, he moved with his family to Beardlington, where the actor's father served in the Royal Air Force.

During his teenage years, Malcolm worked in a nut processing factory and in a pub owned by his father. After graduating from high school, he entered the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Career start

In the mid-sixties, Malcolm McDowell began to work actively on television, appearingin small roles on a variety of projects. In 1967, the young actor first appeared on the big screen in the film "Poor Baby", but the scenes with his participation were cut from the final version of the picture.

The surname of the actor had to be changed due to the fact that the actors' guild already had a member named Malcolm Taylor, the young man took his mother's maiden name as a pseudonym.

Big Breakthrough

In 1968, the independent drama "If …" directed by Lindsey Anderson was released. This project was a breakthrough in the filmography of Malcolm McDowell, who played the title role in the film. The film received the Palme d'Or in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival and quickly gained cult status. Today, "If…" is considered one of the best British films of all time.

After that, Malcolm McDowell appeared in the lead roles in the films "Silhouettes on Rough Terrain" and "Mad Moon". Both films received positive reviews from critics.

The most famous of Malcolm McDowell's list of films is definitely Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. The role of the main character, Alex DeLarge, is still the hallmark of the actor, and the film itself quickly gained cult status. Many scenes from the painting are still cited in popular culture to this day, and a photo of Malcolm McDowell during one of the film's scenes has become an Internet meme.

After the release of "A Clockwork Orange"caused many scandals in the press, largely due to the naturalistic depiction of violence. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and McDowell received nominations for the Golden Globe and National Board of Film Critics Awards.

In subsequent years, Malcolm McDowell worked again with Lindsey Anderson on the film "Oh Lucky Man", and also took part in the military films "Royal Glitter" and "Aces in the Sky". He has also appeared in several television plays as part of the Laurence Olivier Presents series.

Career blossoming

In 1979, Malcolm McDowell starred in the erotic epic of the scandalous director Tinto Brass "Caligula". The film was surrounded by scandals from the very beginning, the director changed the original script of Gore Vidal, as a result of which he refused to put his name in the credits, and at the editing stage the studio turned the Italian director's political satire into an erotic film.

After its release, "Caligula" caused many scandals and was banned from showing in several countries due to explicit sex scenes and naturalistic depictions of violence. Critics generally praised Malcolm McDowell's performance as an actor, however the film received generally poor reviews and was even called the worst film ever by some journalists. Over the years, the painting has gained cult status.

In the same year, the Hollywood debut of the British took place. Malcolm starred in the sci-fi film Journey in a Cartime". The picture received positive reviews from critics and performed well at the box office. Three years later, Malcolm McDowell appeared in the erotic horror film "Cat People", which performed well at the box office. In 1983, the actor played the role of the main antagonist in the film "Blue thunder", which grossed more than forty million dollars at the end of the box office.

Also, Malcolm was considered by the producers for the role of the clown Pennywise in the TV movie "It", but the role went to Tim Curry.

Bad period

In subsequent years in Hollywood, McDowell increasingly played villains in projects of varying degrees of success. In many ways, such a change in role was due to the fact that due to alcohol and drug abuse, the actor's appearance changed a lot; in his youth, Malcolm McDowell was famous precisely because of his childish appearance. Also, the Briton has become somewhat of an industry legend thanks to his constant quarrels with directors and conflicts on the set.

Over the next decade, the actor appeared in several genre films that did not have much success with either critics or audiences. He also continued to work in his homeland and in European cinema, but even there McDowell had an unsuccessful period. In 1991, Malcolm McDowell played a major role in Karen Shakhnazarov's historical drama The Kingslayer. A year later, the actor appeared in Robert Altman's satirical comedy The Gambler.

Rebirthcareers

McDowell's most notable role in many years was that of mad scientist Dr. Tolian Soran in Star Trek Generations. According to the plot of the picture, it is the character of Malcolm who kills the legendary character - Captain James T. Kirk. After the release of the film, the actor began to receive threats from fans of the franchise.

In subsequent years, however, Malcolm McDowell's filmography continued to be replenished with projects of dubious quality. He appeared in the sci-fi comedy "Tank Girl", which became one of the biggest box office flops of 1995.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the actor appeared in several notable projects. He starred in the British crime drama Gangster No. 1. The picture failed at the box office, despite a modest budget, but received positive reviews from critics and soon gained cult status. Malcolm himself considers his role in this film to be his best work since A Clockwork Orange. Also in 2000, the actor appeared in the popular animated series South Park.

In 2002, McDowell played the role of the main antagonist in the action comedy "Fool Everyone", where Hollywood stars Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson and Famke Jansen became his on-screen partners. A year later, Malcolm McDowell again played the main villain, this time in the crime drama of the legendary British director Michael Hodges, Sleep When I Die.

In subsequent years, the actor began to work more and more on television, appearing as a guest star in the popular TV series "Detective Detective", "Handsome" and "Law &Order". Malcolm also received a minor role in the fantasy series "Heroes", appeared in a total of ten episodes of the project.

On the big screen, the Briton appeared in the reboot of the popular horror film series "Halloween", after which he returned in several sequels to the franchise. The actor also appeared in the horror film Judgment Day. In 2011, Malcolm McDowell had a small role in the silent comedy The Artist, which won numerous awards at the end of the year, including the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Recent and upcoming projects

In recent years, the actor still continues to work actively, despite his age. He appeared as a guest star in the TV series The Mentalist and The Clairvoyant and continues to act in genre films.

The most notable work of recent years in the filmography of Malcolm McDowell was the comedy series "Mozart in the Jungle". The project received many awards, and the work of the Englishman was noted by critics. Recently, the last, fourth season of the series was released.

At the moment, more than ten projects with the participation of the actor are in development, mostly low-budget genre films.

Voice work

Malcolm McDowell is the ownerrecognizable low voice, thanks to this, at the turn of the century, he was able to find himself in the role of a voice actor. He has been involved in the creation of many animated series and films, including such projects as "Volt", "Aladdin", "Spider-Man" and "Justice League".

Also, Malcolm is actively involved in the voice acting of video games, he gave his voice to the heroes of the projects "Fallout 3", "Call of Duty" and "God of War 3". In total, he has more than a dozen computer games.

Private life

Malcolm McDowell first married in 1975 to actress Margo Bennett. The couple divorced five years later, the couple has no children. The second wife of an Englishman was the actress Mary Steenbergen, winner of the Oscar. They were married from 1980 to 1990, the couple has two children, daughter Lily and son Charlie - director and screenwriter, known for the films "Beloved" and "Discovery".

The third wife of the actor was Kelly Kur. The wedding took place in 1991. Malcolm McDowell and his wife have a twenty-four-year age difference. The marriage produced three sons. The couple are together to this day. In 2012, the actor became a grandfather for the first time.

Malcolm McDowell currently lives in Los Angeles, he also has homes in London and Italy. The actor refused the Order of the British Empire and a knighthood for political reasons.