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Alec McCowen Biography (1925-)

  1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
  2. Arthur Marks to John McEnery

Full name, Alexander Duncan McCowen; born May 26, 1925, in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England; son of Duncan (a shopkeeper) and Mary (a dancer; maiden name, Walkden) McCowen.

Nationality
British
Gender
Male
Occupation
Actor, director, writer
Birth Details
May 26, 1925
Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom

Famous Works

  • CREDITS
  • Stage Appearances
  • Micky, Paddy, the Next Best Thing, Macclesfield Repertory Theatre,Macclesfield, England, 1942
  • Georges Almaire, The Mask and the Face, Arts Theatre, London, 1950
  • Kitts, Preserving Mr. Panmure, Arts Theatre, 1950
  • Maxim, Ivanov, Arts Theatre, 1950
  • Brian, The Martin's Nest, Westminster Theatre, London, 1951
  • Messenger, Antony and Cleopatra, Ziegfeld Theatre, New York City,1951
  • The Silver Box, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London, 1951
  • The announcer, The Holy Terrors, Arts Theatre, 1952
  • Hugh Voysey, The Voysey Inheritance, Arts Theatre, 1952
  • Daventry, Escapade, St. James's Theatre, London, 1953
  • Larry Thompson, Serious Charge, Repertory Players, Adelphi Theatre, London, 1953
  • Barnaby Tucker, The Matchmaker, Haymarket Theatre Royal, London, 1954
  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge, New Theatre, Bromley, England, 1954
  • Julian Heath, Shadow of the Vine, Wyndham's Theatre, London, 1954
  • Vicomte Octave de Clerambard, The Count of Clerambard, Garrick Theatre, London, 1955
  • Dr. Bird, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, Hippodrome Theatre, London, 1956
  • Lancelot Berenson, No Laughing Matter, Arts Theatre, 1957
  • Michael Claverton-Ferry, The Elder Statesman, Edinburgh Festival,Edinburgh, Scotland, then Cambridge Theatre, London, both 1958
  • Algernon Moncrieff, The Importance of Being Earnest, Old Vic Theatre Company, London, 1959-1960
  • Dauphin, Saint Joan, Old Vic Theatre Company, 1959-1960
  • Ford, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Old Vic Theatre Company, 1959-1960
  • Mr. Brisk, The Double Dealer, Old Vic Theatre Company, London, 1959-1960
  • Title role, Richard II, Old Vic Theatre Company, 1959-1960
  • Touchstone, As You Like It, Old Vic Theatre Company, 1959-1960
  • Malvolio, Twelfth Night, Old Vic Theatre Company, 1960-1961
  • Mercutio, Romeo and Juliet, Old Vic Theatre Company, 1960-1961
  • Oberon, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Old Vic Theatre Company, 1960-1961
  • Member of ensemble, Not to Worry (revue), Garrick Theatre, 1962
  • Sebastian, Castle in Sweden, Piccadilly Theatre, London, 1962
  • Antipholus of Syracuse, The Comedy of Errors, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, then Aldwych Theatre, London, 1962-1963later State Theatre, New York City, 1964
  • Fool, King Lear, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, then Aldwych Theatre, 1962 and 1964 later State Theatre, 1964
  • Father Riccardo Fontana, The Representative, Royal Shakespeare Company, Aldwych Theatre, 1963
  • The author, The Cavern, Strand Theatre, London, 1965
  • Ronald Gamble, Thark, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, England, then Garrick Theatre, both 1965
  • Arthur Henderson, After the Rain, Hampstead Theatre Club, London,1966 then Duchess Theatre, London, 1967 later John Golden Theatre, New York City, 1967
  • Father William Rolfe, Hadrian VII, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham, England, 1967 then Mermaid Theatre, London, 1968 later Helen HayesTheatre, New York City, 1969
  • Title role, Hamlet, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 1970
  • Philip, The Philanthropist, Royal Court Theatre, then May Fair Theatre, both London, 1970 later Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1971
