Trivia of Roddy McDowall

Trivia of Roddy McDowall (17 September 1928 - 3 October 1998)

*Roddy was enrolled in elocution courses at age 5 and by 10 had appeared in his first film, Murder in the Family (1938).

*He cast his mother Winifriede McDowall as the innkeeper's wife in Kidnapped (1948). Although she dreamed of being an actress, it was her only on screen role.

*Lifelong friends with Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor has since referred to him as the one friend she had to whom she confided everything, and who was always understanding.Met his best friend Elizabeth Taylor on the Set of Lassie Come Home (1943), and their friendship lasted until his death in 1998. He said of her in an interview in 1996 "She was an eight year old perfection. Absolutely ravishingly beautiful. So beautiful in fact that I began to laugh. . .because that sort of, takes your breath away." To mark the occasion of their working together again in Cleopatra (1963), Elizabeth had a signet ring especially made for Roddy. It bore the McDowall family crest upon it.. Roddy wore it every single day from the moment Elizabeth gave it to him; He even wore it when he worked and is seen always wearing it in his television and film roles after Cleopatra, from 1963 until the end of his life. Prior to his death, he bequeathed his beloved ring to his sister Virginia McDowall. It is unknown what happened to the ring when she passed away in 2006.

*A clerical error on the part of 20th Century-Fox cost McDowall a likely Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his role as Caesar Augustus Octavian in Cleopatra (1963). The studio erroneously listed him as a leading player rather than a supporting one. When 20th Century-Fox asked the Academy to correct the error, it refused, saying the ballots already were at the printer. 20th Century-Fox then published an open letter in the trade papers, apologizing to McDowall: "We feel that it is important that the industry realize that your electric performance as Octavian in Cleopatra, which was unanimously singled out by the critics as one of the best supporting performances by an actor this year, is not eligible for an Academy Award nomination in that category... due to a regrettable error on the part of 20th Century-Fox.".

*Gained a cult following after he played Cornelius in the 1968 film 'Planet of the Apes.'He recommended to his companions in makeup that they should frequently add tics, blinks and assorted facial gestures to add a sense of realism and keep the makeup from appearing "mask-like". McDowall reportedly became a merry prankster with the makeup, driving home with his make-up on, and shocking some of the other drivers on the freeway.

*McDowall was also an accomplished portrait photographer whose pictures of Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy and Mia Farrow appeared in Look and Life magazines. He published a series of books: Double Exposure (1966), Double Exposure, Take Two (1989), Double Exposure, Take Three (1992) and Double Exposure, Take Four (1993). An active and respected member of the Hollywood community, McDowall served on the executive boards of the Screen Actors Guild and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

*McDowall was never married and had no children.But he was a rarity among movie stars in that he appears to have made no enemies at all during his lifetime. A man with numerous friends both in and out of show business (including Maureen O'Hara, Julie Andrews, Charlton Heston,Angela Lansbury) those who knew him continue to speak well of him to this day, and his funeral drew overflow crowds.