View source for Roddy McDowall

{{Short description|British actor (1928–1998)}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Roddy McDowall
| image              = RoddyMcDowall.jpg
| alt                = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption            = McDowall in 1988
| birth_name         = Roderick Andrew McDowall
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1928|9|17|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Herne Hill]], London, England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1998|10|3|1928|9|17|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[Studio City, California]], US
| party              = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| citizenship        = {{flatlist|
*United Kingdom
*United States (after 1949)
}}
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1938–1998
| signature          = Roddy McDowall signature.svg
}}

'''Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall''' (17 September 1928 – 3 October 1998) was a British-American actor whose career spanned over 270 screen and stage roles across over 60 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roddy Mcdowall |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/127070%7C133834/Roddy-Mcdowall/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110729014208/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/127070%7C133834/Roddy-McDowall/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 July 2011 |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en}}</ref> Born in London, he began his acting career as a child in his native England, before moving to the United States at the outbreak of [[World War II]]. He achieved prominence for his starring roles in ''[[How Green Was My Valley (film)|How Green Was My Valley]]'' (1941), ''[[My Friend Flicka (film)|My Friend Flicka]]'' (1943), and ''[[Lassie Come Home]]'' (1943). Unlike many of his contemporaries, McDowall managed to evolve from child star into an adult performer and appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and in films, winning a [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play|Tony Award]] for his performance in [[Jean Anouilh]]'s ''The Fighting Cock''. For portraying [[Octavian]] in the historical epic ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]'' (1963), he was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Golden Globe Award]].

McDowall played Cornelius and [[Caesar (Planet of the Apes)|Caesar]] in the original [[Planet of the Apes#Original film series|''Planet of the Apes'' film series]], as well as Galen in the short-lived [[Planet of the Apes (TV series)|spin-off television series]]. His other notable films included [[Orson Welles]]' ''[[Macbeth (1948 film)|Macbeth]]'' (1948), ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' (1962), ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]''
(1963), ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965), ''[[That Darn Cat!]]'' (1965), ''[[Inside Daisy Clover]]'' (1965), ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' (1971), ''[[The Poseidon Adventure (1972 film)|The Poseidon Adventure]]'' (1972), ''[[Funny Lady]]'' (1975), ''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]'' (1979), ''[[Fright Night]]'' (1985) and its sequel ''[[Fright Night Part 2]]'' (1988), ''[[Overboard (1987 film)|Overboard]]'' (1987), ''[[Shakma]]'' (1990) and ''[[A Bug's Life]]'' (1998). He was a frequent guest star on many television series, and won an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series|Emmy Award]] for a 1961 episode of ''[[NBC Sunday Showcase]]''.

McDowall served in various positions on the board of governors for the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] and the selection committee for the [[Kennedy Center Honors]], contributing to various charities related to the film industry and film preservation. He was a founding member of the [[National Film Preservation Board]] in 1989, and represented the [[Screen Actors Guild]] on that board until his death. Aside from his acting career, McDowall was active as a photographer and journalist, particularly of celebrities. For his contributions to the film and television industry, he received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].

==Early life==
McDowall was born at 204 Herne Hill Road, [[Herne Hill]], London, the only son of London-born Thomas Andrew McDowall (1896–1978), a [[merchant seaman]] of distant Scottish descent, and his Irish wife Winifred (née Corcoran).<ref>{{Cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-71136|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/71136|title=The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|year=2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-roddy-mcdowall-1176240.html|location=London, UK|work=The Independent|first=Tom|last=Vallance|title=Obituary: Roddy McDowall|date=5 October 1998}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-roddy-mcdowall-19981004-snap-story.html|title = From the Archives: Roddy McDowall, Actor for 6 Decades, Dies at 70| website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date = 4 October 1998}}</ref> Both of his parents were enthusiastic about the theatre. McDowall and his elder sister, Virginia, were raised in their mother's Catholic faith. He attended [[St Joseph's College, Upper Norwood|St Joseph's College, Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood]], a Roman Catholic secondary school in London.<ref>{{citation|title=Roddy McDowall, 70, Dies; Child Star and Versatile Actor|first=Mel|last=Gussow|periodical=The New York Times|date=4 October 1998|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/nyregion/roddy-mcdowall-70-dies-child-star-and-versatile-actor.html|access-date=16 March 2010}}</ref>

==Career==
===British films===
After appearing as a child model as a baby, McDowall appeared in several films as a boy. After winning an acting prize in a school play at age nine, he started appearing in films: ''[[Murder in the Family]]'' (1938), ''[[I See Ice]]'' (1938) with [[George Formby]], ''[[John Halifax (film)|John Halifax]]'' (1938), and ''[[Scruffy (1938 film)|Scruffy]]'' (1938).<ref name=Gotlieb>{{cite web |url=http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/archives-cc/app/details.php?id=8239&return=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bu.edu%2Fphpbin%2Farchives-cc%2Fapp%2Fbrowse.php%3Fletter%3DM%26sort_column%3Dcomposite_name%26sort_direction%3DASC%26per_page%3D10%26offset%3D55%26set_page%3Dnext |title=McDowall, Roddy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909004948/http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/archives-cc/app/details.php?id=8239&return=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bu.edu%2Fphpbin%2Farchives-cc%2Fapp%2Fbrowse.php%3Fletter%3DM%26sort_column%3Dcomposite_name%26sort_direction%3DASC%26per_page%3D10%26offset%3D55%26set_page%3Dnext |archive-date=9 September 2014 |work=Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center |publisher=Boston University}}</ref>

McDowall appeared in ''[[Convict 99]]'' (1938) and ''[[Hey! Hey! USA]]'' (1938) with [[Will Hay]], ''[[Yellow Sands (film)|Yellow Sands]]'' (1938), ''[[The Outsider (1939 film)|The Outsider]]'' (1939), ''[[Murder Will Out (1939 film)|Murder Will Out]]'' (1939), ''[[Dead Man's Shoes (1940 film)|Dead Man's Shoes]]'' (1940), ''[[Just William (film)|Just William]]'' (1940), ''[[Saloon Bar]]'' (1940), ''[[You Will Remember]]'' (1941), and ''[[This England (film)|This England]]'' (1941).

===Early US films===
McDowall's mother, a sibling, and himself moved to the United States in 1940 after the outbreak of [[World War II]]. He became a naturalised United States citizen on 9 December 1949,<ref name=Gotlieb/> and lived in the United States for the rest of his life.

McDowall served in the U.S. Army Reserves, and after basic training,  was assigned to the 67th Armored Infantry Battalion [[13th Armored Division (United States)|13th Armored Division]] of the [[U.S. Army]]'s [[Organised Reserve Corps]]  headquartered in Los Angeles. Later, he was assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division, when in 1952, the 13th Armored Division was reflagged into the 63rd Infantry Division. McDowall served from 1946 to 1954, spanning from the end of World War II to the end of the [[Korean War]].<ref name="xmoppet">[https://www.xmoppet.org/perstats/perstats.html Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall at] xmoppet.org. Retrieved 9 December 2021.</ref> He later served in the [[77th Sustainment Brigade|77th Infantry Division]] from 1960 to 1962.<ref name="xmoppet" />

McDowall's American film career began with a part in the 1941 thriller ''[[Man Hunt (1941 film)|Man Hunt]]'', directed by [[Fritz Lang]]. It was made by [[20th Century Fox]], which also produced McDowall's next film ''[[How Green Was My Valley (film)|How Green Was My Valley]]'' (1941), where he met and became lifelong friends with actress [[Maureen O'Hara]]. The film won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]], and McDowall's role as Huw Morgan made him a household name.<ref name="Gotlieb" /> Fox put him in another war film, ''[[Confirm or Deny]]'' (1941), then he played [[Tyrone Power]]'s character as a boy in ''[[Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake]]'' (1942).

