Patrick Magee (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrick Magee
|
|
|---|---|
Magee in Dementia 13 (1963)
|
|
| Born |
Patrick George McGee
31 March 1922 Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
|
| Died | 14 August 1982 (aged 60) London, England
|
| Citizenship |
|
| Education | St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1959–1982 |
| Spouse(s) |
Belle Sherry
(m. 1958) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play 1966 Marat/Sade |
Patrick George Magee (born McGee, March 31, 1922 – August 14, 1982) was a talented Northern Irish actor. He was famous for working with well-known writers like Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. Some even called him "Beckett's favorite actor."
Patrick Magee was also known for his special voice. He appeared in many horror movies. He worked with famous directors like Stanley Kubrick in films such as A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Barry Lyndon (1975). He was also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1964 to 1970.
Contents
About Patrick Magee
Patrick McGee was born into a family in Armagh, County Armagh. He was the oldest of five children. He went to St. Patrick's Grammar School. When he started acting, he changed the spelling of his last name to Magee. This was probably to avoid confusion with another actor.
His Start in Theater
Patrick Magee began his acting career in Ireland. He worked with Anew McMaster's theater group, performing plays by William Shakespeare. Later, he moved to London.
In 1957, he met the writer Samuel Beckett. Beckett was very impressed by Magee's unique Irish voice. Beckett even wrote a play called Krapp's Last Tape especially for Patrick Magee. The play first opened in London in 1958. Magee also starred in a TV version of the play in 1972.
In 1964, Magee joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. The writer Harold Pinter specifically asked for him to be in his play The Birthday Party. In 1965, Magee starred in Marat/Sade. When this play moved to Broadway in New York City, he won a Tony Award. This is a very important award for actors in theater.
His Film Career
Patrick Magee appeared in many films. Some of his early movies included The Criminal (1960) and The Servant (1963). He also played a surgeon in the film Zulu (1964).
He is perhaps best known for his role in Stanley Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange (1971). In this movie, he played a writer named Frank Alexander. He also worked with Kubrick again in Barry Lyndon (1975). Magee also played the Marquis de Sade in the 1967 film version of Marat/Sade.
Patrick Magee was often seen in horror films. These included Dementia 13 (1963), The Masque of Red Death (1964), and Die, Monster, Die! (1965). He also appeared in Tales from the Crypt (1972) and Asylum (1972). His last film role was in Docteur Jekyll et les femmes (1981).
Personal Life
Patrick Magee married Belle Sherry in 1958. She was also from County Armagh. They had two children, twins named Mark and Caroline, born in 1961. They stayed together until Patrick's death.
Magee was a strong supporter of Irish republican ideas. He also actively campaigned for social and political causes that helped people. In 1976, he helped convince his acting union, Equity, to boycott South Africa. This was because of South Africa's apartheid laws, which were unfair to many people.
His Legacy
On July 29, 2017, a special blue plaque was placed on Patrick Magee's birthplace in Armagh. This plaque honors famous people and marks places where they lived or worked. Actor Stephen Rea helped unveil it.
In 2022, a writer named Mark Lager praised Patrick Magee's acting. He said Magee's best performances were as Krapp in Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape and as McCann in Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party (play). He also noted Magee's role as George Carter in Tales from the Crypt (film) as his most memorable horror film performance.
Stage Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Original venue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Mountain Post | Maton | R.H. MacCandless | Ulster Group Theatre, Belfast | ||
| 1949 | Bannister's Cafe | Walter Bannister | Himself | Also director | ||
| 1950 | The Square Peg | Reverend Alexander McCrea | Himself | |||
| 1951 | The Passing Day | Hind | Tyrone Guthrie | Ambassadors Theatre, London | Credited as 'Pat Magee' | |
| 1955-56 | The Queen and the Rebels | Peasant | Frank Hauser | Theatre Royal Haymarket, London | ||
| 1956 | The Shadow of a Gunman | Adolphus Gregson | John Gibson | New Lindsey Theatre Club, London | ||
| 1958 | Krapp's Last Tape | Krapp | Donald McWhinnie | Royal Court Theatre, London | ||
| 1959 | The Buskers | Max | Toby Robertson | Arts Theatre, London | ||
| 1959-60 | Rosmersholm | George Devine | Royal Court Theatre, London | |||
