Leo McKern | |
|---|---|
 McKern inRyan's Daughter (1970) | |
| Born | Reginald McKern (1920-03-16)16 March 1920 Sydney,New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 23 July 2002(2002-07-23) (aged 82) Bath, Somerset, England |
| Education | Sydney Technical High School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1944–1999 |
| Known for |
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| Television | |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingAbigail McKern |
| Awards | Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (1987) |
Reginald "Leo" McKern (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. His notable roles include Clang inHelp! (1965),Thomas Cromwell inA Man for All Seasons (1966), Tom Ryan inRyan's Daughter (1970), Harry Bundage inCandleshoe (1977), Paddy Button inThe Blue Lagoon (1980), Dr. Grogan inThe French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Father Imperius inLadyhawke (1985), and the role that made him a household name as an actor,Horace Rumpole, whom he played in the British television seriesRumpole of the Bailey. He also portrayed Carl Bugenhagen in thefirst andsecond instalments ofThe Omen series andNumber Two in the TV seriesThe Prisoner.
Reginald McKern was born 16 March 1920 inSydney,New South Wales,[1] the son of Vera (née Martin) and Norman Walton McKern. Known as "Leo" from a young age, he attendedSydney Technical High School.[1] On leaving school, he initially worked in a factory, where at the age of 15, he suffered an accident which resulted in the removal of his left eye.[2] He first worked as an engineering apprentice, then as an artist, followed by service as asapper with theAustralian Army'sRoyal Australian Engineers during World War II.[3] In 1944, in Sydney, he performed in his first stage role.[1]
McKern fell in love with Australian actress Jane Holland, moved to the United Kingdom to be with her, and married her in 1946. Despite the difficulties posed by hisglass eye and Australian accent, he soon became a regular performer at London'sOld Vic theatre and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (now theRoyal Shakespeare Theatre) inStratford-upon-Avon.[1]
McKern's most notable Shakespearean role was asIago inOthello, in 1952.[1] In 1955 he appeared inThe Burnt Flower Bed by Ugo Betti directed byPeter Hall at the Arts Theatre Club in London.[1] He played Big Daddy in Peter Hall's production ofCat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Comedy Theatre in 1958,[1] and went on to play the German ambassador in another Peter Hall production,Brouhaha starring Peter Sellers at the Aldwych Theatre.[1] He originated the role of Common Man inRobert Bolt'sA Man for All Seasons in theWest End in 1960,[1] but for the show'sBroadway production appeared asThomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, a role he would reprise for the1966 film version.[1] He also portrayed Subtle inBen Jonson'sThe Alchemist in 1962. In 1965, he played the lead in Bolt'sThe Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew, and Disson inHarold Pinter'sTea Party.[1]
He appeared at theRoyal Exchange, Manchester inUncle Vanya in 1977 and inCrime and Punishment in 1978.[1]
In 1989, he playedJames Boswell in the one-man show,Boswell for the Defence in theatres in Melbourne, Hong Kong and London.[4]
McKern's film debut was inMurder in the Cathedral (1952).[5] His more notable film appearances included the science-fiction classicsX the Unknown (1956),[5]The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961),[5] the World War I dramaKing and Country (1964),Help! (1965), theAcademy Award-winning adaptation ofA Man for All Seasons (1966),[5]The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968),Ryan's Daughter (1970),[5]Massacre in Rome (1973),The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975),The Omen (1976),[5]The Blue Lagoon (1980),[5]The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) andLadyhawke (1985).[5] He was presented with theAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role forTravelling North (1987). He co-starred as Sancho Zancas oppositeAlec Guinness as Father Quixote, inMonsignor Quixote (1985).[1]
One of McKern's earliest television roles was as Sir Roger DeLisle (usurper of the Locksley manor and lands, and Herbert of Doncaster, a corrupt moneylender), in the 1950s black-and-white seriesThe Adventures of Robin Hood.[5]
During the 1960s, he was one of severalNumber Twos in the TV seriesThe Prisoner.[5] Along withColin Gordon, McKern was one of only two actors to play Number Two more than once. He first played the character in the episodes "The Chimes of Big Ben" and "Once Upon a Time", and reprised the role in the final episode, "Fall Out".[1] The filming of "Once Upon a Time" was a particularly intense experience for McKern; according to one biographer, the stress caused him to suffer either anervous breakdown or aheart attack (accounts differ), forcing production to stop for a time.[6]
In 1976, McKern narrated and presentedThe Battle of the Somme, aBritish Broadcasting Corporation documentary marking the 60th anniversary of the World War I battle.[7] He played the Earl of Gloucester inGranada Television's production ofKing Lear (1983). Also in 1983, he starred in episodes of the mini-seriesReilly, Ace of Spies as Zaharov, director of Vickers.[5]
In 1975, McKern made his first appearance in the role that would make him a household name as an actor, Horace Rumpole, whom he played inRumpole of the Bailey, originally an episode of the BBC'sPlay for Today. A series of the same name, comprising 44 episodes, was produced forITV between 1978 and 1992. According to Rumpole's creator, authorJohn Mortimer, McKern "not only played the character Rumpole—he added to it, brightened it and brought it fully to life."[8]
Although he enjoyed the role, McKern expressed doubts about its popularity and the extent to which his life was becoming intertwined with Rumpole's. "McKern was often unhappy, decrying his television fame as an 'insatiable monster'. He stressed that hisPeer Gynt was a greater performance and lamented: 'If I get an obit in any paper, they will say, "... of course, known to millions as Rumpole."'"[9] In the later series, his daughterAbigail McKern joined the cast as Liz Probert.[9]
Starting in 1985, McKern appeared in a series of advertisements forLloyds Bank, playing the upholder of quality standards.[10][11] In 1987, investment firmSmith Barney selected McKern to succeedJohn Houseman as its spokesman. The move was part of a broader shift in their TV commercials, including hiringDinah Sheridan to play McKern's wife.[12] In 1989, Smith Barney again changed spokesmen, dropping McKern for American actorGeorge C. Scott.[13]
McKern wrote one radio play,London Story, which became the filmChain of Events (1958). He also provided the voice ofCaptain Haddock in the 1992 and 1993BBC Radio adaptation ofHergé'sThe Adventures of Tintin.[1]
In 1983, McKern was appointed an Officer of theOrder of Australia for his services to the performing arts.[14]
He frequently travelled between England and Australia, both to visit family and friends and to appear in various films and plays. As he was frightened of flying, he booked tickets to travel on cargo ships. This gave him time and peace to read scripts and contracts, with the added benefit of feeling he was on holiday.
Worried that his stout frame would not appeal to audiences, McKern suffered fromstage fright, which became harder to control with age.[15]
In 1997 he appeared in a party political broadcast for theUnited Kingdom Independence Party.[16]
McKern and his wife, fellow Australian actor Jane Holland (A Son Is Born, 1946), had two daughters,Abigail and Harriet.[17]
Suffering in his final years from ill health, McKern moved into a nursing home nearBath inSomerset in 2002, where he died a few weeks later, on 23 July, at the age of 82; his body was cremated at Haycombe Cemetery in Bath.[17]
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