Alec McCowen Biography (1925-)

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

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