Alexander Duncan McCowen, (26 May 1925 – 6 February 2017) was an English actor. He was known for his work in numerous film and stage productions.

Early life

McCowen was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, the son of Mary (née Walkden), a dancer, and Duncan McCowen, a shopkeeper. He attended The Skinners' School in Tunbridge Wells - he was known as 'Squeaker' McCowan by his friends - and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Alec McCowen

Career

Early theatre work

McCowen first appeared on stage at the Repertory Theatre, Macclesfield, in August 1942 as Micky in ''Paddy the Next Best Thing''. He appeared in repertory in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

1943–45, and toured

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

in a production of Kenneth Horne's West End comedy '' Love in a Mist'' during 1945 with the Entertainments National Service Association ( ENSA). He continued in repertory 1946–49, during which time he played a season at St John's, Newfoundland, Canada. He made his London debut on 20 April 1950 at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamber ...

as Maxim in

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career a ...

's ''

Ivanov Ivanov, Ivanoff or Ivanow (masculine, bg, Иванов, russian: ИвановSometimes the stress is on Ива́нов in Bulgarian if it is a middle name, or in Russian as a rare variant of pronunciation), or Ivanova (feminine, bg, Иванов ...

'', and made his first appearances on the New York City stage at the Ziegfeld Theatre on 19 December 1951 as an Egyptian Guard in '' Caesar and Cleopatra'', and on 20 December 1951 as the Messenger in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' ( First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in arou ...

''. Following a series of roles at the Arts and with the Repertory Players, he had rising success as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in ''Moulin Rouge'' at the then New Theatre,

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

, and appeared as Barnaby Tucker in '' The Matchmaker'' at the

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

, both 1954. After appearances as Dr Bird in ''

The Caine Mutiny Court Martial ''The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial'' is a two-act play, of the courtroom drama type, that was dramatized for the stage by Herman Wouk, which he adapted from his own 1951 novel, ''The Caine Mutiny''. Wouk's novel covered a long stretch of time ab ...

'' at the London Hippodrome in 1956, and Michael Claverton-Ferry in

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

's ''

The Elder Statesman ''The Elder Statesman'' is a play in verse by T. S. Eliot first performed in 1958 and published in 1959.Edinburgh Festival in 1958, then at the Cambridge Theatre, he joined the Old Vic Company for its 1959–60 season, among several parts taking the title role in '' Richard II'', then stayed on for the 1960–61 season to play Mercutio in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'', Oberon in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...

'' and Malvolio in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins V ...

''. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in September 1962, appearing at

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-w ...

playing Antipholus of Syracuse in '' The Comedy of Errors'' and the Fool to Paul Scofield's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'', subsequently appearing in both plays at the Aldwych Theatre in December 1962 – performing these roles again for a

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh la ...

tour of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, Europe and the United States from February to June 1964. With the RSC he also played "the gruelling role" of Father Riccardo Fontana in Rolf Hochhuth's controversial play '' The Representative'' at the Aldwych in December 1963.

Later theatre work

He enjoyed a career breakthrough at the Mermaid Theatre in April 1968 as Fr. William Rolfe in '' Hadrian the Seventh'', winning his first ''Evening Standard'' Award as Best Actor for the London production and a Tony nomination after the transfer to Broadway. At the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

in August 1970, McCowen was cast to play the title role in Christopher Hampton's sophisticated comedy, '' The Philanthropist''. If a philanthropist is literally someone who likes people, McCowen's Philip was a philologist with a compulsive urge not to hurt people's feelings – the inverse of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's ''The Misanthrope''. Following enthusiastic reviews the production played to packed houses and transferred to the Mayfair Theatre where it ran for a further three years, making it the Royal Court's most successful straight play. McCowen and his co-star Jane Asher went with it to Broadway in March 1971 where he won the 1971 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. His next big successes were in National Theatre Company productions at the Old Vic. In February 1973 he co-starred with Diana Rigg in Molière's '' The Misanthrope'' for which he won his second ''Evening Standard'' award; followed in July 1973 by the role of psychiatrist Martin Dysart ("played on a knife edge of professional skill and personal disgust by McCowen", according to Irving Wardle reviewing for ''The Times'') in the world premiere of Peter Shaffer's ''

Equus Equus may refer to: * ''Equus'' (genus), a genus of animals including horses, donkeys and zebras * ''Equus'' (play), a play by Peter Shaffer * ''Equus'' (film), a film adaptation of the Peter Shaffer play * Equus (comics), a comic book characte ...

''. McCowen devised and directed his own solo performance of the complete text of the St. Mark's Gospel, for which he received international acclaim and another Tony nomination. It opened first at the Riverside Studios in January 1978 before beginning a long West End season at the Mermaid Theatre then at the Comedy Theatre. Taking the production to New York, he appeared at the

Marymount Manhattan Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of New York City. As of 2020, enrollment consists of 1,571 undergraduates with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. The college was founded in 1936. ...

and Playhouse theatres. Christopher Hampton's stage adaptation of

George Steiner Francis George Steiner, FBA (April 23, 1929 – February 3, 2020) was a Franco-American literary critic, essayist, philosopher, novelist, and educator. He wrote extensively about the relationship between language, literature and society, and the ...

