Roddy McDowall Filmography

Born:: September 17, 1928 in London, England, UK
Occupation:: Actor
Birth name:: Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall
Biography:: British actor Roddy McDowall's father was an officer in the English merchant marine, and his mother was a would-be actress. When it came time to choose a life's calling, McDowall bowed to his mother's influence. After winning an acting prize in a school play, he was able to secure film work in...Read More

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Keepers of the Frame

Actors: Alan Alda, Laurence Austin, Stan Brakhage, Jean Picker Firstenberg, Leonard Maltin

Synopsis: It is estimated that 80% of all films released during the silent era have been lost forever, with no prints in existence today (a larger percentage of paintings from the Renaissance have survived), while some films from as little as 15 to 20 years ago have suffered color fading so severe they're Read More

1999
A Bug's Life

Actors: Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller

Synopsis: John Lasseter, director of Pixar's movie phenomenon Toy Story, has set new standards in computer animation with this effort, another Disney-released children's epic entitled A Bug's Life. Blending classic Disney storytelling characters and the mysterious underground world of bugs, Lasseter has Read More

11/20/98
Something to Believe In

Actors: William McNamara, Maria Pitillo, Tom Conti, Maria Schneider, Ian Bannen

Synopsis: Lew Grade is the executive producer of this British-German co-production, a romantic drama that gets underway in Las Vegas with several casino cameos (Robert Wagner, Roddy McDowall, Jill St. John, William Hootkins). Lymphoma leaves Vegas croupier Maggie (Maria Pitillo) only a few weeks to live, so Read More

1998
Star Power: The Creation of United Artists

Actors: Roddy McDowall

Synopsis: Star Power: The Creation of United Artists tells the story of four major figures of the silent film era, actor Charlie Chaplin, director D.W. Griffith, actress Mary Pickford, and actor Douglas Fairbanks, coming together to create a successful studio of their own, United Artists Corporation. Via Read More

1998
Behind the Planet of the Apes

Actors: Roddy McDowall

Synopsis: This documentary takes a look back at the making of Planet of the Apes. Not just a campy sci-fi thriller, the film was also an expression of sublimated fears of a world wracked by the Cold War. Special attention is paid to the makeup that made viewers forget they were watching people in ape Read More

1998
Second Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo

Actors: Bill Williams, Jamie Williams, Bill Campbell, Roddy McDowall, David Paul Francis, Gulshan Grover

Synopsis: A prequel to The Jungle Book, this live-action kids' film follows the young wild boy Mowgli (Jamie Williams) as he's pursued through the late 19th century Indian jungle by a variety of "civilized" men, each seeking him for their own nefarious purposes. When Mowgli is spotted by the passengers on a Read More

1997
It's My Party

Actors: Eric Roberts, Gregory Harrison, Lee Grant, Marlee Matlin, Paul Regina

Synopsis: In this bittersweet comedy drama, a man nearing the end of his life seeks closure with his family and friends, and he confronts the issues of the right to die. Nick Stark (Eric Roberts) is a successful architect who is openly gay. He was involved in a committed relationship with Brandon Theis (Gregory Harrison Read More

1996
Unlikely Angel

Actors: Dolly Parton, Roddy McDowall

Synopsis: Dolly Parton stars in this light-hearted story as Ruby Diamond, a singer who unexpectedly dies in an auto wreck and finds herself meeting the man at the pearly gates. Ruby discovers she did not rack up enough good deed points to enter the kingdom of Heaven, but she's given a second chance to come Read More

1996
Star Hunter

Actors: Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, Ken Stott, Zack Ward, Wendy Schumacher

Synopsis: In this sci-fi chiller, a large group of adolescents are kidnapped by a pair of fugitive Star Hunters. The terrified teens have no idea that they are about to become the prey in the aliens' latest hunting expedition. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1995
Unknown Origin

1995
The Grass Harp

Actors: Piper Laurie, Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, Edward Furlong, Nell Carter

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Truman Capote, this often-witty coming-of-age drama looks at a young man growing up with an unusual family in the Deep South in the 1940s. After the death of his parents, Collin Fenwick (Edward Furlong) finds himself living in a small town with two of his aunts, Dolly (Piper Laurie Read More

1995
Last Summer in the Hamptons

Actors: Brooke Smith, Victoria Foyt, Viveca Lindfors, Jon Robin Baitz, Melissa Leo, Martha Plimpton