===Stardom===
[[File:Lassie Come Home.jpg|thumb|McDowall in ''Lassie Come Home'' (1943)]]
Fox promoted McDowall to top billing for ''[[On the Sunny Side (1942 film)|On the Sunny Side]]'' (1942). He was billed second to [[Monty Woolley]] in ''[[The Pied Piper (1942 film)|The Pied Piper]]'' (1942), playing a war orphan, then he had top billing again for an adaptation of ''[[My Friend Flicka (film)|My Friend Flicka]]'' (1942). [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] borrowed McDowall for the star role in ''[[Lassie Come Home]]'' (1943), a film that introduced [[Elizabeth Taylor]], an actress who became another lifelong friend. MGM kept him on to play a leading role in ''[[The White Cliffs of Dover (1944 film)|The White Cliffs of Dover]]'' (1944). Back at Fox, he played [[Gregory Peck]]'s character as a young man in ''[[The Keys of the Kingdom (film)|The Keys of the Kingdom]]'' (1944). In 1944, exhibitors voted McDowall the number-four "Star of Tomorrow".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26044148|title=SAGA OF THE HIGH SEAS|newspaper=[[The Mercury]]|location=Hobart, Tasmania|date=11 November 1944|access-date=24 April 2012|page=9|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Fox gave McDowall another starring vehicle with ''Thunderhead – Son of Flicka'' (1945). The studio reunited him with Woolley in ''[[Molly and Me]]'' (1945), which was made as an attempt to turn [[Gracie Fields]] into a Hollywood star. McDowall returned to MGM to support [[Walter Pidgeon]] in ''[[Holiday in Mexico]]'' (1946).

===Theatre===
McDowall turned to the theatre, taking the title role of ''[[Young Woodley (play)|Young Woodley]]'' in a [[summer stock]] production in [[Westport, Connecticut]], in July 1946.<ref>{{cite news|title=Roddy McDowall as guest|date=11 July 1946|work=The Christian Science Monitor|id={{ProQuest|515875397}}}}</ref> In 1947, he played [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm]] in [[Orson Welles]]'s stage production of ''[[Macbeth]]'' in Salt Lake City, and he played the same role in the actor-director's [[Macbeth (1948 film)|film version]] in 1948.<ref name=Gotlieb/>

===Monogram Pictures===
[[File:Roland Winters and Roddy McDowall - Killer Shark 04.jpg|thumb|McDowall and [[Roland Winters]] in ''[[Killer Shark]]'' (1950)]]
McDowall then signed a three-year contract with [[Monogram Pictures]], a low-budget studio that welcomed established stars, to make two films a year.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Schallert, E.|title=DRAMA AND FILM.|date=12 March 1947|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|165760532}}}}</ref>

McDowall starred in seven films for Monogram, for which he also worked as associate producer: ''[[Rocky (1948 film)|Rocky]]'' (1948), a boy-and-dog story directed by [[Phil Karlson]]; ''[[Kidnapped (1948 film)|Kidnapped]]'' (1948), an adaptation of the [[Robert Louis Stevenson]] story, wherein he played David Balfour, directed by [[William Beaudine]]; ''[[Tuna Clipper]]'' (1949), a fishing tale, again directed by Beaudine; ''[[Black Midnight (film)|Black Midnight]]'' (1949), a horse story directed by [[Budd Boetticher]]; ''[[Killer Shark]]'' (1950), a shark-hunting tale, again with Boetticher; ''[[Big Timber (1950 film)|Big Timber]]'' (1950), as a logger; and ''[[The Steel Fist]]'' (1952), an anticommunist drama.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tuna Fisherman Role Will Star McDowall |last=Schallert |first=Edwin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=22 May 1948 |page=7}}</ref>

===1950s: Television and theatre===
McDowall left Hollywood to move to New York City. He began appearing on television, notably shows such as ''[[Celanese Theatre]]'', ''[[Broadway Television Theatre]]'', ''[[Medallion Theatre]]'', ''[[Campbell Summer Soundstage]]'', ''[[Armstrong Circle Theatre]]'', ''[[Encounter (1958 TV series)|Encounter]]'', ''[[Robert Montgomery Presents]]'' (including an adaptation of ''[[Great Expectations]]'', in which he played Pip), ''[[The Elgin Hour]]'', ''[[Ponds Theater]]'', ''[[General Electric Theater]]'', ''[[The Kaiser Aluminum Hour]]'', ''[[Lux Video Theatre]]'', ''[[Goodyear Playhouse]]'', ''[[The Alcoa Hour]]'', ''[[Kraft Theatre]]'', ''[[Matinee Theatre]]'', ''[[Suspicion (American TV series)|Suspicion]]'', ''[[Playhouse 90]]'' (in an adaptation of ''[[Heart of Darkness]]''), ''[[The United States Steel Hour]]'', ''[[The DuPont Show of the Month]]'' (an adaptation of ''[[Billy Budd]]''), and ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' (the episode "[[People Are Alike All Over]]").

McDowall also had significant success on the Broadway stage. He was in a production of ''[[Misalliance (play)|Misalliance]]'' (1953) that ran for 130 performances and which McDowall said "broke the mould" in how he was judged as an actor.<ref>{{cite news|author=Steinmetz, J. |date=10 February 1987|title=RODDY MCDOWALL'S BEST FRIEND: CAMERA|work=Chicago Tribune|id={{ProQuest|291006412}}}}</ref>

He followed it with ''Escapade'' (1953) with [[Carroll Baker]] and [[Brian Aherne]]; [[Ira Levin]]'s ''[[No Time for Sergeants]] '' (1955–57), which was a huge hit;<ref>{{cite news|title=Roddy McDowall, stage actor|date=21 September 1955|work=The Christian Science Monitor|id={{ProQuest|509302561}}}}</ref> ''Diary of a Scoundrel'' (1956); and ''Good as Gold'' (1957).

He had a big critical success with ''[[Compulsion (play)|Compulsion]]'' (1957–58) based on [[Leopold and Loeb]] – although McDowall was not cast in the [[Compulsion (1959 film)|film version]]. He followed it with ''Handful of Fire'' (1958), [[Noël Coward]]'s ''[[Look After Lulu!]]'' (1959), and [[Peter Brook]]'s ''[[The Fighting Cock]]'' (1960). The latter earned him a [[Tony Award]].

===1960: Return to Hollywood===
[[File:Richard Burton Roddy McDowall Camelot 1963.JPG|thumb|McDowall as Mordred with [[Richard Burton]] in the Broadway musical ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'' (1960)]]
McDowall was in another big Broadway hit when he played Mordred in the musical ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'' (1960–63) with [[Julie Andrews]] and [[Richard Burton]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/roddy-mcdowall-68284|title=Roddy McDowall – Broadway Cast & Staff &#124; IBDB|website=ibdb.com}}</ref>

He played [[Ariel (The Tempest)|Ariel]] in a TV production of ''[[The Tempest]]'' (1960) with Richard Burton and [[Maurice Evans (actor)|Maurice Evans]],<ref>{{Cite news|title=Television: 'the tempest'|author=J. G.|date=4 February 1960|work=The New York Times|id={{ProQuest|115172815}}}}</ref> then appeared in his first film in almost a decade, ''[[The Subterraneans (film)|The Subterraneans]]'' (1960). He followed it with ''[[Midnight Lace]]'' (1960).

