Patrick Magee (31 March 1922 – 14 August 1982) was an Irish actor best known for his collaborations with
Samuel Beckett and
Harold Pinter, as well as his appearances in horror films and in
Stanley Kubrick's films
A Clockwork Orange and
Barry Lyndon.
Education
Magee was educated at the Roman Catholic
St. Patrick's College in
Armagh in
County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Stage career
Born Patrick McGee in
Armagh,
Northern Ireland, he changed his name to Magee for the stage. His first stage experience in Ireland was with Anew McMaster's touring company, performing the works of Shakespeare. It was here that he first worked with Pinter.
He was then brought to London by Tyrone Guthrie for a series of Irish plays. In 1957 he met Beckett and recorded some of his prose for BBC radio. Beckett was so excited with his voice that he wrote Krapp's Last Tape especially for him (it was recorded by the BBC in 1972). Beckett's biographer Anthony Cronin wrote that "there was a sense in which, as an actor, he had been waiting for Beckett as Beckett had been waiting for him."
In 1964, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, after Pinter, directing his own play The Birthday Party, specifically requested him for the role of McCann, and stated he was the strongest in the cast. In 1965 he appeared in Marat/Sade, and when the play transferred to Broadway it won him a Tony Award. He also appeared in the 1966 RSC production of Staircase opposite Paul Scofield.
Film career
Early film roles for the 5`8" 175-pound Magee included
Joseph Losey's
The Criminal (1960) and
The Servant (1963), the latter an adaptation scripted by Pinter. He also appeared as Surgeon-Major Reynolds in
Zulu (1964),
Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964),
Anzio (1968), and the film versions of
Marat/Sade (1967) and
The Birthday Party (1968). But he is perhaps best known for his role as the victimised writer Frank Alexander, who tortures
Alex DeLarge with
Beethoven's music, in
Stanley Kubrick's film
A Clockwork Orange (1971).
He went on to appear in Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975), Young Winston (1972), The Final Programme (1973), Sir Henry at Rawlinson End (1980) and Chariots of Fire (1981), but was most often seen in horror films. These included Roger Corman's The Masque of Red Death (1964), and the Boris Karloff vehicle Die, Monster, Die! (1965) for AIP; The Skull (1965), Tales from the Crypt (1972) and Asylum (1972) for Amicus Productions; and Demons of the Mind for Hammer Film Productions.
Private life
He married Belle Sherry, also a native of
County Armagh; they had two children, twins Mark and Caroline (born February 1961, London).
Death
Patrick Magee died of a heart attack on 14 August 1982, aged 60.
Filmography
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! Filmography
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| 1963 ||
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The Servant ||
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The Young Racers ||
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Dementia 13 ||
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| 1964 ||
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Zulu ||
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Séance on a Wet Afternoon ||
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The Masque of the Red Death
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| 1965 ||
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The Skull ||
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Die, Monster, Die! ||
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| 1967 ||
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Marat/Sade ||
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| 1968 ||
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Anzio ||
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The Birthday Party ||
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| 1969 ||
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Hard Contract ||
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| 1970 ||
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Cromwell ||
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You Can't Win 'Em All ||
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| 1971 ||
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King Lear ||
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The Trojan Women ||
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A Clockwork Orange ||
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The Fiend aka
Beware My Brethren
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| 1972 ||
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Tales from the Crypt ||
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Young Winston ||
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Asylum ||
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Pope Joan ||
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Demons of the Mind ||
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| 1973 ||
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And Now the Screaming Starts! ||
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Lady Ice ||
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| 1975 ||
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The Final Programme ||
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Barry Lyndon ||
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| 1977 ||
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Telefon ||
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| 1979 ||
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The Bronte Sisters ||
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| 1980 ||
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The Monster Club ||
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Hawk the Slayer ||
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Rough Cut ||
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Sir Henry at Rawlinson End ||
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| 1981
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Chariots of Fire ||
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Dr. Jekyll and His Women ||
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External links
Category:1922 births
Category:1982 deaths
Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction
Category:Film actors from Northern Ireland
Category:Northern Ireland stage actors
Category:Television actors from Northern Ireland
Category:People from Armagh
Category:People from County Armagh
![A Clockwork Orange - Official Trailer [1971]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110130230029im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gmm5jeeH8mY/2.jpg "A Clockwork Orange - Official Trailer [1971]")