Synopsis: A legendary theatrical family gather for one final show at their East Hamptons estate in this verbose comedy-drama. Swedish actress Viveca Lindfors takes center stage as Helena, the family matriarch, who has made the difficult decision to sell the estate due to financial problems. A mixed group Read More

1995
Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is

Actors: Robert Wagner

Synopsis: In this feature-length continuation of the popular husband-and-wife television detective series, the fabulously wealthy and impossibly attractive Jonathan (Robert Wagner) and Jennifer (Stephanie Powers) Hart travel to the town of Kingman's Ferry to mourn the death of Jennifer's mentor. Suspecting Read More

1994
Angel 4: Undercover

Actors: Darlene Vogel, Roddy McDowall, Mark de Carlo

Synopsis: In this fourth episode in the "Angel" saga, beautiful former tough-gal Molly Stewart works as a police photographer. In her off hours she is romantically involved with a radio personality. Her new life is going well until an old buddy shows up. Molly's pal is playing groupie for a travelling band Read More

1994
The Hollywood Collection: The Story of Lassie

Synopsis: This hour-long look at Lassie, the lovable collie, was produced by PBS in 1994 to commemorate Lassie's 40th year on television. June Lockhart narrates this documentary, which is crammed full of movie material and clips from the Lassie television shows. Included are interviews with actors such as Roddy McDowall Read More

1994
Heads

Actors: Jon Cryer

Synopsis: This black comedy stars Jon Cryer as a young reporter following the case of a serial killer who decapitates his victims. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

1994
Mirror, Mirror 2: Raven Dance

Synopsis: The same haunted mirror that bedeviled people in the first film is back. This time it is used to help a crook steal a young girl's rightful inheritance. Low-budget chills. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1994
The Magical World of Chuck Jones

Actors: Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Ron Howard, Matt Groening, Leonard Maltin

Synopsis: This colorful, fast-paced documentary pays tribute to animator Chuck Jones on his eightieth birthday. Amidst many clips from his most famous cartoons, major stars and Hollywood figures ranging from Steven Spielburg to Ron Howard to composer Danny Elfman to film historian/critic Leonard Maltin to Read More

10/23/92
Encounters of the Fourth Kind: A Report on Communion

1992
Los Gusanos no llevan bufanda

Actors: Clayton Rohner, Roddy McDowall, Anthony Perkins

1992
The Sands of Time

Actors: Deborah Raffin, Michael Nouri, Ramy Zada, Amanda Plummer, Kim Weeks

Synopsis: In this two-part adventure drama based on a thriller by author Sidney Sheldon, three nuns must run for their lives from a cruel colonel. Their flight leads them straight to a renowned Spanish rebel. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1992
Going Under

Synopsis: In this Navy spoof, a mismatched bunch of sailors are sent to sea as the incompetent crew of the U. S. S. Substandard, a faulty, unfinished submarine. Little does the crew of the Substandard know that the government doesn't intend for them to make it back to shore, as they encounter all kinds of Read More

8/23/91
An Inconvenient Woman

Synopsis: An Inconvenient Woman, an excellent television mini-series based on the novel by Dominick Dunne, which is loosely based on the Alfred Bloomingdale scandal, tells the story of the mistress of a famous man who he has murdered when she threatens his security. Jules Mendelson (Jason Robards) and his Read More

1991
Earth Angel

Actors: Cathy Podewell, Cindy Williams, Mark Hamill

Synopsis: The made-for-TV Earth Angel stars Cathy Bodewell as Angela, a prom queen who dies in 1962. Unfortunately, Angela has not always lived up to her name, and her entry into Heaven is held up indefinitely. She is given a chance to redeem herself by returning to earth in 1990, where she is to Read More

1991
Double Trouble

Actors: Peter Paul, David Paul, Roddy McDowall, James Doohan, A.J. Johnson

Synopsis: Two beefed-up twins (played by the Paul brothers, Peter and David, who have appeared in several programmers as "The Barbarian Brothers") operating on opposing sides of the law, team up to stop a nefarious crook in this actioner. Peter Jade is a notoriously arrogant burglar who ends up with the key Read More

1991
Deadly Game

Synopsis: Made for cable TV, the story involves a wealthy man who believes that a series of people have wronged him during his life. He invites the seven persons to his private island under the pretense of rewarding them for their good deeds, but they soon find out that his plan is much more devious. ~ John Read More