's novel ''

The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H. ''The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H.'' is a 1981 literary and philosophical novella by George Steiner. The story is about Jewish Nazi hunters who find a fictional Adolf Hitler (A.H.) alive in the Amazon jungle thirty years after the end of W ...

'' at the Mermaid in 1982 gave McCowen a great final speech, an attempted vindication of racial extermination delivered by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, which for ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

'' critic Michael Billington was "one of the greatest pieces of acting I have ever seen: a shuffling, grizzled, hunched, baggy figure, yet suggesting the monomaniac power of the Nuremberg Rallies, inhabiting the frail vessel of this old man's body." It was a performance that also won him his third ''Evening Standard'' Best Actor award, a record equalled only by Laurence Olivier and Paul Scofield. Two years later, again at the Mermaid, McCowen gave a portrayal of the British poet Rudyard Kipling in a one-man play by Brian Clark, performed in a setting that exactly matched Kipling's own study at Bateman's (his Jacobean rustic haven in Sussex) "and turning", as Michael Billington wrote, "an essentially private man into a performer." McCowen appeared in the play on Broadway and on television for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

Directing

While preparing to co-star as Vladimir to John Alderton's Estragon in

Michael Rudman Michael Rudman (born February 14, 1939) is an American theatre director. Early life Rudman graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas in 1956, and four years later, graduated cum laude from Oberlin College with a degree in Government. In 1964, he ...

's acclaimed production of '' Waiting for Godot'' at the National Theatre in November 1987, McCowen also spent a busy autumn staging Martin Crimp's trilogy of short plays ''Definitely the Bahamas'' at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond upon Thames, having previously enjoyed Crimp's style of writing in a BBC radio version of ''Three Attempted Acts''. As Charles Spencer wrote in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'': "As a director McCowen captures both the subtlety and the richness of these three original and beautifully written plays." At the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director sin ...

in December 1972 he directed a revival of

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wa ...

's wartime London comedy ''While the Sun Shines''.

Film and television

McCowen made his film debut in '' The Cruel Sea'' released in 1953. His other film credits include roles in '' Town on Trial'' (1957), '' A Night to Remember'' (1958), '' The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner'' (1962), '' The Witches'' (1966),

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's '' Frenzy'' (1972), '' Travels with My Aunt'' (1972, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination), '' Never Say Never Again'' (1983), '' Personal Services '' (1987) and '' Henry V'' (1989). Television roles included the BBC's four-part adaptation of J. B. Priestley's '' Angel Pavement'' (1958), and his one-man stage performance of ''The Gospel According to Saint Mark'', transferred to television by Thames for Easter 1979. He appeared alongside Maureen Lipman and Arthur Askey performing comic monologues in ''The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog'', which was recorded 1982, and broadcast by

in 1983. He appeared in the BBC Television Shakespeare series as Malvolio in ''

'' and as Chorus in '' Henry V''. In 1984 and 1985 McCowen starred in the ten episodes of the short-lived television series '' Mr Palfrey of Westminster'' as a "spy catcher" working for British intelligence under the direction of a female boss (played by Caroline Blakiston). His one-man performance as Rudyard Kipling was broadcast on television in 1984. His later appearances included playing Albert Speer and Rudolf Hess in the BBC docudramas ''The World Walk'' in 1984 and 1985, and as astronomer Sir Frank Dyson in ''

Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek let ...

'' in 2000. He was the subject of ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' in 1989, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Strand Theatre in London. He was annoyed when no mention was made of his long-term male partner, fellow actor Geoffrey Burridge and threatened to stop the show from being broadcast. The dispute was resolved by the host, Michael Aspel, adding a voiceover over the final credits acknowledging the relationship.

Literature

McCowen published his first volume of autobiography, ''Young Gemini'' in 1979, followed a year later by ''Double Bill'' (Elm Tree Books).

Personal life

His partner, the actor Geoffrey Burridge, died from AIDS complications in 1987.

Death

McCowen died, aged 91, on 6 February 2017.

Filmography

*'' The Cruel Sea'' (1953) – Tonbridge *'' The Divided Heart'' (1954) – Reporter *'' The Deep Blue Sea'' (1955) – Ken Thompson *'' Private's Progress'' (1956) – 2nd Medical Orderly (uncredited) *'' The Long Arm'' (1956) – House Surgeon *'' Town on Trial'' (1957) – Peter Crowley *'' Time Without Pity'' (1957) – Alec Graham *''

The Good Companions ''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It wo ...

