M'el Dowd
Encyclopedia
M'el Dowd or Mel Dowd is an American stage, musical theatre and film actress whose career has spanned over 50 years. Beginning in Shakespeare roles and films in the 1950s, Dowd continued to perform on stage, film and television into the 21st century. A frequent performer on Broadway
in the 1960s, Dowd originated the role of Morgan le Fay
in Camelot
.
in the 1950s, Dowd soon appeared in a number of Broadway shows throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, most notably originating the role of Morgan Le Fay in the long-running musical Camelot
. She also appeared in several films, TV movies and guest spots on TV episodes, including the 1986 film F/X
as "Joyce Lehman", and the 1977 TV movie The Prince of Homburg, starring Frank Langella
.
Dowd has continued to act in recent years. In Goodspeed Musicals
' 2003 production of Me and My Girl
, according to Variety
, "Dowd in particular, charmingly partnered by Dorian's tiddly Sir John, is the cement that holds this production together." The New York Daily News
wrote in 2001 that she played Mme. Armfeldt in A Little Night Music
"deliciously".
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in the 1960s, Dowd originated the role of Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay , alternatively known as Morgane, Morgaine, Morgana and other variants, is a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. Early works featuring Morgan do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a fay or magician...
in Camelot
Camelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
.
Personal life
Dowd was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1938, the daughter of John J. Dowd and Catherine O'Conner Dowd. In 1962, she married Henri G. Eudes; the couple had one son.Career
Making her professional debut Off-BroadwayOff-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in the 1950s, Dowd soon appeared in a number of Broadway shows throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, most notably originating the role of Morgan Le Fay in the long-running musical Camelot
Camelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
. She also appeared in several films, TV movies and guest spots on TV episodes, including the 1986 film F/X
F/X
F/X is a 1986 American action-thriller film about Rollie Tyler , an expert in the art of special effects with a reputation built by his work on many low-budget hack-and-slash films such as I Dismember Mama...
as "Joyce Lehman", and the 1977 TV movie The Prince of Homburg, starring Frank Langella
Frank Langella
-Early life:Langella, an Italian American, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr., a business executive who was the president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company. Langella attended Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne...
.
Dowd has continued to act in recent years. In Goodspeed Musicals
Goodspeed Musicals
Goodspeed Musicals, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, was formed in 1959 to restore the Goodspeed Opera House, located in East Haddam, Connecticut, to its original Victorian appearance. Each year, Goodspeed...
' 2003 production of Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth....
, according to Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, "Dowd in particular, charmingly partnered by Dorian's tiddly Sir John, is the cement that holds this production together." The New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
wrote in 2001 that she played Mme. Armfeldt in A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music
A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
"deliciously".
Selected stage roles
- MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
– Lady Macbeth (1955; Off-BroadwayOff-BroadwayOff-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, Jan Hus TheatreJan Hus Presbyterian ChurchJan Hus Presbyterian Church in New York City is a Presbyterian church.The church is named for Jan Hus, a Bohemian priest who was a religious thinker and reformer. The church is located at 351 East 74th Street, New York, New York, in Manhattan's Upper East Side, in the area that was once known as...
, NYC) - A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
– Titania, (1956; Jan Hus Theatre, NYC) - Romeo and JulietRomeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
– Lady Capulet (1956; Jan Hus Theatre, NYC) - Julius CaesarJulius Caesar (play)The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
– Portia (1957; Jan Hus Theatre, NYC) - Back to MethuselahBack to MethuselahBack to Methuselah , by George Bernard Shaw consists of a preface and a series of five plays: In the Beginning: B.C. 4004 , The Gospel of the Brothers Barnabas: Present Day, The Thing Happens: A.D. 2170, Tragedy of an Elderly Gentleman: A.D. 3000, and As Far as Thought Can Reach: A.D...
– Lilith (1958; Ambassador TheatreAmbassador TheatreAmbassador Theatre can refer to:* Ambassador Theatre * Ambassador Theatre * Ambassador Theatre * Ambassadors Theatre...
and national tour) - Sweet Bird of YouthSweet Bird of YouthSweet Bird of Youth is a 1959 play by Tennessee Williams which tells the story of a gigolo and drifter, Chance Wayne, who returns to his home town as the accompaniment of a faded movie star, Princess Kosmonopolis , whom he hopes to use to help him break into the movies...
– Understudy for Princess Kosmonopolis (1959–60; Martin Beck Theatre) - CamelotCamelot (musical)Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
– Morgan Le Fey (1960–63) - A Case of Libel – Anita Corcoran (1963–64; Longacre TheatreLongacre TheatreThe Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 220 West 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.-Theatre History:Designed by architect Henry Beaumont Herts in 1912, it was named for Longacre Square, the original name for Times Square...
) - The Right Honourable Gentleman – Mrs. Emilia Pattison (1965–66; Billy Rose Theatre, nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play)
- The Sound of MusicThe Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
– Elsa Schraeder (1967; City Center Theatre) - Heartbreak HouseHeartbreak HouseHeartbreak House is a play written by George Bernard Shaw, first published in 1919 and first played at the Garrick Theatre in 1920. According to A. C. Ward, the work argues that "cultured, leisured Europe" was drifting toward destruction, and that "Those in a position to guide Europe to safety...
– Hesione Hushabye (1967; Arena Stage, Washington, DC) - Everything in the GardenEverything In The GardenEverything in the Garden is a play by Giles Cooper, first produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company on 13 March 1962 at the Arts Theatre, London....
– Louise (1967–68; Plymouth Theatre) - Tiger at the Gates – Andromache (1968; Vivian Beaumont TheatreVivian Beaumont TheatreThe Vivian Beaumont Theater is a theatre located in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The structure was designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, and Jo Mielziner was responsible for the design of the stage and interior.The Vivian...