McDowall continued to work on television in shows such as ''Sunday Showcase'', ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]'', and ''[[The Play of the Week]]''. He was in a TV production of ''[[The Power and the Glory]]'' (1961) with [[Laurence Olivier]], [[George C. Scott]], and [[Julie Harris]].

In 1963, McDowall appeared as [[Octavian]] in the film production of ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]'', which starred Elizabeth Taylor. While filming in Europe, he appeared in Fox's war film ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'' (1962). He continued to guest-star on television series such as ''[[Arrest and Trial]]'', ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'', ''[[The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)|The Eleventh Hour]]'', ''[[Kraft Suspense Theatre]]'', ''[[Combat!]]'', ''[[Ben Casey]]'', ''[[Twelve O'Clock High (TV series)|Twelve O'Clock High]]'', ''[[Run for Your Life (TV series)|Run for Your Life]]'', and ''[[The Invaders]]'', and appeared as a special guest villain as the  [[Bookworm (character)|Bookworm]] on ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]''.

He had supporting roles in Fox's ''[[Shock Treatment (1964 film)|Shock Treatment]]'' (1964) and United Artists' ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965). He was third-billed in ''[[The Third Day (1965 film)|The Third Day]]'' (1965) and received billing as a member of the ensemble cast in ''[[The Loved One (film)|The Loved One]]'' (1965). McDowall went to Disney for ''[[That Darn Cat!]]'' (1965) and had a role in ''[[Inside Daisy Clover]]'' (1965).

McDowall was given a starring role in ''[[Lord Love a Duck]]'' (1966). He also appeared in ''[[The Defector (film)|The Defector]]'' (1966) and returned briefly to Broadway for ''The Astrakhan Coat'' (1967).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/production/the-astrakhan-coat-helen-hayes-theatre-vault-0000004496|title=The Astrakhan Coat (Broadway, Helen Hayes Theatre, 1967) &#124; Playbill}}</ref>

Disney gave him the starring role in ''[[The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin]]'' (1967) and he was top-billed in ''[[The Cool Ones]]'' (1967) and ''[[It! (1967 film)|It!]]'' (1967). He was in a TV production of ''Saint Joan''<!--TV movie, IMDB tt0062226--> (1967) and provided the voice for ''[[Cricket on the Hearth]]'' (1967). He guest-starred in the series ''[[The Felony Squad]]''.

[[File:Planet of the Apes cast 1974.JPG|thumb|McDowall in full costume, with co-stars [[Ron Harper (actor)|Ron Harper]] (front) and [[James Naughton]] (back), in the ''[[Planet of the Apes (TV series)|Planet of the Apes]]'' TV series (1974)]]
In 1968, McDowall appeared in one of his most memorable roles when he was cast in ''[[Planet of the Apes (1968 film)|Planet of the Apes]]'' as the ape Cornelius. He appeared in three sequels and a TV spin-off from the film.

He was Prince John in ''The Legend of Robin Hood'' (1968) for TV, and appeared in ''[[5 Card Stud]]'' (1968), ''[[Journey to the Unknown]]'', ''[[It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series)|It Takes a Thief]]'', ''[[Midas Run]]'' (1969), ''[[Hello Down There]]'' (1969), ''[[Angel, Angel, Down We Go]]'' (1969), ''[[Night Gallery]]'' (1969), ''[[The Name of the Game (TV series)|The Name of the Game]]'', and ''[[Medical Center (TV series)|Medical Center]]''.

===1970s===
McDowall made his debut and only effort as director with ''[[The Ballad of Tam Lin]]'' (1970).<ref>{{cite news|author=Reed, R.|date=28 November 1971|title=Roddy McDowall: Survival of the fittest|work=Chicago Tribune|id={{ProQuest|169150031}}}}</ref>

As an actor, he was in ''[[Pretty Maids All in a Row]]'' (1971). McDowall was not in the first ''Apes'' sequel, but was in the second, ''[[Escape from the Planet of the Apes]]'' (1971). He was in the television film ''[[Terror in the Sky]]'' (1971), ''[[What's a Nice Girl Like You...?]]'' (1971), and ''[[A Taste of Evil]]'' (1971), and Disney's ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' (1971).

He guest-starred on ''[[Ironside (1967 TV series)|Ironside]]'', ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'', ''[[Columbo]]'' (1972, "Short Fuse"), ''[[The Delphi Bureau]]'', ''[[The Rookies]]'', ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'', ''[[Barnaby Jones]]'', and ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]''.

McDowall made his third ''Apes'' film—as Caesar, son of his earlier character, Cornelius—with 1972's ''[[Conquest of the Planet of the Apes]]''. He had supporting roles in ''[[The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean]]'' (1972) and ''[[The Poseidon Adventure (1972 film)|The Poseidon Adventure]]'' (1972), and starred in a pilot that did not go to series, ''[[Topper Returns]]'' (1973) and ''[[The Legend of Hell House]]'' (1973).<ref>{{cite news|author=Haber, J.|date=9 December 1973|title=Superfan roddy, everybody's turn-on|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|157355170}}}}</ref>

His final ''Apes'' film was ''[[Battle for the Planet of the Apes]]'' (1973). He also appeared in ''[[McMillan & Wife]]'', ''[[Love, American Style]]'', ''[[Arnold (film)|Arnold]]'' (1973), a remake of ''[[Miracle on 34th Street]]'' (1973), ''[[The Elevator (1974 film)|The Elevator]]'' (1974), ''[[The Snoop Sisters]]'' also (1974), and an uncredited appearance as a grocery-store manager in the film ''[[Dirty Mary Crazy Larry]]''.

He starred in the short-lived TV spin-off series of ''[[Planet of the Apes (TV series)|Planet of the Apes]]'' (1974). During a guest appearance on ''The Carol Burnett Show'', he came onstage in his ''Planet of the Apes'' makeup and performed a love duet with Burnett.<ref>[http://pota.goatley.com/burnett.html ''The Carol Burnett Show'' with Roddy McDowall], 14 March 2017</ref>

Asked about his career in a 1975 interview, McDowall said, "I just hope to keep working and in interesting things."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Movie talk with roddy McDowall|author=D. S.|date=21 August 1975|work=The Christian Science Monitor|id={{ProQuest|511800731}}}}</ref>

===Late 1970s===
For the rest of the 1970s, McDowall alternated between features, TV films, and TV series. His features included ''[[Funny Lady]]'' (1975), ''[[Mean Johnny Barrows]]'' (1976), ''[[Embryo (film)|Embryo]]'' (1976), ''[[Sixth and Main]]'' (1977), ''[[Laserblast]]'' (1978), ''[[Rabbit Test (film)|Rabbit Test]]'' (1978), ''[[The Cat from Outer Space]]'' (1978) for Disney, ''[[Circle of Iron]]'' (1978), ''[[Scavenger Hunt]]'' (1979), ''[[Nutcracker Fantasy]]'' (1979) (doing voice-over for the English-language edition), and Disney's ''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]'' (1979) in which he voiced one of the robot roles.