1991
The Big Picture

Actors: Kevin Bacon, Emily Longstreth, J.T. Walsh, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael McKean

Synopsis: Another "get even with Hollywood" satire in the tradition of SOB and Movers and Shakers, The Big Picture is an elongated inside joke complete with un-billed celebrity cameos. In this first feature-film directorial effort by actor/writer Christopher Guest, Kevin Bacon plays a "boy wonder" director Read More

9/15/89
Heroes Stand Alone

Actors: Chad Everett, Bradford Dillman, Wayne Grace, Rick Dean, Michael Chieffo

Synopsis: Set in a grim future world, a special U.S. task force is sent to Central America to rescue a downed spy plane. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

9/8/89
Fright Night Part 2

Actors: Roddy McDowall, William Ragsdale, Traci Lind, Julie Carmen, Russell Clark

Synopsis: This horror-comedy sequel finds the teen protagonist of Fright Night being terrorized by the undead sister of the vampire he killed in the original film. Two years after the death of bloodsucker Jerry Dandridge, young Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) has settled into life as a college student Read More

5/19/89
Shakma

Actors: Christopher Atkins, Amanda Wyss, Ari Meyers, Roddy McDowall

Synopsis: A group of medical research scientists decide to take a break and play a little Dungeons and Dragons. This horror film follows what happens when one of their experiments comes forth to join them. Bloody mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1989
Carmilla

Actors: Meg Tilly

Synopsis: Sheridan Le Fanu's erotic horror tale -- the inspiration for Hammer Films' bosom-heaving "Karnstein Trilogy" and Roger Vadim's Blood and Roses -- is given a bit of whitewash in this tepid episode of Shelley Duvall's made-for-cable "Nightmare Classics" series. Inexplicably relocated to the American Read More

1989
Cutting Class

Actors: Donovan Leitch, Jill Schoelen, Brad Pitt, Roddy McDowall, Martin Mull

Synopsis: This reject from slasher-movie remedial school -- featuring copious amounts of teen sex and the usual unimaginative gore murders -- involves the return of a problem teen (Donovan Leitch) to high school after his release from an institution. After essentially pinning the "Red Herring" sign on the Read More

1989
Around the World in 80 Days

Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Eric Idle, Peter Ustinov, Julia Nickson

Synopsis: Pierce Brosnan stars as adventurer Phineas Fogg in this adaptation of Jules Verne's classic story, in which to win a wager he must travel around the globe in 80 days or less. However, Fogg has been blamed for the theft of a large amount of money, and a detective (Peter Ustinov) is hot on his trail Read More

1989
Murder, She Wrote: Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble

Synopsis: The citizens of Cabot Cove are terrified by the arrival of young Irene Terhune (Julian Donald), an apparent practitioner of black magic. Rumors are rife that Irene is actually the ghost of Annie Gorman, a local witch who had supposedly died centuries ago. Inevitably, murder rears it ugly head and Read More

1989
Doin' Time on Planet Earth

Actors: Nicholas Strouse, Hugh Gillin, Gloria Hendry, Hugh O'Brian, Martha Scott

Synopsis: Ryan Richmond (Nicholas Strouse) is a lonely teen from Sunnydale, Arizona who believes he is a space alien in this offbeat comedy. Charles (Adam West) and his wife Edna (Candice Azzara) are the new neighbors who reinforce Ryan's vivid imagination. Hugh O'Brien plays a former U.S. vice-president Read More

9/16/88
Overboard

Crew: Executive Producer

Actors: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Edward Herrmann, Katherine Helmond, Michael Hagerty

Synopsis: This screwball comedy casts real-life couple Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn in a film that finds the latter returning to her roots in a role reminiscent of Private Benjamin (1980). Hawn stars as Joanna Stayton, a snooty heiress who summons carpenter Dean Proffitt (Russell) to her lavish yacht, where Read More

12/16/87
Dead of Winter

Actors: Mary Steenburgen, Roddy McDowall, Jan Rubes, William Russ, Mark Malone

Synopsis: Despite its relative failure at the box office, this is a worthwhile thriller from the director of Bonnie and Clyde. Mary Steenburgen stars as an actress, Katie McGovern, lured to the upstate New York cabin of crazy Dr. Joseph Lewis (Jan Rubes), a diabolical crippled shrink playing a blackmail Read More