) - Dear WorldDear WorldDear World is a Broadway musical with a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. With its opening, Herman became the only composer-lyricist in history to have three productions running simultaneously on Broadway...
– Countess Aurelia (1969; Mark Hellinger TheatreMark Hellinger TheatreThe Mark Hellinger Theatre is a generally used name of a former legitimate Broadway theater, located at 237 West 51st Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City. Since 1991, it has been known as the Times Square Church...
) - Not Now, DarlingNot Now, DarlingNot Now, Darling is a 1967 farce written by English playwrights John Chapman and Ray Cooney, first staged at the Richmond Theatre, in Richmond, England prior to a long West End run starring Donald Sinden and Bernard Cribbins.It was adapted as a film in 1973....
– Maude Bodley (1970; Brooks Atkinson TheatreBrooks Atkinson TheatreThe Brooks Atkinson Theatre is a Broadway theater located at 256 West 47th Street in Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, it was constructed as the Mansfield Theatre by the Chanin brothers in 1926. After 1933, the theatre fell into relative disuse until 1945, when Michael Myerberg...
) - AmbassadorAmbassador (musical)Ambassador is a musical with a book by Don Ettlinger and Anna Marie Barlow, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and music by Don Gohman. It is based on the 1903 Henry James novel The Ambassadors....
– Amelia Newsome (1972; Lunt-Fontanne TheatreLunt-Fontanne TheatreThe Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 205 West 46th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by the architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings, it was built by producer Charles Dillingham and opened as the Globe Theatre, in honor of London's Shakespearean playhouse, on...
) - The Night of the IguanaThe Night of the IguanaThe Night of the Iguana is a stageplay written by American author Tennessee Williams, based on his 1948 short story. The play premiered on Broadway in 1961. Two film adaptations have been made, including the Academy Award-winning 1964 film of the same name....
– Frau Fahrenkopf (1985; Morris Mechanic Theatre, Baltimore, MD) - A Little Night MusicA Little Night MusicA Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
– Madame Armfeldt (2001; Goodspeed MusicalsGoodspeed MusicalsGoodspeed Musicals, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, was formed in 1959 to restore the Goodspeed Opera House, located in East Haddam, Connecticut, to its original Victorian appearance. Each year, Goodspeed...
) - Me and My GirlMe and My GirlMe and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth....
- Maria, Duchess of Dene (2003; Goodspeed Musicals)
Film and TV roles
- The Wrong ManThe Wrong ManThe Wrong Man is a 1956 film by Alfred Hitchcock which stars Henry Fonda and Vera Miles. The film is based on a true story of an innocent man charged for a crime he did not commit...
– Miss O'Connor (Warner Bros., 1956) - The Adventures of Jim BowieThe Adventures of Jim BowieIn September of 1956 a TV series named "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" was aired on ABC. The show was only on the air for two years from 1956 to 1958. The series' music was unique in that is was primarily vocal, provided by Ken Darby and The King's Men .-Synopsis:The series stars Scott Forbes as the...
– Nun in "The Bounty Hunter" (1957) - This Could Be the NightThis Could Be the Night (film)This Could Be the Night is a 1957 MGM comedy-drama film directed by Robert Wise. The movie is based on the short stories by Cornelia Baird Gross and stars Jean Simmons and Paul Douglas. Actor Anthony Franciosa made his debut in this film.-Plot:...
- Mrs. Flint (MGM, 1957) - Man on FireMan on FireMan on Fire is a 1981 thriller novel by the English novelist Philip Nicholson, writing as A. J. Quinnell. The plot features his popular character Creasy, an American-born former member of the French Foreign Legion, in his first appearance.-Plot:...
– Rita (MGM, 1957) - FlipperFlipper (1964 TV series)Flipper, from Ivan Tors Films in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, is an American television program first broadcast on NBC from September 19, 1964, until April 15, 1967. Flipper, a bottlenose dolphin, is the companion animal of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at fictional Coral Key Park...
– Amy Field in "City Boy" (1964) - The Best of EverythingThe Best of EverythingThe Best of Everything is the first novel by Rona Jaffe. It is the story of five young employees of a New York publishing company.-Adaptions:...
– Kate Farrow (1970) - The 300 Year Weekend – Carole (Cinerama, 1971)
- The Adams ChroniclesThe Adams ChroniclesThe Adams Chronicles is a thirteen-episode miniseries by PBS that aired in 1976 to commemorate the American Bicentennial.-Synopsis:The series chronicles the story of the Adams political family over a 150-year span, including John Adams , his wife Abigail Adams, his son John Quincy Adams The Adams...
(1975 mini-series) - The Prince of HomburgThe Prince of Homburg (play)The Prince of Homburg is a play by Heinrich von Kleist written in 1809-10, but not performed until 1821, after the author's death. A performance during his lifetime was not possible because Princess Marianne of Prussia , by birth a member of the Hesse-Homburg family, to whom Kleist had given sight...
(1977) - F/XF/XF/X is a 1986 American action-thriller film about Rollie Tyler , an expert in the art of special effects with a reputation built by his work on many low-budget hack-and-slash films such as I Dismember Mama...
(1986) – Joyce Lehman - Murder, She WroteMurder, She WroteMurder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
- Sister Margaret-Mary in "Old Habits Die Hard" (1987) - See You in the MorningSee You in the MorningSee You in the Morning is the third studio album by Mint Royale, which was released in 2005 on the Faith & Hope label. The album featured a then-unknown Duffy singing vocals on the tracks The Effect on Me and Little Words....
(1989) – Real Estate Lady - Third WatchThird WatchThird Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
"Black and Blue" (2004) - Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
– Mrs. Haiduk in "License to Kill" (2005)
External links
- New York Times webpage: New York Times profile