  • Title role, Butley, Criterion Theatre, London, 1972
  • Alceste, The Misanthrope, National Theatre Company, Old Vic Theatre, London, 1973
  • Martin Dysart, Equus, National Theatre Company, Old Vic Theatre, 1973
  • Professor Higgins, Pygmalion, Albery Theatre, London, 1974
  • Alceste, The Misanthrope, National Theatre Company, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, then St. James Theatre, NewYork City, both 1975 later Old Vic Theatre, 1975
  • Ben Musgrave, The Family Dance, Criterion Theatre, 1976
  • Antony, Antony and Cleopatra, Prospect Theatre Company, EdinburghFestival, then Old Vic Theatre, both 1977
  • Martin Dysart, Equus, Helen Hayes Theatre, 1977
  • Frank, Tishoo!, Wyndham's Theatre, 1979
  • Andrew Crocker-Harris, The Browning Version and Arthur Gosport, Harlequinade (double-bill), National Theatre, London, 1980
  • Captain Corcoran, H.M.S. Pinafore, Collegiate Theatre, 1981
  • Adolf Hitler, The Portage to San Christabel of A.H., Mermaid Theatre, 1982
  • Reilly, The Cocktail Party, Phoenix Theatre, 1986
  • Nicolai, Fathers and Sons, National Theatre, 1987
  • Vladimir, Waiting for Godot, National Theatre, 1988-1989
  • Harry Rivers, Exclusive, Strand Theatre, 1989
  • Jack, Dancing at Lughnasa, National Theatre Company, Abbey Theatre, Dublin, 1990
  • Michael, Someone Who'll Watch over Me, Hampstead Theatre, London,1992 then Booth Theatre, New York City, 1992-1993
  • Prospero, The Tempest, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1994
  • Elgar's Rondo, Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Theatre, 1994
  • Clement Attlee, Tom and Clem, Aldwych Theatre, 1996
  • Paev, The Cherry Orchard, Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Theatre,1996
  • Professor, Uncle Vanya, Chichester, England, 1997
  • Appeared in Caesar and Cleopatra and A Single Man, both Greenwich Theatre; and in The Heiress, Chichester Festival, Chichester, England; also appeared in other repertory theatre productions, 1943-49.
  • Stage Appearances; Solo Shows
  • St. Mark's Gospel, Riverside Studio Theatre, then Mermaid Theatre,later Comedy Theatre, all London, 1978 then Marymount Manhattan Theatre, later Playhouse Theatre, both New York City, 1978 Playhouse Theatre, 1981 and Lamb's Theatre, New York City, 1990
  • Title role, Kipling, Mermaid Theatre, then Royale Theatre, New York City, both 1984
  • Stage Appearances; Major Tours
  • Love in a Mist, Indian and Burmese cities, 1945
  • Antipholus of Syracuse, The Comedy of Errors, Royal Shakespeare Company, Soviet (now Russian), European, and U.S. cities, 1964
  • Fool, King Lear, Royal Shakespeare Company, Soviet (now Russian),European, and U.S. cities, 1964
  • Shakespeare, Cole, and Company (solo show), British and U.S. cities, c. 1989
  • Stage Work
  • Director
  • While the Sun Shines, Hampstead Theatre Club, London, 1972
  • St. Mark's Gospel (solo show), Riverside Studio Theatre, then Mermaid Theatre, later Comedy Theatre, all London, 1978 then Marymount ManhattanTheatre, later Playhouse Theatre, both New York City, 1978 Playhouse Theatre,1981 and Lamb's Theatre, New York City, 1990
  • Also the director of Definitely the Bahamas, Orange Tree Theatre,Richmond, England.
  • Film Appearances
  • Tonbridge, The Cruel Sea, General Film Distributors, 1953
  • Ken Thompson, The Deep Blue Sea, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1954
  • Reporter, The Divided Heart, Republic, 1955
  • Peter Crowley, Town on Trial, Columbia, 1956
  • Albert Oakroyd, The Good Companions, Associated British/Pathe, 1957
  • Alec Graham, Time without Pity, Eros/Astor, 1957
  • Surgeon, The Third Key (also known as The Long Arm), Rank,1957
  • Duty Officer Hucknall, The One That Got Away, Rank, 1958
  • Harold Thomas Cottam, A Night to Remember, Rank, 1958
  • Redpenny, The Doctor's Dilemma, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1958
