Patrick Magee
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)
- 1960: The trail leads nowhere (The Criminal)
- 1961: Never Back Losers
- 1962: Dementia 13
- 1964: On a gloomy afternoon (seance on a wet Afternoon)
- 1964: Satanas - The castle of the bloody beast (The masque of the red death)
- 1964: Zulu
- 1965: The horror at Witley Castle (Die, Monster, Die!)
- 1965: Luther
- 1968: Battle of Anzio (Lo sbarco di Anzio)
- 1970: Cromwell - War to the King (Cromwell)
- 1970: Two Granite Guys (You can't win 'Em all)
- 1971: A Clockwork Orange (A Clockwork Orange)
- 1972: Pope Joan (Pope Joan)
- 1972: demons of the soul (Demons of the Mind)
- 1972: Asylum (Asylum)
- 1973: Embryo of Evil (And Now the Screaming Starts!)
- 1974: Luther
- 1975: Barry Lyndon
- 1977: phone
- 1978: The Adventures of David Balfour (TV series)
- 1979: The Brontë sisters (Les Sœurs Brontë)
Web links
- Patrick Magee in theInternet Movie Database(English)
- The Many Faces of Patrick Magee More detailed biography, filmography and anecdotes (English)
Individual evidence
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 |