Leo McKern
(1920 - 2002)One of my favorite British actors is the very talented Leo McKern. Like many of his contemporaries, he adds a touch of class to the movies, plays and television series in which he appears. At one time I often confused him with another of my favorites, Michael Hordern, as they are somewhat similar in the types of roles they play. Leo McKern is stout, but solid, with a craggy face set off by a large, bulbous, but beautiful nose and a wonderful, throaty voice. He was often cast in an authoritarian role as a military officer, a member of the religious hierarchy, an executive, an aristocrat, a judge or the like. He was born Reginald McKern on March 16, 1920 in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in Australia and made his first appearance on stage there. He married actress Jane Holland. He served with the Australian Army during World War II and after the war he and Jane moved to England where they joined the Old Vic (theatre group). He had a tough time losing his Aussie accent but eventually had great success on the English stage and spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. His film debut came in "Murder in the Cathedral" (1952) as Third Knight. Among his other film credits are: "All for Mary" (1955) as Gaston Nikopopoulos; "X the Unknown" (1956) as Inspector McGill; "Time Without Pity" (1956) as Robert Stanford; "A Tale of Two Cities" (1958) as Attorney General-Old Bailey; "Yesterday's Enemy" (1959) as Max; "The Mouse That Roared" (1959) as Benter; "Beyond This Place" (1959) as McEvoy; "Scent of Mystery" (1960) as Tommy Kennedy; "Jazz Boat" (1960) as Inspector; "Mr. Topaze" (1961) as Muche; "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" (1961) as Bill Maguire; "Doctor in Distress" (1963) as Heilbronn; "Hot Enough for June" (1964) as Simoneva; "King and Country" (1964) as Capt. O'Sullivan; "A Jolly Bad Fellow" (1964) as Prof. Bowles-Ottery; "Help!" (1965) with the Beatles, as Clang; "The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders" (1965) as Squint; "A Man for All Seasons" (1966) as Thomas Cromwell, one of my favorite of his roles; "Assignment K" (1968) as Smith; "The Shoes of the Fisherman" (1968) as Cardinal Leone, another of my favorites; "Decline and Fall...of a Birdwatcher" (1968) as Capt. Grimes; "Ryan's Daughter" (1970) as Thomas Ryan; "Massacre in Rome" (1973) as Gen. Kurt Maelzer; "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother" (1975) as Moriarty; "The Omen" (1976) with Gregory Peck, uncredited as Bugenhagen, another favorite of mine; "Candleshoe" (1977) as Harry Bundage; "Damien: Omen II" (1978) with William Holden, again as Bugenhagen; "The Blue Lagoon" (1980) as Paddy Button, another favorite; "The French Lieutenant's Woman" (1981) as Dr. Grogan; "The Chain" (1984) as Thomas; "Ladyhawke" (1985) with Rutger Hauer, as Imperius; "Travelling North" (1987) as Frank; "A Foreign Field" (1993) as Cyril and "Molokai: The Story of Father Damien" (1995) as Bishop Maigret. On TV he was a regular on the series: "The Prisoner" (1967-68) as No. 2; "Rumpole of the Bailey" (1975-77) as Horace Rumpole, a role for which he is probably best known; "Our Mutual Friend" (1976) a mini-series, as Mr. Boffin and "Reilly: The Ace of Spies" (1983) a mini-series, as Basil Zaharov. He appeared in made for TV movies including: "On the Eve of Publication" (1967); "Caucasian Chalk Circle" (1973); "The Nativity" (1978); "The House on Garibaldi Street" (1979) and "Good King Wenceslas" (1994). He also appeared in an episode of "Space: 1999." He was married to Jane Holland in 1946 and they had two daughters Abigail and Harriet. Abigail is also an actress. He lost an eye as a teenager. He was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia in 1983. He died of natural causes on July 22, 2002 in Bath, England at the age of 82.
From Great Character Actors, Page 6.
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