Leo McKern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leo McKern AO
McKern in Ryan'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	A Man for All Seasons (play and film) Travelling North (film)
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Television	The Prisoner Rumpole of the Bailey
Spouse(s)	Jane Holland ​ (m. 1946)​
Children	2, including Abigail McKern
Awards	Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (1987)

Reginald "Leo" McKern (born 16 March 1920 – died 23 July 2002) was a famous Australian actor. He appeared in many TV shows, movies, and over 200 plays. He was known for playing characters like Clang in Help! (1965) and Thomas Cromwell in A Man for All Seasons (1966).

Leo McKern also played Carl Bugenhagen in the first two Omen movies. He was also Number Two in the TV series The Prisoner. His most famous role was Horace Rumpole in the British TV series Rumpole of the Bailey.

Early Life and Beginnings

Reginald McKern was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His parents were Vera and Norman Walton McKern. From a young age, everyone called him "Leo." He went to Sydney Technical High School.

After school, he worked in a factory. When he was 15, he had an accident and lost his left eye. He later worked as an engineering apprentice and an artist. During World War II, he served in the Australian Army. In 1944, he performed in his first play in Sydney.

Acting Career Highlights

Theatre Performances

Leo McKern moved to the United Kingdom to be with Australian actress Jane Holland. They got married in 1946. He soon became a regular actor at London's Old Vic theatre. He also performed at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. This was impressive, even with his glass eye and Australian accent.

One of his most important theatre roles was Iago in Othello in 1952. In 1960, he played the Common Man in A Man for All Seasons. For the show on Broadway, he played Thomas Cromwell. He later played Cromwell again in the movie version in 1966.

Film Roles

McKern's first movie was Murder in the Cathedral (1952). He appeared in science fiction movies like X the Unknown (1956). He was also in The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961).

Other notable films include Help! (1965) and the Oscar-winning A Man for All Seasons (1966). He also starred in Ryan's Daughter (1970) and The Omen (1976). Later, he was in The Blue Lagoon (1980) and Ladyhawke (1985). He won an Australian Film Institute Award for Travelling North (1987).

Television Appearances

One of McKern's early TV roles was in The Adventures of Robin Hood in the 1950s. In the 1960s, he played Number Two in the TV series The Prisoner. He was one of only two actors to play this role more than once. He appeared in "The Chimes of Big Ben", "Once Upon a Time", and the final episode, "Fall Out".

Rumpole of the Bailey

In 1975, McKern first played Horace Rumpole in a BBC show called Play for Today. This role made him very famous. A full TV series, Rumpole of the Bailey, was made between 1978 and 1992. There were 44 episodes in total.

The show's creator, John Mortimer, said that McKern "not only played the character Rumpole—he added to it, brightened it and brought it fully to life." Even though he enjoyed the role, McKern sometimes felt that Rumpole overshadowed his other work. In later series, his daughter Abigail McKern also joined the cast.

Radio Work

Leo McKern wrote one radio play called London Story. This play was later made into a movie called Chain of Events (1958). He also provided the voice for Captain Haddock. This was for the 1992 and 1993 BBC Radio adaptation of Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin.

Personal Life

In 1983, Leo McKern received a special honor. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia. This was for his great contributions to acting.

He often traveled between England and Australia to see family and friends. He also went for acting roles. He was afraid of flying, so he preferred to travel on cargo ships. This gave him quiet time to read scripts.

McKern sometimes suffered from stage fright, which is a fear of performing. This became more difficult for him as he got older.

Leo McKern and his wife, Jane Holland, had two daughters. Their names are Abigail and Harriet. Abigail also became an actress.

In his last years, McKern was not in good health. He moved to a nursing home in 2002. He passed away a few weeks later on 23 July, at the age of 82.

Selected Filmography