Roddy McDowall, English-American actor (d. 1998)
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 3 October 1998) was an English-born American actor, film director and photographer. He is best known for portraying Cornelius and Caesar in the original Planet of the Apes film series, as well as Galen in the spin-off television series. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in How Green Was My Valley (1941), My Friend Flicka (1943) and Lassie Come Home (1943).
As an adult, McDowall appeared most frequently as a character actor on radio, stage, film, and television. For portraying Octavian in the historical drama Cleopatra (1963), he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Other titles include The Longest Day (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), That Darn Cat! (1965), Inside Daisy Clover (1965), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Funny Lady (1975), The Black Hole (1979), Class of 1984 (1982), Tales of the Gold Monkey (1985), Fright Night (1985), Overboard (1987), Fright Night Part 2 (1988), Shakma (1990), and A Bug's Life (1998). He also 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, further 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 this Board until his death.
1928Sep, 17
Roddy McDowall
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Events on 1928
- 12Mar
St. Francis Dam
In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kills 431 people. - 12Apr
Junkers W 33
The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west. - 4Jun
Zhang Zuolin
The President of the Republic of China, Zhang Zuolin, is assassinated by Japanese agents. - 18Jun
Amelia Earhart
Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean (she is a passenger; Wilmer Stultz is the pilot and Lou Gordon the mechanic). - 2Oct
Josemaría Escrivá
The "Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God", commonly known as Opus Dei, is founded by Josemaría Escrivá.