  • Able Seaman Morgan, The Silent Enemy, Universal, 1959
  • Voice of Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream (also known as Sen noci svatojanske), 1959 Show Corporation, 1961
  • Brown, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (also known as Rebel with a Cause), Continental Distributing, 1962
  • Dickie Bayliss, In the Cool of the Day, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1963
  • The Agony and the Ecstasy (also known as Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1965
  • Alan Bax, The Devil's Own (also known as The Witches), 1966Twentieth Century-Fox, 1967
  • Micah Hale, The Hawaiians (also known as Master of the Islands), United Artists, 1970
  • Chief Inspector Oxford, Frenzy, Universal, 1972
  • Henry Pulling, Travels with My Aunt, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1972
  • Freddy, Stevie, First Artists, 1978
  • Major Trumbo, Hanover Street, Columbia, 1979
  • "Algy" Algernon (Q), Never Say Never Again (also known as JamesBond 007--Sag niemals nie), Warner Bros., 1983
  • Mr. Philpott, The Assam Garden, Moving Picture Company, 1985
  • Acting high commissioner, Cry Freedom, Universal, 1987
  • Wing Commander Morton, Personal Services, VIP/Vestron, 1987
  • Ely, Henry V, Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1989
  • Sillerton Jackson, The Age of Innocence, Columbia, 1993
  • Television Appearances
  • Series
  • Eliot Chase, Private Lives, BBC, 1976
  • Mr. Palfrey, Mr. Palfrey of Westminster, Thames Television, 1984
  • Miniseries
  • Sir James Peel Edgerton, The Secret Adversary, London Weekend Television, 1982 then PBS, 1987
  • Sir Frank Dyson, Longitude, Arts and Entertainment, 2000
  • Sir Robert Peel, Victoria & Albert, Arts and Entertainment, 2001
  • Specials
  • Antipholus of Syracuse, The Comedy of Errors, 1964
  • Member of chorus, Henry V (also known as BBC Shakespeare: The Life of Henry the Fifth and BBC Television Shakespeare: Henry V), BBC-2, 1979
  • Malvolio, Twelfth Night (also known as BBC Television Shakespeare: Twelfth Night), BBC-2, then PBS, 1980
  • Dr. Chasuble, The Importance of Being Earnest, BBC, 1986
  • David Hume, Dialogue in the Dark, BBC-2, 1989
  • Mr. Jorkins, David Copperfield, PBS, 2000
  • Episodic
  • Himself, "Alec McCowen," This Is Your Life, Thames Television, 1989
  • Trenchard, "Trenchard's Last Case," Bergerac, BBC, 1989
  • "Hunted Down," Storyboard, Thames Television, 1989
  • Voice characterization, "Macbeth," Shakespeare: The Animated Tales, HBO, 1993
  • Voice characterization, "King Richard III," Shakespeare: The AnimatedTales, HBO, 1996
  • Sir Christian Aubrey, "The Electric Vendetta," Midsomer Murders, Incorporated Television and Arts and Entertainment, 2001
  • Other
  • A Dedicated Man, 1982
  • Father Vincent, Forever Young, 1984
  • Rakowski, Squaring the Circle, 1984
  • Thucydides, The War That Never Ends (also known as The War ThatStill Goes On), BBC, 1991
  • Eugene McCarthy, Maria's Child, BBC, 1993
  • Superintendent Fish, Cruel Train, 1995
  • Voice of Henry James, The American, BBC Worldwide and PBS, 1998
  • Also appeared in All for Love, Granada Television; Family Dance, Associated Television; and The Late Wife, London Weekend Television.
  • RECORDINGS
  • Albums
  • Voice of Henry Higgins, My Fair Lady, 1998
  • Audio Books
  • Twelve Red Herrings, 1994
  • WRITINGS
  • Writings for the Stage
  • (Adaptor) St. Mark's Gospel (solo stage show), produced at Riverside Studio Theatre, then Mermaid Theatre, later Comedy Theatre, all London, 1978 then Marymount Manhattan Theatre, later Playhouse Theatre, both New York City, 1978 Playhouse Theatre, 1981 and Lamb's Theatre, New York City, 1990
  • Nonfiction
  • Young Gemini (autobiography), Atheneum, 1979
  • Double Bill (autobiography), Elm Tree, 1980
  • Personal Mark, Hamish Hamilton, 1984