Malcolm McDowell is an English actor, producer and screenwriter. He gained world fame thanks to the leading role in the film Stanley Kubrick "Clockwork Orange", also became famous for his participation in the films "Caligula" and "Cat People". In recent years, often works on television, appeared in the TV series "Handsome", "Heroes" and "Mozart in the Jungle."
Childhood and youth
Malcolm McDowell was born on June 13, 1943 in the city of Horsfort, Yorkshire. Real name is Malcolm John Taylor. In childhood, he moved with his family to Birdlington, where the actor’s father served in the Royal Aviation.
In his teens, Malcolm worked at a nut processing factory and in a pub owned by his father. After graduating from high school, he entered the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.
Carier start
In the mid-sixties, Malcolm McDowell began to work actively on television, appearing in small roles in many projects. In 1967, the young actor first appeared on the big screen in the film "Poor thing," but the scenes with his participation were cut from the final version of the picture.
The actor had to change the surname due to the fact that there was already a member in the acting guild named Malcolm Taylor, the young man took his mother's maiden name as a pseudonym.
Big breakthrough
In 1968, the independent drama "If ..." directed by Lindsay Anderson was released. This project was a breakthrough in the filmography of Malcolm MacDowell, who played a major role in the film. The film received the Golden Palm Branch following the results of the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival and quickly gained cult status. Today, "If ..." is considered one of the best British films of all time.
After that, Malcolm McDowell appeared in the lead roles in the paintings "Silhouettes on rough terrain" and "Mad Moon". Both paintings received positive reviews from critics.
The most famous of the list of films by Malcolm McDowell, definitely, is a picture of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. The role of the protagonist, Alex DeLarge, is still the actor’s calling card, and the film itself quickly gained cult status. Many scenes of the picture are still cited in popular culture, and the photo of Malcolm McDowell during one of the scenes of the film turned into an Internet meme.
After the release of the screens, A Clockwork Orange caused a lot of scandal in the press, largely due to a naturalistic depiction of violence. The film was nominated for an Oscar, and McDowell received nominations for the Golden Globe and the National Council of Film Critics Award.
In subsequent years, Malcolm McDowell again worked with Lindsay Anderson on the film “Oh, Lucky”, and also took part in the military films “Royal Shine” and “Asa in the Sky”. He also played in several television plays as part of the Laurence Olivier Presents series.
Career heyday
In 1979, Malcolm McDowell played the main role in the erotic epic of the scandalous director Tinto Brass “Caligula”. The picture was surrounded by scandals from the very beginning, the director changed the original script of Mount Vidal, as a result of which he refused to put his name on the credits, and at the stage of editing the studio turned the political satire of the Italian director into an erotic film.
After the release of Caligula, it caused a lot of scandals and was banned from showing in several countries because of sexually explicit scenes and a naturalistic depiction of violence. Critics generally praised Malcolm McDowell's work as an actor, but overall the film received poor reviews and was even called the worst film in history by some journalists. Over the years, the picture has gained cult status.
In the same year, the British made his Hollywood debut. Malcolm starred in the science fiction film Journey in the Time Machine. The film received positive reviews from critics and performed well at the box office. Three years later, Malcolm McDowell appeared in the erotic horror film "Cat People", which performed well at the box office. In 1983, the actor played the role of the main antagonist in the film "Blue Thunder", which collected more than forty million dollars as a result of the rental.
In addition, Malcolm was considered by the producers for the role of the clown Pennywise in the television movie "It", but the role went to Tim Curry.
Bad period
In subsequent years, in Hollywood, McDowell increasingly played villains in projects of varying degrees of success. In many ways, this change in role was due to the fact that due to the abuse of alcohol and drugs, the actor’s appearance changed greatly, in his youth Malcolm McDowell was famous precisely because of his childish appearance. The Briton also became, to some extent, an industry legend due to his constant quarrels with directors and conflicts on the set.
Over the next decade, the actor appeared in several genre films that did not have much success with either the critics or the audience. He also continued to work at home and in European cinema, but there McDowell also had an unsuccessful period. In 1991, Malcolm McDowell played a major role in the historical drama Karen Shakhnazarov "The Killer". A year later, the actor appeared in Robert Altman's satirical comedy The Player.
Career revival
The most prominent role in McDowell’s career over the years was the party of the crazy scientist Dr. Tolian Soran in the movie Star Trek: Generations. According to the plot of the picture, it is the character of Malcolm that kills the legendary character - captain James T. Kirk. After the film was released, the actor began to receive threats from franchise fans.
In subsequent years, however, the filmography of Malcolm McDowell continued to replenish with projects of dubious quality. He appeared in the sci-fi comedy Tankist, which became one of the main box office failures of 1995.
At the beginning of the new millennium, the actor appeared in several notable projects. He starred in the British crime drama "Gangster No. 1". The picture failed at the box office, even despite a modest budget, but received positive reviews from critics and soon gained cult status. Malcolm himself considers the role in this film to be his best work since A Clockwork Orange. Also in 2000, the actor appeared in the popular animated series "South Park".
In 2002, McDowell played the role of the main antagonist in the comedy thriller "Deceive All", where his screen partners were Hollywood stars Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson and Famke Jansen. A year later, Malcolm McDowell again played the main villain, this time in the crime drama of the legendary British director Michael Hodges, "I Fall Asleep."
In subsequent years, the actor began to work more and more on television, appearing as a guest star in the popular TV series Defective Detective, Handsome, and Law and Order. Malcolm also got a supporting role in the science-fiction series Heroes, appearing in ten episodes of the project in total.
On the big screen, the Briton appeared in restarting the popular series of horror films "Halloween", after which he returned to several sequels of the franchise. Also, the actor appeared in the horror "Doomsday". In 2011, Malcolm McDowell played a small role in the silent comedy "Artist", which at the end of the year received many awards, including the Academy Award in the category "Best Film".
Recent and future projects
In recent years, the actor still continues to work actively, despite his age. He appeared as a guest star in the series "The Mentalist" and "Clairvoyant", continues to act in genre paintings.
The most notable work of recent years in the filmography of Malcolm McDowell was the comedy series "Mozart in the Jungle." The project received many awards, and the work of the Englishman was noted by critics. Recently, the last, fourth season of the series was released.
At the moment, more than ten projects with the participation of the actor are under development, mainly low-budget genre paintings.
Work in voice acting
Malcolm MacDowell is the owner of a recognizable low voice, thanks to this, at the turn of the century, he was able to find himself in the role of voice actor. He participated in the creation of many animated series and films, including projects such as Volt, Aladdin, Spider-Man and Justice League.
Also, Malcolm is actively involved in the voice acting of video games, he gave his voice to the heroes of the projects “Fallout 3”, “Call of duty” and “God of war 3”. In total, he has more than a dozen computer games.
Personal life
For the first time, Malcolm MacDowell married actress Margot Bennett in 1975. The couple divorced after five years, the couple have no children. The second wife of the Englishman was the actress Mary Steenburgen, winner of the Oscar. They were married from 1980 to 1990, the couple has two children, daughter Lily and son Charlie - director and screenwriter, known for the films "Beloved" and "Discovery".
The third wife of the actor was Kelly Chur. The wedding took place in 1991. Malcolm McDowell and his wife have a twenty-four-year age difference. Three sons were born in the marriage. A couple together to this day. In 2012, the actor first became a grandfather.
Currently, Malcolm McDowell lives in Los Angeles, he also has homes in London and Italy. The actor refused the Order of the British Empire and the knighthood for political reasons.