His TV-series appearances included ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]'', ''[[Mowgli's Brothers (TV special)|Mowgli's Brothers]]'', ''[[Harry O]]'', ''[[The Feather and Father Gang]]'', ''[[Wonder Woman (TV series)|Wonder Woman]]'', ''[[Flying High (TV series)|Flying High]]'', ''[[The Love Boat]]'', ''[[$weepstake$]]'', ''[[Supertrain]]'', ''[[Hart to Hart]]'', ''[[A Man Called Sloane]]'', ''[[Trapper John, M.D.]]'' (the pilot episode), ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'' ("[[Planet of the Slave Girls]]"), and ''[[Mork & Mindy]]''. He also had a regular role in the short-lived science-fiction series ''[[The Fantastic Journey]]'' (1977).

His TV-film appearances included ''[[Flood!]]'' (1977), ''[[The Rhinemann Exchange#Television adaptation|The Rhinemann Exchange]]'' (1978), ''[[The Immigrants#Television adaptation|The Immigrants]]'' (1978), and ''[[The Thief of Baghdad (1978 film)|The Thief of Baghdad]]'' (1978).

===Early 1980s===
McDowall's TV film /miniseries work in the 1980s included ''[[The Martian Chronicles (miniseries)|The Martian Chronicles]]'' (1980), ''[[The Memory of Eva Ryker]]'' (1980), ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'' (1980) (on which he did voice over work), ''[[Tales of the Gold Monkey]]'' (1980),''The Million Dollar Face'' (1981), ''Judgement Day'' (1981), ''Twilight Theatre'' (1982), ''[[Mae West (film)|Mae West]]'' (1982), ''This Girl for Hire'' (1983), ''[[The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' (1984), ''London and Davis in New York'' (1984), ''[[Hollywood Wives (miniseries)|Hollywood Wives]]'' (1985), and ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1985 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' (1985).

His TV series included ''Boomer and Miss 21st Century'', ''[[Fantasy Island]]'' (several times), ''[[Faerie Tale Theatre]]'', ''[[Tales of the Gold Monkey]]'' (a series regular), ''Small and Frye'', ''[[Hotel (U.S. TV series)|Hotel]]'', and ''[[George Burns Comedy Week]]''.

McDowall's features included ''[[Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen]]'' (1981), ''[[Evil Under the Sun (film)|Evil Under the Sun]]'' (1982), ''[[Class of 1984]]'' (1984), and the cult-classic horror ''[[Fright Night]]'' (1985).

===Voice-over work and late 1980s===
McDowall had voice-over roles in ''Zoo Ship'' (1985), ''[[GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]'' (1986), and ''[[The Wind in the Willows (1987 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]'' (1987), and TV series including ''[[Bridges to Cross]]'' (1986) (in which McDowall was a regular), ''[[The Wizard (TV series)|The Wizard]]'', ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]'', and ''[[Nightmare Classics]]''; his TV films included ''[[Remo Williams: The Prophecy]]'' and ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (miniseries)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1989).

In 1987, he had supporting roles in ''[[Dead of Winter (1987 film)|Dead of Winter]]'' and ''[[Overboard (1987 film)|Overboard]]'', on which he also served as executive producer. His other features included ''[[Doin' Time on Planet Earth]]'' (1988), ''[[Fright Night Part 2]]'' (1989), ''[[The Big Picture (1989 film)|The Big Picture]]'' (1989), ''[[Cutting Class]]'' (1989), and ''[[Heroes Stand Alone]]'' (1989).

In 1989, he said, "I feel as [[Henry Fonda]] did that every job I get may be my last. I'm one of those creatures born to be working. I feel better when I'm working. I don't like it when I'm not working and I've never worked as much as I want to."<ref>{{cite news|author=Champlin, C.|date=19 October 1989|title=Roddy McDowall pulls out all the F-stops|work=Los Angeles Times|id={{ProQuest|280917936}}}}</ref>

===1990s===
[[File:Roddy McDowall 1997.jpg|thumb|McDowall in 1997]]
McDowall's 1990s work included ''The Color of Evening'' (1990), ''[[Shakma]]'' (1990), ''[[Going Under (1991 film)|Going Under]]'' (1990), ''[[An Inconvenient Woman#Television adaptation|An Inconvenient Woman]]'' (1991), ''Earth Angel'' (1991), ''Deadly Game'' (1991), ''The Naked Target'' (1992), ''[[Double Trouble (1992 film)|Double Trouble]]'' (1992), ''[[The New Lassie]]'' (1992), ''[[Quantum Leap (1989 TV series)|Quantum Leap]]'' (A Leap for Lisa) (1992), ''The Evil Inside Me'' (1993), ''I Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampaire'' (1993 audio book), ''[[Dream On (TV series)|Dream On]]'', ''[[Heads (film)|Heads]]'' (1994), ''Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is'' (1994), ''[[Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance]]'' (1994), ''[[Burke's Law (1994 TV series)|Burke's Law]]'', ''Angel 4: Undercover'' (1994), ''[[The Alien Within]]'' (1995), ''[[The Grass Harp (film)|The Grass Harp]]'' (1995), ''[[Last Summer in the Hamptons]]'' (1995), ''Bullet Hearts'' (1996), ''[[Star Hunter]]'' (1996), ''[[It's My Party (film)|It's My Party]]'' (1996), ''[[Tracey Takes On...]]'', ''[[Dead Man's Island]]'', ''[[Remember WENN]]'', ''[[Unlikely Angel]]'' (1996), ''[[The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo]]'' (1997), ''[[Something to Believe In (film)|Something to Believe In]]'' (1998), and ''Loss of Faith'' (1998).

He voiced the [[Mad Hatter (DC Comics)|Mad Hatter]] in the [[DC Animated Universe]]. He also did voice work for ''[[The Pirates of Dark Water]]'' (1991–92), ''Timmy's Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas'' (1992), ''Camp Candy'', ''[[The Legend of Prince Valiant]]'' (1992), ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' (1992), ''[[2 Stupid Dogs]]'', ''[[Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron]]'', ''[[Red Planet (miniseries)|Red Planet]]'', ''[[The Tick (1994 TV series)|The Tick]]'', ''Galaxy Beat'', ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]'', ''[[Duckman]]'', ''[[Pinky and the Brain]]'', ''[[A Bug's Life]]'', and ''[[Godzilla: The Series]]''.

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (UK TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1993, when he was surprised by [[Michael Aspel]] at the [[Pacific Design Center]] in West Hollywood.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

In 1997, McDowall hosted the MGM Musicals Tribute at [[Carnegie Hall]].

===Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences===
McDowall served for several years in various capacities on the board of governors of the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]], the organisation that presents the [[Academy Awards]] (Oscars), and on the selection committee for the [[Kennedy Center]] Awards. He was chairman of the Actors' Branch for five terms. He was elected president of the Academy Foundation in 1998, the year that he died. He worked to support the Motion Pictures Retirement Home, where a rose garden named in his honour was officially dedicated on 9 October 2001; it remains a part of the campus.<ref name="xmpoppet.org">{{cite news|url=http://www.xmoppet.org/other/rosegarden.html|title=A Tribute to Roddy McDowall|work= The Roddy McDowall Memorial Rose Garden|date=19 September 2016}}</ref>

===Photographer and author===
McDowall received recognition as a photographer, working with ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]'', ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'', ''[[Collier's]]'', and ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]''. His work includes a cover story on [[Mae West]] for ''Life'' and the cover of the 1964 [[Barbra Streisand]] album, ''[[The Third Album (Barbra Streisand album)|The Third Album]]''. He took the photograph when Streisand performed on ''[[The Judy Garland Show]]'' in October 1963.

