Michael Rennie
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| Michael Rennie | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 August 1909 Bradford, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 10 June 1971 Harrogate, Yorkshire, England |
Michael Rennie (August 25, 1909 – June 10, 1971) was an English actor.
He was born Eric Alexander Rennie in the village of Idle, Bradford, Yorkshire, England. He was educated at The Leys School, Cambridge. He had several other jobs before gaining employment as a stand-in in a Hitchcock film of 1936. Acting then became his profession but it was after many years touring in British repertory before he found success as a leading man in the cinema, his exceptional height (6'4") and gaunt chiselled features standing him in good stead. In 1945 he played a major role in the original version of The Wicked Lady, starring Margaret Lockwood and James Mason. From that point on he was a star and shortly afterwards he moved to the USA where, in the early 1950s, he had significant roles in several major productions of 20th Century Fox, including the lead in The Day the Earth Stood Still, the part for which he is best remembered today.
In 1959 Rennie became a familiar face on television taking the role of Harry Lime in The Third Man, a spin-off TV series from the film starring Orson Welles. During the 1960s he continued his TV career with guest appearances on such series as Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Lost in Space (where he worked again with his "The Third Man" co-star Jonathan Harris), The Time Tunnel, Batman, The Invaders, and The F.B.I.
Both his marriages ended in divorce. He was first married to Joan England in 1938. His second marriage was to actress Maggie McGrath. Their son David Rennie is a UK High Court judge in Lewes, Sussex.
It appears that he also had a son, John Marshall, by his long time friend and mistress Renée,(née Gilbert) whose married name was Taylor. Interestingly the BFI data base also lists him as having a son, John M Taylor, listed as 'a producer'.
Research indicates that John Marshall used the pseudonym 'Taylor' during his long career in the industry to avoid accusations of nepotism in what has always been a very bitchy and jealous industry.
Michael Rennie was also briefly engaged to the ex-wife of the Hollywood director, Otto Preminger.
He moved to Switzerland in the latter part of his life. However, it was during a 1971 visit to his mother at Harrogate Yorkshire, following the death of his brother, that he died, from emphysema. He was cremated, and his ashes lay to rest in Harlow Cemetery, Harrogate.
John Rennie, the designer and builder of the original Waterloo Bridge, is presumed to have been his great great grandfather.
[edit] Filmography (incomplete)
- The Wicked Lady (1945)
- The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – as Klaatu
- 5 Fingers (1952)
- Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)
- Les Misérables (1952) – as Jean Valjean
- King of the Khyber Rifles (1953)
- The Robe (1953) – as the Apostle Peter
- Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
- Soldier of Fortune (1955)
- Seven Cities of Gold (1955)
- The Rains of Ranchipur (1955)
- Island in the Sun (1957)
- The Lost World (1960)
- Cyborg 2087 (1966)
- Hotel (1967)
- The Power (1968) – as Arthur Nordlund
- The Devils Brigade (1968) – as General Mark Clark