2/6/87
MGM Greatest Moments: A Video Sampler

1987
The Wind in the Willows

Actors: Paul H. Frees, Charles Nelson Reilly, José Ferrer

Synopsis: Completed in 1985, Rankin/Bass' feature-length cartoon version of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows had its network debut delayed several times; the film finally premiered on July 5, 1987. This adaption of the 1908 Grahame story was more faithful to the source that the enjoyable but overly Read More

1987
Vi: Portrait of a Silent Star

Synopsis: This historic interview features a discussion with her associations with Buster Keaton and many others. Viola Dana appeared in over 100 films before retiring in 1929. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

1986
Gobots: Battle of the Rock Lords

Actors: Margot Kidder, Roddy McDowall, Michael Nouri, Telly Savalas

Synopsis: This fast-paced, animated action feature zoomed into theaters with characters developed from a popular TV cartoon series. The GoBots can morph into mechanical contrivances like land rovers or spaceships and are divided between good GoBots and evil ones (called Renegades). As these two factions Read More

1985
Fright Night

Actors: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall, Stephen Geoffreys

Synopsis: A teenage horror film addict is shocked to discover that his new next-door neighbor is a vampire in this delightful mix of horror and comedy. The problems only grow for young Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) when he expresses his thoughts about fanged new neighbor Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon Read More

1985
Murder, She Wrote: School for Scandal

Synopsis: Jessica (Angela Lansbury arrives at the campus of Crenshaw University to receive an honorary degree. Among the faculty members is Professor Joselyn Clover (Polly Bergen), whose daughter Daphne (Mary Kate McGeehan) has penned a notoriously lurid best-selling novel. When the campus "stud" is Read More

1985
The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood

Synopsis: In this made-for-TV spoof, Robin Hood (George Segal) and his merry men must attempt to gather together the necessary ransom money to free King Richard from a nasty Duke. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide Read More

1984
This Girl for Hire

Synopsis: In this detective drama set in Hollywood, a private investigator uses logic to solve the murder of a famous mystery writer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1983
Alice in Wonderland

Actors: Donald O'Connor

Synopsis: This 1982 made-for-TV version of the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland features an all-star cast. Such celebrities as Donald O'Connor, Maureen Stapleton and Eve Arden struggle to perform while buried under mounds of makeup and tons of eccentric costuming as Carroll's alternate-world Read More

1983
Mae West

Actors: Ann Jillian, Roddy McDowall

Synopsis: Ann Jillian plays the title character in this made-for-TV film, based on the facts but with several liberties taken as well. Roddy McDowall takes an interesting turn playing a female impersonator. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide Read More

1982
Evil Under the Sun

Actors: Peter Ustinov, Jane Birkin, Colin Blakely, Nicholas Clay, James Mason

Synopsis: Peter Ustinov makes his second appearance as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in this adaptation of the popular Agatha Christie mystery. When noted stage star Arlena Marshall (Diana Rigg) is found murdered while visiting a posh island resort, Poirot is called upon to find the culprit, but given Read More

1982
Hollywood's Children

Actors: Roddy McDowall

Synopsis: Directed in 1982 by Gene Feldman, this acclaimed documentary examines the emotional price child actors pay for being Hollywood stars. Narrated by Roddy McDowall, who was himself a child star, this program also looks at how well child stars have made the transition to adulthood. The program Read More

1982
Class of 1984

Actors: Perry King, Timothy Van Patten, Merrie Lynn Ross, Roddy McDowall, Al Waxman

Synopsis: A music teacher (Perry King) at a tough Los Angeles high school reaches out to his students with the gift of music -- only to find a gang of sadistic punk rockers is actively dissuading new members from joining the orchestra. Not only are the punkers sadistic; they are also led by the nefarious Timothy Van Patten Read More

1981
The Million Dollar Face

Actors: Gayle Hunnicutt, Lee Grant

Synopsis: The expensive face of the title belongs to Sylvia Kristel, who actually levies a price of $2.5 million upon the fictional cosmetics firm of Glamour Inc. Ms. Kristel's story is but one of the many intrigues within the hallowed halls of Glamour. Tony Curtis stars as the company's CEO, beset with Read More

1981
The Return of the King

Actors: Orson Bean

Synopsis: The second of Rankin/Bass' animated TV specials based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Return of the King plots the quest to defeat the evil wizard Sauron. Frodo, nephew of The Hobbit protagonist Bilbo Baggins, vows to destroy the Ring, even if it costs him his own life. He carries the Ring to the Read More