| 1961 | Progress to the Park | Mr. Laughlin | Ted Kotcheff | Grand Theatre, Blackpool | ||
| A Whistle in the Dark | Michael Carney Sr. | Edward Burnham | Theatre Royal Stratford East, London | For Theatre Workshop | ||
| 1964 | The Birthday Party | McCann | Harold Pinter | Aldwych Theatre, London | For Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| Afore Night Come | Roche | Clifford Williams | ||||
| Endgame | Hamm | Donald McWhinnie | ||||
| Marat/Sade | Marquis de Sade | Peter Brook | ||||
| 1965 | Mr Puntila and his Man Matti | Matti Altonen | Michel Saint-Denis | |||
| Hamlet | Ghost of Old Denmark | Peter Hall | Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon | |||
| Marat/Sade | Marquis de Sade | Peter Brook | Aldwych Theatre, London | |||
| 1965-66 | Martin Beck Theatre, New York City | Won Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play | ||||
| 1966 | The Meteor | Wolfgang Schwitter | Clifford Williams | Aldwych Theatre, London | For Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| Staircase | Harry Leeds | Peter Hall | Theatre Royal, Brighton | |||
| Aldwych Theatre, London | ||||||
| 1966-67 | Marat/Sade | Marquis de Sade | Donald Driver | Majestic Theatre, Broadway | ||
| 1967 | Keep It in the Family | Frank Brady | Allan Davis | Plymouth Theatre, Broadway | ||
| 1969 | Dutch Uncle | Inspector Hawkins | Peter Hall | Theatre Royal, Brighton | For Royal Shakespeare Company | |
| Aldwych Theatre, London | ||||||
| 1970 | Battle of Shrivings | Mark | Lyric Theatre, London | |||
| 1971 | Scratch | Daniel Webster | Peter Hunt | St. James Theatre, Broadway | ||
| 1974 | The Master Builder | Halvard Solness | Himself | Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead | Also director | |
| 1975-76 | The White Devil | Monticelso | Michael Lindsay-Hogg | The Old Vic, London | ||
| 1976 | That Time | Donald McWhinnie | Royal Court Theatre, London | |||
| 1980 | Doctor Faustus | Mephistopheles | Christopher Fettes | Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London | ||
| Fortune Theatre, London |
Film Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | The Criminal | Barrows | aka Concrete Jungle |
| 1961 | Rag Doll | Flynn | aka Young, Willing and Eager |
| Never Back Losers | Ben Black | ||
| 1962 | The Boys | Mr Lee | |
| A Prize of Arms | RSM Hicks | ||
| 1963 | Ricochet | Inspector Cummins | |
| The Young Racers | Sir William Dragonet | ||
| The Very Edge | Simmonds | ||
| The Servant | Bishop | ||
| Dementia 13 | Justin Caleb | ||
| Operacija Ticijan | Dr. Morisijus | aka Operation Titian | |
| 1964 | Zulu | Surgeon James Henry Reynolds | |
| Séance on a Wet Afternoon | Walsh | ||
| The Masque of the Red Death | Alfredo | ||
| 1965 | The Skull | Police Surgeon | |
| Die, Monster, Die! | Dr Henderson | Alternative title: Monster of Terror | |
| Portrait in Terror | Mauricio Zaroni | ||
| 1967 | Marat/Sade | Marquis de Sade | |
| 1968 | Anzio | General Starkey | |
| Decline and Fall... of a Birdwatcher | Maniac | ||
| The Birthday Party | Shamus McCann | ||
| 1969 | Hard Contract | Alexi | |
| 1970 | Cromwell | Hugh Peters | |
| You Can't Win 'Em All | The General – Atatürk | ||
| 1971 | King Lear | Cornwall | |
| The Trojan Women | Menelaus | ||
| A Clockwork Orange | Mr Alexander | ||
| 1972 | Tales from the Crypt | George Carter | (segment 5 "Blind Alleys") |
| The Fiend | Minister | aka Beware My Brethren | |
| Asylum | Dr Rutherford | (segment: "Mannikins of Horror") | |
| Young Winston | General Bindon Blood | ||
| Pope Joan | Elder monk | ||
| Demons of the Mind | Falkenberg | ||
| 1973 | And Now the Screaming Starts! | Dr Whittle | |
| Lady Ice | Paul Booth | ||
| The Final Programme | Dr Baxter | aka The Last Days of Man on Earth | |
| 1974 | Luther | Hans | |
| Simona | Le père | ||
| 1975 | Galileo | Cardinal Bellarmin | |
| Barry Lyndon | The Chevalier du Balibari | ||
| 1977 | Telefon | General Strelsky | |
| 1979 | The Brontë Sisters | Reverend Bronte | |
| 1980 | Rough Cut | Ernst Mueller | |
| The Sleep of Death | Marquis | ||
| Hawk the Slayer | Priest | ||
| Sir Henry at Rawlinson End | Reverend Slodden | ||
| 1981 | Chariots of Fire | Lord Cadogan | |
| The Monster Club | Innkeeper – Luna's Father | ||
| The Black Cat | Professor Robert Miles | ||
| Blood of Dr. Jekyll | General William Danvers Carew | aka The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne |
Television Roles
- 1965 Doctor Finlay's Casebook (episode: Beware of the Dog)
- 1973 The Protectors (Chase) as Garder
- 1974 King Lear as King Lear for six-part Thames Television series.
- Thriller (1975) as Professor Carnaby
- The Flipside of Dominick Hide and Another Flip for Dominick (1979–82) as Caleb Line (his last TV appearance)
Radio Roles
- From an Abandoned Work (radio play by Samuel Beckett) A monologue first broadcast in 1957 by the BBC.
- Hordes of the Things (radio series) 1980 as The Narrator.