He published five books of photographs, each featuring photos and profile interviews of his celebrity friends interviewing each other, such as [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Judy Garland]], [[Judy Holliday]], [[Maureen O'Hara]], [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Lauren Bacall]], and others. It started with ''Double Exposure'' in 1968.<ref>McDowall, Roddy. ''[https://www.amazon.com/Double-Exposure-Roddy-McDowall/dp/0688100627 Double Exposure]''; William Morrow & Co; 2 edition: 1 November 1990; {{ISBN|978-0688100629}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Brady, J.|date=13 December 1992|title=Roddy McDowall|newspaper=The Washington Post|id={{ProQuest|140574938}}}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1974, the [[FBI]] raided McDowall's home and seized his collection of films and television series in the course of an investigation into film piracy and copyright infringement. His collection consisted of 160 16 mm prints and more than 1,000 video cassettes, at a time before the era of commercial videotapes, when no legal aftermarket existed for films. McDowall had purchased [[Errol Flynn]]'s home cinema films and transferred them all to tape for longer-lasting archival storage. No charges were filed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/90689/when-roddy-mcdowall-was-busted-fbi-pirating-films|title=When Roddy McDowall Was Busted by the FBI for Pirating Films|date=16 January 2017|access-date=18 January 2017}}</ref>

McDowall never married nor had children. In [[Full Service (book)|''Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars'']] (2012) by [[Scotty Bowers]], a famous Hollywood [[Procuring (prostitution)|procurer]], Bowers claims McDowall was one of his homosexual clients.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bowers |first=Scotty |author-link= |date=2012 |title=Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars |url= https://groveatlantic.com/book/full-service/|location= New York, NY |publisher= Grove/Atlantic, Inc.|page= |isbn=978-0-8021-2055-7 }}</ref>

McDowall was in a relationship with American actor [[Montgomery Clift]] for several years in the early 1950s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=LaGuardia |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AjzdVDJu9rwC |title=Monty: A Biography of Montgomery Clift |date=1978 |publisher=Avon |isbn=978-0-380-01887-1 |pages=138–139 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bosworth |first=Patricia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_CtDPgAACAAJ&q=editions:ISBN0151621233 |title=Montgomery Clift: A Biography |date=1978 |publisher=Bantam Books |isbn=978-0-553-12455-2 |pages=281 |language=en}}</ref> McDowall was introduced to Clift by Elizabeth Taylor.<ref>Langella, Frank (2012). ''Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them'', p. 336</ref> During the two-and-a-half years that Clift stayed away from films, McDowall's career was nonexistent.<ref>LaGuardia, pp.138–39</ref><ref>Bosworth, p. 281</ref> He devoted himself entirely to Clift and moved from Los Angeles to New York to be closer to his idol.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 September 2021 |title=#BornThisDay: Actor, Roddy McDowall |url=https://worldofwonder.net/bornthisday-actor-roddy-mcdowall-4/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927184710/https://worldofwonder.net/bornthisday-actor-roddy-mcdowall-4/ |archive-date=27 September 2022}}</ref> Reportedly, McDowall attempted suicide after their break-up.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 October 2019 |title=#BornThisDay: Actor, Montgomery Clift - The WOW Report |url=https://worldofwonder.net/bornthisday-actor-montgomery-clift-4/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208035534/https://worldofwonder.net/bornthisday-actor-montgomery-clift-4/ |archive-date=8 February 2023 |access-date=6 May 2023 |website=worldofwonder.net |language=en-US}}</ref> Nevertheless, he showed no bitterness and also remained one of Clift's loyal friends.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Douglas |first=Illeana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8nGcCgAAQBAJ&dq=tap+dancer+from+old+movies++dennis&pg=PA56 |title=I Blame Dennis Hopper: And Other Stories from a Life Lived In and Out of the Movies |date=3 November 2015 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-1-250-05291-9 |pages=179 |language=en |quote=Roddy was a private man who kept his private life separate, but I could tell by the way he spoke about him [Clift] that Roddy felt a deep love for the man he could not save.}}</ref> McDowall starred with Clift in his final picture, ''The Defector''. Clift later stated that he could never have finished the film without McDowall's moral support.<ref>{{cite web |date=4 October 1998 |title=Obituary: Roddy McDowall |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-roddy-mcdowall-1176240.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409025313/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-roddy-mcdowall-1176240.html |archive-date=9 April 2023 |website=[[The Independent]]}}</ref>