1980
The Memory of Eva Ryker

Actors: Natalie Wood

Synopsis: Donald A. Stanwood's original novel The Memory of Eva Ryker used the Titanic tragedy as its launching pad. This made-for-TV adaptation of Stanwood's book moved the action up some 27 years, motivating its plotline with the torpedoing of an Athenia-type luxury liner in 1939. The film flashes forward Read More

1980
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen

Actors: Peter Ustinov, Lee Grant, Angie Dickinson, Richard Hatch, Brian Keith

Synopsis: Peter Ustinov plays the talented detective in San Francisco who attempts, with help/hindrance from his clumsy grandson (Richard Hatch), to solve a murder case in this mystery/comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide Read More

1980
The Martian Chronicles

Actors: Rock Hudson

Synopsis: Everyone who tuned into The Martian Chronicles during its three-day run in January of 1980 sincerely hoped that it would be the ne plus ultra of televised sci-fi/fantasy. That it fell short of this goal was not the fault of the actors but of the script, which reduced Ray Bradbury's complex Read More

1980
The Black Hole

Actors: Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux

Synopsis: An ambitious sci-fier from the Disney folks, The Black Hole takes place in the future. A quintet of space travelers stumble across a "black hole." Not wishing to be sucked into the void, the crew prepares to flee, but stops long enough to investigate a mysterious space vessel near the entrance of Read More

1979
Scavenger Hunt

Actors: Richard Benjamin, James Coco, Scatman Crothers, Cloris Leachman, Cleavon Little

Synopsis: When millionaire Vincent Price dies, he leaves a riotous will which amounts to a scavenger hunt, the winner of which receives the entire willed fortune. So 15 potential heirs are sent on a zany quest where they must outrace and outsmart one another to inherit the big bucks. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

1979
Hart to Hart

Actors: Jill St. John, Lionel Stander, Robert Wagner

Synopsis: Originally telecast September 25, 1979, Hart to Hart was the pilot film for a series which officially debuted three days earlier. Robert Wagner and Stephanie Powers play the fabulously wealthy, blissfully happy married couple Jonathan and Jennifer Hart. He's a conglomerate CEO, she's a mystery Read More

1979
Nutcracker Fantasy

Actors: Michael Lee, Melissa Gilbert, Lurene Tuttle, Christopher Lee, Jo Ann Worley

Synopsis: Set to Tchaikovsky's score, this Japanese animated effort chronicles the adventures of a young girl dreaming of a magical land of anthropomorphic mice that are under the spell of a wicked two-headed mouse. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

1979
Laserblast

Actors: Kim Milford, Gianni Russo, Ron Masak, Dennis Burkley

Synopsis: Billy (Kim Milford) has the same problems that many teens have to endure. His mother is inattentive, local cops target him for speeding tickets, his girlfriend's grandfather hates him, and teenaged bullies make fun of his van. Billy finds the keys to his emancipation in the desert, when he Read More

1978
The Cat from Outer Space

Actors: Ken Berry, Sandy Duncan, Harry Morgan, Roddy McDowall, McLean Stevenson

Synopsis: Zunar J5/90 Doric 4-7, also known as Jake, is an alien cat who crash-lands on earth. He heads off to the nearest scientist to find gold ($120,000 worth!) in order to repair his spaceship. Jake reveals that he can predict the winners in sporting events and soon the military is trying to track him Read More

1978
Circle of Iron

Actors: David Carradine, Jeff Cooper, Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach, Erica Creer

Synopsis: This symbol-laden drama explores the inner mythology of martial arts practice and is based on a Bruce Lee story idea. The original screenplay was written by Bruce Lee, with help from actor James Coburn and screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. Lee was to take on the four-in-one role of guide in his Read More

1978
The Thief of Baghdad

Actors: Ian Holm, Roddy McDowall, Peter Ustinov

Synopsis: This made-for-TV fantasy is a tale from the well-known Arabian Nights fable featuring a flying carpet, a prince, a pretty maiden, and a genie. Roddy McDowall, Ian Holm and Peter Ustinov appear in this Middle Eastern adventure. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide Read More

1978
The Immigrants

Synopsis: Based on the best-selling novel by Howard Fast, the two-part, four-hour miniseries The Immigrants is the saga of Dan Lavetta (Stephen Macht). The son of an impoverished Italian immigrant family, Dan manages to emerge from the rubble of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (cunningly re-created via Read More

1978