Norman McKinnel
Encyclopedia
Norman McKinnel was a Scottish stage and film actor and playwright, active from the 1890s until his death. He appeared in many stage roles in the UK and overseas as well as featuring in a number of films, the best known of which is Alfred Hitchcock
's 1927 production Downhill
.
, Kirkcudbrightshire
(since incorporated into Dumfries
) and originally intended to follow his father into the engineering business before deciding to enter the acting profession.
, Essex
in 1894 and he soon based himself in London to further his career. He became known over the course of his career for playing many Shakespearian roles, and his stage work took him the U.S., Australia and South Africa. McKinnel was also known for writing several easily-stageable one-act plays, the most successful of which was The Bishop's Candlesticks (1901).
McKinnel's film career began in 1899 in King John, the earliest known example of Shakespeare on film. The work consisted of four brief scenes from the play, and a two-minute fragment survives at the EYE
Film Institute in Amsterdam
. McKinnel did not act on screen again until the mid-1910s, when he began to make further film appearances fitted in around his stage work. He played the title character in the original London production of Hobson's Choice in 1916. Notably, he appeared as the same character (Nathaniel Jeffcote) in three separate film versions of the same play Hindle Wakes, in 1918 and 1927 silent
adaptations and again in 1931 in sound. In 1919 he played Paul Dombey in the first screen version of the Charles Dickens
novel Dombey and Son. McKinnel's most widely-known film to contemporary audiences is Hitchcock's Downhill, as the harsh but ultimately repentant patriarch opposite Ivor Novello
.
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's 1927 production Downhill
Downhill (film)
Downhill is a 1927 silent film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the play Down Hill. It is Hitchcock's fifth film as director.-Plot:...
.
Early years
McKinnel was born in 1870 at MaxwelltownMaxwelltown
Maxwelltown was formerly a burgh of barony and police burgh in the county of Kirkcudbrightshire in south west Scotland. In 1929 Maxwelltown was merged with Dumfries....
, Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire
The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire was a county of south-western Scotland. It was also known as East Galloway, forming the larger Galloway region with Wigtownshire....
(since incorporated into Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
) and originally intended to follow his father into the engineering business before deciding to enter the acting profession.
Career
His first stage appearance was in Clacton-on-SeaClacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
in 1894 and he soon based himself in London to further his career. He became known over the course of his career for playing many Shakespearian roles, and his stage work took him the U.S., Australia and South Africa. McKinnel was also known for writing several easily-stageable one-act plays, the most successful of which was The Bishop's Candlesticks (1901).
McKinnel's film career began in 1899 in King John, the earliest known example of Shakespeare on film. The work consisted of four brief scenes from the play, and a two-minute fragment survives at the EYE
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
Film Institute in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. McKinnel did not act on screen again until the mid-1910s, when he began to make further film appearances fitted in around his stage work. He played the title character in the original London production of Hobson's Choice in 1916. Notably, he appeared as the same character (Nathaniel Jeffcote) in three separate film versions of the same play Hindle Wakes, in 1918 and 1927 silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
adaptations and again in 1931 in sound. In 1919 he played Paul Dombey in the first screen version of the Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
novel Dombey and Son. McKinnel's most widely-known film to contemporary audiences is Hitchcock's Downhill, as the harsh but ultimately repentant patriarch opposite Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
.
Filmography
- 1899: King John
- 1915: The Shulamite
- 1917: Everybody's Business
- 1917: Mary Girl
- 1918: Hindle WakesHindle Wakes (1918 film)Hindle Wakes is a 1918 British silent film drama, directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Colette O'Niel and Hayford Hobbs. It is the first of four screen versions of the celebrated and controversial 1912 play by Stanley Houghton, which was a sensation in its time for its daring assertions that a...
- 1919: Dombey and Son
- 1920: Pillars of SocietyPillars of Society (film)Pillars of Society is a 1920 British silent drama film directed by Rex Wilson and starring Ellen Terry, Norman McKinnel and Mary Rorke. It was based on the 1877 play The Pillars of Society by Henrik Ibsen. Location shooting was done in Norway.-Cast:...
- 1920: A Gamble in Lives
- 1927: The Fake
- 1927: Hindle WakesHindle Wakes (1927 film)Hindle Wakes is a 1927 British silent film drama, directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Estelle Brody and John Stuart. The film is adapted from Stanley Houghton's 1912 stage play of the same name, and reunites Brody and Stuart following their hugely popular pairing in the previous year's...
- 1927: DownhillDownhill (film)Downhill is a 1927 silent film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the play Down Hill. It is Hitchcock's fifth film as director.-Plot:...
- 1931: Potiphar's Wife
- 1931: The Sleeping CardinalThe Sleeping CardinalThe Sleeping Cardinal is a 1931 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner and Ian Fleming. The film is an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, though it is not based on any one particular story it draws inspiration from "The Empty...
- 1931: The OutsiderThe Outsider (1931 film)The Outsider is a 1931 British drama film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Joan Barry, Harold Huth and Norman McKinnel. It is based on a play by Dorothy Brandon. An unorthodox osteopath cures one of his patients, the daughter of a fellow Doctor....
- 1931: Hindle WakesHindle Wakes (1931 film)Hindle Wakes is a 1931 British film drama, directed by Victor Saville for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Belle Chrystall and John Stuart. The film is adapted from Stanley Houghton's controversial 1912 stage play of the same name, which had previously been filmed twice as a silent in 1918 and...
- 1932: The Frightened Lady
- 1932: White Face
External links
- Norman McKinnel filmography at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- The Bishop's Candlesticks Full text at ebooksread.com