==Death==
In April 1998, McDowall was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died of the disease at his home in Studio City, California, on 3 October 1998, at age 70.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/04/nyregion/roddy-mcdowall-70-dies-child-star-and-versatile-actor.html|title=Roddy McDowall, 70, Dies; Child Star and Versatile Actor|work=The New York Times|date=4 October 1998|access-date=2 November 2016|last1=Gussow|first1=Mel}}</ref> His body was [[cremated]] and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean on 7 October 1998, off Los Angeles County.<ref>Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 31331-31332). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.</ref> Dennis Osborne, a screenwriter, had cared for McDowall in his final months, and was quoted as saying, "It was very peaceful. It was just as he wanted it. It was exactly the way he planned."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160919030237/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/655317/Actor-Roddy-McDowall-dies-of-cancer.html "Actor Roddy McDowall dies of cancer"], ''Deseret News'', 4 October 1998.</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1938
| ''[[Convict 99]]''
| N/A
|
|-
|1938
|''[[Murder in the Family]]''
|Peter Osborne
|
|-
|1938
|''[[John Halifax (film)|John Halifax]]''
|Boy
|
|-
|1939
|''[[Poison Pen (1939 film)|Poison Pen]]''
|Choir Boy
|Uncredited
|-
|1940
|''[[His Brother's Keeper (1940 film)|His Brother's Keeper]]''
|Boy
|
|-
|1940
|''[[Dead Man's Shoes (1940 film)|Dead Man's Shoes]]''
|Boy
|
|-
|1940
|''[[Just William (film)|Just William]]''
|Ginger
|
|-
|1940
|''[[Saloon Bar]]''
|Boy
|
|-
|1941
|''[[You Will Remember]]''
|Young Bob Slater
|
|-
|1941
|''[[Man Hunt (1941 film)|Man Hunt]]''
|Vaner
|
|-
|1941
|''[[This England (film)|This England]]''
|Hugo
|
|-
|1941
|''[[How Green Was My Valley (film)|How Green Was My Valley]]''
|Huw Morgan
|
|-
|1941
|''[[Confirm or Deny]]''
|Albert Perkins
|
|-
|1942
|''[[Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake]]''
|Young Benjamin Blake
|
|-
|1942
|''[[On the Sunny Side (1942 film)|On the Sunnyside]]''
|Hugh Aylesworth
|
|-
|1942
|''[[The Pied Piper (1942 film)|The Pied Piper]]''
|Ronnie Cavanaugh
|
|-
|1943
|''[[My Friend Flicka (film)|My Friend Flicka]]''
|Ken McLaughlin
|
|-
|1943
|''[[Lassie Come Home]]''
|Joe Carraclough
|
|-
|1944
|''[[The White Cliffs of Dover (film)|The White Cliffs of Dover]]''
|Young John Ashwood
|
|-
|1944
|[[The Keys of the Kingdom (film)|''The Keys of the Kingdom'']]
|Young Francis Chisholm
|
|-
|1945
|''[[Thunderhead, Son of Flicka]]''
|Ken McLaughlin
|
|-
|1945
|''[[Molly and Me]]''
|Jimmy Graham
|
|-
|1946
|''[[Holiday in Mexico]]''
|Stanley Owen
|
|-
|1948
|''[[Rocky (1948 film)|Rocky]]''
|Chris Hammond
|
|-
|1948
|''[[Macbeth (1948 film)|Macbeth]]''
|[[Malcolm (Macbeth)|Malcolm]]
|
|-
|1948
|''[[Kidnapped (1948 film)|Kidnapped]]''
|David Balfour
|
|-
|1949
|''[[Tuna Clipper]]''
|Alec MacLennan
|
|-
|1949
|''[[Black Midnight (film)|Black Midnight]]''
|Scott Jordan
|
|-
|1950
|''[[Big Timber (1950 film)|Big Timber]]''
|Jimmy
|
|-
|1950
|''[[Killer Shark]]''
|Ted
|
|-
|1952
|''[[The Steel Fist]]''
|Eric Kardin
|
|-
|1958
|''[[The Big Country]]''
|Hannassey Watchman
|Uncredited
|-
|1960
|''[[The Subterraneans (film)|The Subterraneans]]''
|Yuri Gilgoric
|
|-
|1960
|''[[Midnight Lace]]''
|Malcolm Stanley
|
|-
|1962
|''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]''
|Pvt. Morris
|
|-
|1963
|''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]''
|[[Octavian]]
|
|-
|1964
|''[[Shock Treatment (1964 film)|Shock Treatment]]''
|Martin Ashley
|
|-
|1965
|''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]''
|Matthew
|
|-
|1965
|''[[That Darn Cat!]]''
|Gregory Benson
|
|-
|1965
|''[[The Third Day (1965 film)|The Third Day]]''
|Oliver Parsons
|
|-
|1965
|''[[The Loved One (film)|The Loved One]]''
|D.J. Jr.
|
|-
|1965
|''[[Inside Daisy Clover]]''
|Walter Baines
|
|-
|1966
|''[[Lord Love a Duck]]''
|Alan Musgrave
|
|-
|1966
|''[[The Defector (film)|The Defector]]''
|Agent Adams
|
|-
|1967
|''[[The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin]]''
|Bullwhip Griffin
|
|-
|1967
|''[[The Cool Ones]]''
|Tony Krum
|
|-
|1967
|''[[It! (1967 film)|It!]]''
|Arthur Pimm
|
|-
|1968
|''[[Planet of the Apes (1968 film)|Planet of the Apes]]''
|Cornelius
|
|-
|1968
|''[[5 Card Stud]]''
|Nick Evers
|
|-
|1969
|''[[Midas Run]]''
|Wister
|
|-
|1969
|''[[Hello Down There]]''
|Nate Ashbury
|
|-
|1969
|''[[Angel, Angel, Down We Go]]''
|Santoro
|
|-
|1971
|''[[Pretty Maids All in a Row]]''
|Proffer
|
|-
|1971
|''[[Escape from the Planet of the Apes]]''
|Cornelius
|
|-
|1971
|''[[Terror in the Sky]]''
|Ralph Baird
|
|-
|1971
|''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]''
|Rowan Jelk
|
|-
|1972
|''[[Conquest of the Planet of the Apes]]''
|Caesar
|
|-
|1972
|''[[The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean]]''
|Frank Gass
|
|-
|1972
|''[[The Poseidon Adventure (1972 film)|The Poseidon Adventure]]''
|Acres
|
|-
|1973
|''[[Arnold (film)|Arnold]]''
|Robert
|
|-
|1973
|''[[The Legend of Hell House]]''
|Benjamin Franklin Fischer
|
|-
|1973
|''[[Battle for the Planet of the Apes]]''
|Caesar
|
|-
|1974
|''[[Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry]]''
|Grocery Store Manager
|
|-
|1975
|''[[Funny Lady]]''
|Bobby
|
|-
|1976
|''[[Mean Johnny Barrows]]''
|Tony Da Vince
|
|-
|1976
|''[[Embryo (1976 film)|Embryo]]''
|Frank Riley
|
|-
|1977
|''[[Sixth and Main]]''
|Skateboard
|
|-
|1978
|''[[Laserblast]]''
|Dr. Mellon
|
|-
|1978
|''[[The Cat from Outer Space]]''
|Mr. Stallwood
|
|-
|1978
|''[[Circle of Iron]]''
|White Robe
|
|-
|1978
|''[[The Thief of Baghdad (1978 film)|The Thief of Baghdad]]''
|Hasan
|
|-
|1979
|''[[Scavenger Hunt]]''
|Jenkins
|
|-
|1979
|''[[Nutcracker Fantasy]]''
|Franz/Fritz
|<ref name="btva">{{cite web |title=Roddy McDowall (visual voices guide) |url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Roddy-McDowall/ |access-date=7 September 2023 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
|-
|1979
|''[[The Black Hole (1979 film)|The Black Hole]]''
|V.I.N.CENT. (voice)
|
|-
|1981
|''[[Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen]]''
|Gillespie
|
|-
|1982
|''[[Evil Under the Sun (1982 film)|Evil Under the Sun]]''
|Rex Brewster
|
|-
|1982
|''[[Class of 1984]]''
|Terry Corrigan
|
|-
|1985
|''[[Fright Night]]''
|Peter Vincent
|
|-
|1986
|''[[GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]''
|Nuggit (voice)
|
|-
|1986
|''Friends Are Forever: Tales of the Little Princess''
|Zak the Cat (voice)
|
|-
|1987
|''[[Dead of Winter (1987 film)|Dead of Winter]]''
|Mr. Murray
|
|-
|1987
|''[[Overboard (1987 film)|Overboard]]''
|Andrew
|
|-
|1988
|''[[Doin' Time on Planet Earth]]''
|Minister
|
|-
|1988
|''[[Fright Night Part 2]]''
|Peter Vincent
|
|-
|1989
|''[[The Big Picture (1989 film)|The Big Picture]]''
|Judge
|
|-
|1989
|''[[Cutting Class]]''
|Mr. Dante
|
|-
|1990
|''[[Shakma]]''
|Sorenson
|
|-
|1991
|''Timmy's Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas''
|Narrator (voice)
|
|-
|1991
|''[[Going Under (1991 film)|Going Under]]''
|Secretary Neighbor
|
|-
|1992
|''[[Double Trouble (1992 film)|Double Trouble]]''
|Philip Chamberlain
|
|-
|1993
|''The Evil Inside Me''
|Pauly
|
|-
|1993
|''The Return of Captain Sinbad''
|Narrator (voice)
|
|-
|1994
|''[[Mirror, Mirror II: Raven Dance]]''
|Dr. Lasky
|
|-
|1995
|''[[The Grass Harp (film)|The Grass Harp]]''
|Amos Legrand
|
|-
|1995
|''[[The Alien Within]]''
|Dr. Henry Lazarus
|
|-
|1995
|''[[Last Summer in the Hamptons]]''
|Thomas
|
|-
|1995
|''Star Hunter''
|Riecher
|
|-
|1996
|''[[It's My Party (film)|It's My Party]]''
|Damian Knowles
|
|-
|1997
|''[[The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo]]''
|King Murphy
|
|-
|1998
|''Something to Believe In''
|Gambler
|
|-
|1998
|''[[A Bug's Life]]''
|Mr. Soil (voice)
|Posthumous release<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1998
|''Star Power: The Creation of United Artists''
|Narrator (voice)
|Posthumous release (final film role)
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
!scope="col"| Title
!scope="col"| Role
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
|1951|| ''[[Family Theater|Family Theatre]]'' || Private Huntington (The Professor) || Episode: "Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration"
|-
|1960|| ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' || Sam Conrad || Episode: "[[People Are Alike All Over]]"
|-
|1960|| ''[[The Tempest (1960 film)|The Tempest]]'' || [[Ariel (The Tempest)|Ariel]]|| Television film
