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. Often remembered as a matinee idol, he actually rarely played a romantic lead.

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 Rennie used the pseudonym 'Taylor' during his long career in the industry to avoid accusations of nepotism.

Michael Rennie was also briefly engaged to the ex-wife of the Hollywood director, Otto Preminger. It was rumoured that Preminger, who not surprisingly hated Rennie, was the prime instigator in Rennie's fall from stardom.

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 laid to rest in Harlow Cemetery, Harrogate.

Michael Rennie's work in the 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still was mentioned in the first line of the song "Science Fiction/Double Feature" from the musical The Rocky Horror Show.

John Rennie, the designer and builder of the original Waterloo Bridge, is presumed to have been his great great grandfather.

[edit] Filmography (incomplete)

[edit] External links

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