Roddy McDowall: The “Real” Ape Man
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude “Roddy” McDowall was born in Herne Hill, London, England on September 17th, 1928. His father, Thomas Andrew McDowall was a sea merchant and his mother, Winifriede Lucinda McDowall was an aspiring actress. Both shared a deep love for the theatre, and having inherited the same, McDowall won an acting prize in a school play at the age of 9. This led to him landing his first starring role the very next year in the movie Scruffy (1938). He also acted in the film Murder in the Family (1938) playing the younger brother of a pair of sisters played by Jessica Tandy and Glynis Johns. He relocated with his family to the United States in 1940 amidst the breakout of World War 2. Eager to continue his acting career, McDowall was placed under contract to 20th Century Fox at the age of 12 and shortly after was cast in the role of Huw Morgan in How Green Was My Valley (1941). “How Green Was My Valley,” won five Oscars, including Best Picture. For Fox, he also made the films, Lassie Come Home (1943), and The Keys of the Kingdom (1944). Although each of these films were hits for the studio, Roddy McDowall didn’t want movies to be his only outlet for acting.
In the late-1950’s, he left Hollywood to try his luck on the Broadway Stage, and appeared in the plays The Fighting Cock (which won him the Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actor in 1960), No Time for Sergeants, and originating the role of Sir Mordred in the Lerner and Lowe musical classic, Camelot. He also began appearing on television in shows like The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) and The Eleventh Hour (1962-1964). He won an Emmy Award for his appearance on NBC Sunday Showcase in 1961.
McDowall continued to act in films, reuniting with “Lassie Come Home” co-star/good friend Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1963). Not long after “Lassie,” Taylor and McDowall also starred together in MGM’s The White Cliffs of Dover (1944). McDowall also took up executive producing very early in his career, and served as executive/associate producer for seven films in which he also starred, including Rocky (1948), Killer Shark (1950), and Overboard (1987).
McDowall was cast by Walt Disney—in one of the last films that he would produce—in the role of Gregory Benson in That Darn Cat! (1965). Passed over for the role of Mordred in Warner Bros. film adaptation of Camelot (1967), he landed the role of Cornelius in 20th Century Fox’s Planet of the Apes (1968). He reprised the role of Cornelius for Fox’s two sequels to the film: Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). He also played Cornelius’s father, Caesar, in “Battle,” and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)). During one of his many guest appearances on The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978), McDowall came out onstage wearing his complete makeup from the “Planet of the Apes,” series and sang a romantic duet with Burnett.
Roddy McDowall also acted in several other films for the Walt Disney Studios. Before “Apes,” he appeared in a film called The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967). He also starred in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). He later reunited with “Bedknobs” co-star/friend Angela Lansbury for two episodes on her series, Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996). After “Bedknobs,” he made The Cat From Outer Space (1978), The Black Hole (1979), and also lent his voice to two Disney Channel Original Series: Darkwing Duck (1991-1992) and Gargoyles (1994-1997). His last acting role ever was voicing to the character of Mr. Soil in Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998).
Roddy McDowall passed away of lung cancer on October 3rd, 1998. Throughout his career, he created a legacy of characters on stage and screen of playing intelligent yet funny characters. Perhaps remembered best for the “Planet of the Apes” series, he brought a dry sense of humor to every role he played-making him an enduring favorite.
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