|-
|1961|| ''[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]'' || Donnie Benton || Episode: "The Fault in Our Stars"
|-
|1963|| ''[[Arrest and Trial]]'' || Paul LeDoux || Episode: "Journey into Darkness"
|-
|1964|| ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' || George, Gerald Musgrove || 2 episodes
|-
|1964|| ''[[Combat!]]'' || Murfree || Episode: "The Long Walk"
|-
|1964|| ''[[Kraft Suspense Theatre]]'' || Robert "Professor" Benson || Episode: "The Wine-Dark Sea"
|-
|1965|| ''[[Ben Casey]]'' || Dwight Franklin || Episode: "When I am grown to Man's Estate"
|-
|1966|| ''[[Twelve O'Clock High (TV series)|12 O'Clock High]]'' || Technical Sergeant Willets || Episode: "Angel Babe"
|-
|1966|| ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' || Bookworm || 2 episodes
|-
|1966|| ''[[Run for Your Life (TV series)|Run for Your Life]]'' || Gyula Bognar || Episode: "Don't Count on Tomorrow"
|-
|1967|| ''[[The Cricket on the Hearth]]'' || Cricket Crocket (voice) || Television film<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1967|| ''[[The Invaders]]'' || Lloyd Lindstrom || Episode: "The Experiment"
|-
|1968|| ''[[The Legend of Robin Hood (1968 film)|The Legend of Robin Hood]]'' || Prince John || TV musical film, aired 18 February 1968
|-
|1969|| ''[[Journey to the Unknown]]'' || Rollo Verdew || Episode: "The Killing Bottle"
|-
|1969|| ''[[It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series)|It Takes a Thief]]'' || Roger || Episode: "Boom at the Top"
|-
|1969|| ''[[Night Gallery (film)|Night Gallery]]'' || Jeremy Evans || Segment: "The Cemetery"
|-
|1969|| ''[[The Name of the Game (TV series)|The Name of the Game]]'' || Philip Saxon|| Episode: "The White Birch"
|-
|1970|| ''[[The Name of the Game (TV series)|The Name of the Game]]'' || Early McCorley || Episode: "Why I Blew Up Dakota"
|-
|1971|| ''[[Terror in the Sky]]'' || Dr. Ralph Baird || Television film
|-
|1971|| ''[[A Taste of Evil]]'' || Dr. Michael Lomas || Television film
|-
|1971|| ''[[What's a Nice Girl Like You...?]]'' || Albert Soames || Television film
|-
|1972|| ''[[Columbo]]'' || Roger Stanford || Episode: "Short Fuse"
|-
|1972|| ''[[The Rookies|The Rookies: Dirge for Sunday]]'' || Fenner || Episode: "Dirge for Sunday"
|-
|1972|| ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]'' || Leo Ostro || Episode: "The Puppet"
|-
|1973–1974|| ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'' || Himself – Guest ||
|-
|1973|| ''[[Barnaby Jones]]'' || Stanley Lambert || Episode: "See Some Evil... Do Some Evil"
|-
|1973|| ''[[Miracle on 34th Street (1973 film)|Miracle on 34th Street]]'' || Dr. Sawyer || 1973 remake, television film
|-
|1973|| ''[[McMillan & Wife]]'' || Jamie McMillan || Episode: "Death of a Monster... Birth of a Legend"
|-
|1974|| ''[[Planet of the Apes (TV series)|Planet of the Apes]]'' || Galen || 14 episodes
|-
|1974|| ''[[The Elevator (1974 film)|The Elevator]]'' || Marvin Ellis || Television film
|-
|1976|| ''[[Ellery Queen (TV series)|Ellery Queen]]'' || The Amazing Armitage || Episode: "The Adventure of the Black Falcon"
|-
|1976|| ''[[Flood!]]'' || Mr. Franklin || Television film
|-
|1976|| ''[[Mowgli's Brothers (TV special)|Mowgli's Brothers]]'' || Narrator, [[Mowgli]], [[Shere Khan]], [[Baloo]], [[Bagheera]], Tabaqui (voice) || Television short
|-
|1977|| ''[[The Feather and Father Gang]]'' || Vincent Stoddard || Episode: "The Mayan Connection"
|-
|1977|| ''[[The Rhinemann Exchange]]'' || Bobby Ballard || 3 episodes
|-
|1977|| ''[[The Fantastic Journey]]'' || Dr. Jonathan Willoway || 8 episodes
|-
|1977|| ''[[Wonder Woman (TV series)|Wonder Woman]]'' || Henry Roberts, Professor Arthur Chapman || 2 episodes
|-
|1978|| ''[[The Immigrants]]'' || Mark Levy || Television film
|-
|1978|| ''[[The Thief of Baghdad (1978 film)|The Thief of Baghdad]]'' || Hasan || Television film
|-
|1979|| ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'' || Governor Saroyan || Episode: "Planet of the Slave Girls"
|-
|1979|| ''[[$weepstake$]]'' || Theodore || Episode: "Billy, Wally and Ludmilla, and Theodore"
|-
|1979|| ''[[Supertrain]]'' || Talcott || Episode: "The Green Lady"
|-
|1979|| ''[[Fantasy Island]]'' || Gary Pointer || 1 episode
|-
|1979|| ''[[Hart to Hart]]'' || Dr. Peterson || Episode: "Hart to Hart"
|-
|1979|| ''[[The Love Boat]]'' || Fred Beery || Episode: "Second Chance/Don't Push Me/Like Father, Like Son" S2 E16
|-
|1979|| ''[[Mork & Mindy]]'' || Chuck the Robot (voice) || Episode: "Dr. Morkenstein"
|-
|1980|| ''[[The Martian Chronicles (miniseries)|The Martian Chronicles]]'' || Father Stone || 3 episodes
|-
|1980|| ''[[The Memory of Eva Ryker]]'' || MacFarland || Television film
|-
|1980|| ''[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|The Return of the King]]'' || [[Samwise Gamgee]] (voice) || Television film
|-
|1980–1981|| ''[[Fantasy Island]]'' || Mephistopheles || 2 episodes
|-
|1981|| ''The Million Dollar Face'' || Derek Kenyon || Television film
|-
|1982–1983|| ''[[Tales of the Gold Monkey]]'' || Bon Chance Louie || 20 episodes
|-
|1984|| ''[[The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' || [[John, King of England|Prince John]] || Television film
|-
|1985|| ''[[Hollywood Wives (miniseries)|Hollywood Wives]]'' || Jason Swankle || 3 episodes
|-
|1985|| ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1985 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' || [[March Hare]]|| Television film
|-
|1985–1989|| ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' || Gordon Fairchild, Dr. Alger Kenyon || 2 episodes
|-
|1985|| ''Bridges to Cross'' || Norman Parks || Episode: "Memories of Molly"
|-
|1987–1989|| ''[[Matlock (1986 TV series)|Matlock]]'' || Don Mosher, Christopher Hoyt || 2 episodes
|-
|1987|| ''[[The Wind in the Willows (1987 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]'' || Ratty (voice) || Television film
|-
|1988|| ''[[Remo Williams: The Prophecy]]'' || Chuin || Television film
|-
|1989|| ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (TV miniseries)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' || McBaines || 3 episodes
|-
|1991|| ''[[The Pirates of Dark Water]]'' || Niddler (voice) || 5 episodes
|-
|1991|| ''[[An Inconvenient Woman]]'' || Cyril Rathbone || 2 episodes
|-
|1991|| ''Timmy's Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas'' || Narrator (voice) ||
|-
|1992|| ''[[The Legend of Prince Valiant]]'' || King Frederick (voice) || Episode: "The Battle of Greystone"
|-
|1992|| ''[[Quantum Leap (1989 TV series)|Quantum Leap]]'' || Edward St. John V || Episode: "A Leap for Lisa"
|-
|1992|| ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' || Sir Quackmire Mallard (voice) || Episode: "Inherit the Wimp"
|-
|1992–1994|| ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' || [[Mad Hatter (DC Comics)|Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter]] (voice) || 4 episodes<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1993|| ''[[2 Stupid Dogs]]''|| Chameleon (voice) || Episode: "Chameleon"
|-
|1993|| ''[[SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron]]''|| Lenny Ringtail, Madkat (voice) || Episode: "Enter the Madkat"
|-
|1994|| ''[[Hart to Hart|Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is]]'' || Jeremy Sennet || Television film
|-
|1994|| ''[[Red Planet (miniseries)|Red Planet]]'' || Headmaster Marcus Howe (voice) || 3 episodes
|-
|1994|| ''[[The Tick (1994 TV series)|The Tick]]'' || Breadmaster (voice) || Episode: "The Tick vs. The Breadmaster"
|-
|1996|| ''[[Tracey Takes On...]]'' || Rex Gaydon || Episode: "Nostalgia"
|-
|1996|| ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]'' || Proteus (voice) || Episode: "The New Olympians"<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1996|| ''[[Duckman]]'' || Akers (voice) || Episode: "Apocalypse Not"
|-
|1996|| ''[[Pinky and the Brain]]'' || Snowball (voice) || 6 episodes<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1996|| ''[[Dead Man's Island]]'' || Trevor Dunnaway || Television film
|-
|1996|| ''[[Unlikely Angel]]'' || Saint Peter || Television film
|-
|1998|| ''[[The New Batman Adventures]]'' || rowspan=2| Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter (voice)|| 2 episodes<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1998|| ''[[Superman: The Animated Series]]'' || Episode: "Knight Time"; posthumous role<ref name="btva" />
|-
|1998|| ''[[Behind the Planet of the Apes]]'' || Narrator || Television documentary
|-
|1999|| ''[[Godzilla: The Series]]'' || Hugh Trevor (voice) || Episode: "DeadLoch"; posthumous role
|}

