Leo McKern
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Leo McKern AO |
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McKern in Ryan's Daughter (1970)
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| Born |
Reginald McKern 16 March 1920 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 23 July 2002 (aged 82) Bath, Somerset, UK |
| Residence | United Kingdom (from 1946) |
| Education | Sydney Technical High School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1944–1999 |
| Organization | Royal Shakespeare Company |
| Known for |
A Man for All Seasons (play and film) Travelling North (film) |
| Height | 5'7" (1.70m) |
| Television |
The Prisoner Rumpole of the Bailey |
| Spouse(s) |
Jane Holland (m. 1946–2002) (his death) |
| Children | Abigail and Harriet McKern |
| Parent(s) | Norman Walton McKern Vera McKern (née Martin) |
| Awards | Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (1987) |
Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. Notable roles he portrayed include Clang in Help! (1965), Thomas Cromwell in A Man for All Seasons (1966), Tom Ryan in Ryan's Daughter (1970), Paddy Button in The Blue Lagoon (1980), Dr. Grogan in The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Father Imperius in Ladyhawke (1985) and, in the role that made him a household name as an actor, Horace Rumpole, whom he played in Rumpole of the Bailey. He also portrayed Carl Bugenhagen in the first and second installments of the The Omen trilogy.
McKern was born in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Vera (née Martin) and Norman Walton McKern. He attended Sydney Technical High School. After an accident at the age of 15, he lost his left eye. He first worked as an engineering apprentice, then as an artist, followed by service as a sapper with the Australian Army's Royal Australian Engineers during World War II. In 1944, in Sydney, he performed in his first stage role.
Having fallen in love with Australian actress Jane Holland, McKern moved to the United Kingdom to be with her; they married in 1946. He soon became a regular performer at London's Old Vic theatre and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (now the Royal Shakespeare Theatre) in Stratford-upon-Avon, despite the difficulties posed by his glass eye and Australian accent.
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