'' (1957) – Albert Oakroyd *'' The One That Got Away'' (1957) – Duty Officer, Hucknall *'' The Silent Enemy'' (1958) – Able Seaman Morgan *'' A Night to Remember'' (1958) – Wireless Operator Harold Thomas Cottam – Carpathia *'' The Doctor's Dilemma'' (1958) – Redpenny *''

'' (1959) – Bottom (voice) *'' The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner'' (1962) – Brown *'' In the Cool of the Day'' (1963) – Dickie Bayliss *'' The Agony and the Ecstasy'' (1965) – (uncredited) *'' The Witches'' (1966) – Alan Bax *'' The Hawaiians'' (1970) – Micah Hale *'' Frenzy'' (1972) – Chief Inspector Oxford *'' Travels with My Aunt'' (1972) – Henry Pulling *'' Stevie'' (1978) – Freddy *'' Hanover Street'' (1979) – Major Trumbo *''

'' (1980) – Malvolio *'' Forever Young'' (1983) – Father Vincent *'' Never Say Never Again'' (1983) – 'Q' Algy *''The Young Visiters'' (1984) – J.M. Barrie *'' The Assam Garden'' (1985) – Mr. Philpott *'' Personal Services'' (1987) – Wing Commander Morten *'' Cry Freedom'' (1987) – Acting High Commissioner *'' Henry V'' (1989) –

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with ...

*''

The Age of Innocence ''The Age of Innocence'' is a 1920 novel by American author Edith Wharton. It was her twelfth novel, and was initially serialized in 1920 in four parts, in the magazine '' Pictorial Review''. Later that year, it was released as a book by D. Ap ...

'' (1993) – Sillerton Jackson *'' Gangs of New York'' (2002) – Reverend Raleigh (final film role)

List of theatre roles

*Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly in '' The Cocktail Party'', Phoenix Theatre, July 1986; *Nikolai in

Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription req ...

's Turgenev adaptation '' Fathers and Sons'', National Theatre, July 1987; *Vladimir in '' Waiting for Godot'', National Theatre, November 1987; *Harry Rivers in

Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist, life peer, convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974), but did not ...

's ''Exclusive'', Strand Theatre, September 1989, *George in ''A Single Man'', Greenwich Theatre, June 1990; *Jack in Brian Friel's '' Dancing at Lughnasa'',

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

, Dublin and National Theatre, October 1990; Phoenix Theatre, March 1991; and Garrick Theatre, December 1991; *Caesar in Bernard Shaw's '' Caesar and Cleopatra'', Greenwich Theatre, February 1992, *Michael in '' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'',

, July 1992; Vaudeville Theatre, September 1992; the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissan ...

, New York, November 1992 to June 1993; *Edward Elgar in David Pownall's ''Elgar's Rondo'', RSC

The Pit The Pit may refer to: Places * The Pit, a commonly used name for a mosh pit * The Pit (arena), the main indoor arena at the University of New Mexico * The Pit (memorial), "Яма" the Holocaust memorial in Minsk, Belarus * Elder 'The Pit' Stadiu ...

, May 1994; *Prospero in '' The Tempest'' RSC Barbican Theatre, July 1994; *Reginald Pager (a retired opera singer) in Ronald Harwood's '' Quartet'', Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and Albery Theatre, September 1999 – January 2000.

Honours

He was appointed Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 1972

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark th ...

and promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the

1986 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1986 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

. On 2 May 2017 McCowen was accorded a memorial service at St. Paul's Church in Covent Garden (known as "the actors' church"), conducted by the Reverend Simon Grigg. McCowen's nephew, Reverend Nigel Mumford, read an affectionate remembrance from McCowen's sister Jean Mumford's memoirs titled "Childhood memories of Pantos". The tribute was read by Dame Penelope Wilton, followed by a tribute from the playwright Christopher Hampton.

Rebecca Trehearn Rebecca Trehearn is an actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. She trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, graduating in 2004. Career In 2013, she played Molly in the UK tour of ''Ghost the Musical''. In 2014 she played Marcy ...

sang "Bill" from '' Show Boat'', which was followed by a tribute from the theatre critic Michael Billington and a tribute by the actor Malcolm Sinclair. After final prayers a plaque to McCowen was dedicated by Grigg to the left of the altar.

Bibliography

* Theatre Record and its annual Indexes * ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 17th edition, ed Ian Herbert, Gale (1981) . *''Double Bill'' (autobiography) by Alec McCowen, Elm Tree Books (1980) . *''The National: The Theatre and its Work 1963–1997'' by Simon Callow, Nick Hern Books/NT (1997) . *''Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies'', 4th (and final) edition, ed John Walker, HarperCollins 2006 *''Halliwell's Television Companion'', 3rd edition, Grafton (1986) . * Memorial service notes added by Bryan Hewitt

References

External links

Selected performances in the Theatre Archive, University of Bristol
*
Alec McCowen on BFI
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCowen, Alec 1925 births 2017 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Drama Desk Award winners English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors English theatre directors English gay actors People educated at The Skinners' School People from Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Shakespeare Company members Male actors from Kent