Roddy McDowall

Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (sometimes written MacDowall) (September 17, 1928 – October 3, 1998) was a British actor.

He was born in London to a family enthusiastic about the theatre, and made his first film appearance at the age of ten. It was as "Huw" in How Green Was My Valley (1941) that he made his name, and he appeared in many other films as a child actor, including The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) and some of the Lassie series, where he appeared opposite the young Elizabeth Taylor.

McDowall was one of the few child actors to continue his career successfully into adulthood, but it was usually in character roles, notably in four of the five original Planet of the Apes movies (1968-1973). Other film appearances included The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" (1974). He also appeared on stage and television.

He played a character villain, "The Bookworm", in the camp 1960s TV series Batman and had an acclaimed recurring role as The Mad Hatter in Batman: The Animated Series.

McDowall served for several years in various capacities on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that presents the Oscar. He was Chairman of the Actors Branch for 5 terms. He was elected President of the Academy Foundation the year he died.

He also received recognition as a photographer and published five books of photographs.

He died in Studio City, California from lung cancer.

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