==Stage==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=33%}}
* ''[[Young Woodley (play)|Young Woodley]]'' (1946)
* ''[[Macbeth]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Misalliance (play)|Misalliance]]'' (1953)
* ''Escapade'' (1953)
* ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Tempest]]'' (1955)
{{col-break|width=33%}}
* ''[[No Time for Sergeants]]'' (1955)
* ''Diary of a Scoundrel'' (1956)<ref name="ibdb">{{cite web |title=Roddy McDowall – Broadway Cast & Staff |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/roddy-mcdowall-68284 |website=Internet Broadway Database |publisher=The Broadway League LLC |access-date=13 August 2024}}</ref>
* ''Good as Gold'' (1957)
* ''Compulsion'' (1957)
* ''Handful of Fire'' (1958)
* ''Look After Lulu'' (1959)
{{col-break|width=33%}}
* ''The Fighting Cock'' (1959)
* ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'' (1960)
* ''The Astrakhan Coat'' (1967)
* ''Charlie's Aunt'' (1975)
* ''[[Dial M for Murder]]'' (1995–1996)
* ''[[A Christmas Carol (musical)|A Christmas Carol: The Musical]]'' (1997)
{{col-end}}

==Radio appearances==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Program !! Episode/source
|-
| 1943|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[My Friend Flicka (film)|My Friend Flicka]]''<ref>{{cite news|title=Lux Theatre Guest|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3874896/harrisburg_telegraph/|work=Harrisburg Telegraph|date=5 June 1943|page=17|via = Newspapers.com|access-date=23 December 2015}} {{Open access}}</ref>
|-
| 1947|| ''[[Suspense (radio drama)|Suspense]]'' || ''One Way Street''<ref>{{cite web|last1=Miller|first1=Christine|title=Suspense – One Way Street|url=http://www.escape-suspense.com/2012/09/suspense-one-way-street.html|website=Escape and Suspense!|access-date=23 January 2017}}</ref>
|-
| 1948|| ''[[The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen]]'' || ''Rocky Iii and the Dead Mans Chest''<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Elliott|title=Radio Echos|url=http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=play_download&mode=play&dl_mp3folder=T&dl_file=the_voyage_of_the_scarlet_queen_1948-02-11_rocky_iii_and_the_dead_mans_chest.mp3&dl_series=The%20Voyage%20Of%20The%20Scarlet%20Queen&dl_title=Rocky%20Iii%20And%20The%20Dead%20Mans%20Chest&dl_date=1948.02.11&dl_size=6.36%20MB|date=11 February 1948}}</ref>
|-
| 1952|| ''[[Family Theater]]'' || ''A Lullaby for Christmas''<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kirby|first1=Walter|title=Better Radio Programs for the Week|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2591748/the_decatur_daily_review/|work=The Decatur Daily Review|date=14 December 1952|page=54}}</ref>
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Best, Marc. ''Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen'' (South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971), pp.&nbsp;176–181.
* Dye, David. ''Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914–1985''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 1988, pp.&nbsp;140–144.
* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp.&nbsp;158–159.

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name|0001522}}
* {{IBDB name|68284}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{Discogs artist|Roddy McDowall}}
* [http://www.xmoppet.org/ xmoppet.org] – tribute site with career and biographical information, image gallery, sound clips, links, articles, US TV guide, and a fan club with mailing list
* [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/roddy1.html Documents from the 1974 FBI Raid]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140909004948/http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/archives-cc/app/details.php?id=8239&return=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bu.edu%2Fphpbin%2Farchives-cc%2Fapp%2Fbrowse.php%3Fletter%3DM%26sort_column%3Dcomposite_name%26sort_direction%3DASC%26per_page%3D10%26offset%3D55%26set_page%3Dnext The Roddy McDowall Collection], Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz0002tbdz Image of Roddy McDowall, Julie Andrews and Greer Garson at the premiere of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" in Los Angeles, California, 1965.] Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Roddy McDowall
|list =
{{EmmyAward DramaSupportingActor 1950–1975}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{TonyAward PlayFeaturedActor 1949–1975}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDowall, Roddy}}
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