Patrick Magee

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Patrick Magee , actually Patrick McGee , (born March 31, 1922 in Armagh , Northern Ireland , † August 14, 1982 in London , England ) was a British actor , who in particular through his collaboration with Samuel Beckett and through his role as the writer Mr. Alexander in Stanley Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange .

Life

Magee was born Patrick McGee in Armagh in 1922 and raised a Catholic . When he moved to London in 1957, he changed the spelling of his family name to appear less provincial. He appeared in Beckett's All That Fall (English title: All That Fall ) at the Royal Court Theater and impressed the writer so much that he wrote the play Krapp's Last Tape (English title: The last tape ) for him (a BBC version of this was made in 1972). Magee's large eyes and eyebrows and distinctive voice give him roles as a character actor, usually a confused figure of high standing, although his early film roles included the brave and dedicated British military doctor in Zulu (1964). The critic John Simon wrote that Magee “has a way of turning every syllable he speaks into overripe Limburg cheese; he is the only actor I can think of who is listened to with his nose ”.

In Francis Ford Coppola's film Dementia 13 , Magee played a doctor. This film was produced by Roger Corman , and Magee became an integral part of his low-budget and other horror films , particularly hammer films . He also played a bishop in Harold Pinter's film The Servant .

In 1964 Magee joined the Royal Shakespeare Company . He made his debut in Pinters The Birthday Party (and also appeared in the film version) and then starred in Marat / Sade . The play was rewritten for Broadway , for which Magee received a Tony Award and he went back to starring in the film version. He also appeared in the RSC production Staircase as an opponent of Paul Scofield .

Magee has always valued film and television as a means of supporting theatrical work, and so he starred in many prestigious film and television projects, with his 1971 role in A Clockwork Orange being his most famous.

Four years later Kubrick cast him again for Barry Lyndon , but the decline in film productions in Great Britain did not leave Magee unscathed. His last leading role was in Walerian Borowczyk's Docteur Jekyll et les femmes , a European production.

Always known as a heavy drinker, Patrick Magee died of a heart attack at the age of 60 .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Many Faces of Patrick Magee on GeoCities .ws
personal data
SURNAME Magee, Patrick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McGee, Patrick (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH March 31, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Armagh , Northern Ireland , UK
DATE OF DEATH August 14, 1982
Place of death London , England , UK