Michael Rennie

Michael Rennie ( born August 25, 1909 in Bradford, † June 10, 1971 in Harrogate, actually Eric Alexander Rennie ) was a British actor.

Life

Rennie came from a fairly wealthy family of entrepreneurs. After graduating from Cambridge University, he worked in various odd jobs, such as a car salesman and later as manager of a factory of his uncle. He had his first small role in a Hitchcock film of 1936. Afterwards he initially mainly plays at the theater.

In 1941 he joined the Royal Air Force. After the end of the war in 1945 he starred in some movies and thus gained fame in the UK. In 1951 he moved to Hollywood in order to have success in the USA. His first and best-known commitment there was the role of Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still. The reputation of the film and its role earned Michael Rennie among other things, a mention in the opening song Science Fiction / Double Feature of the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show a. After that he played in the 1952 film version of Les Miserables (directed by Lewis Milestone ) and in 1953 in the guise of the Peter. He played the same role in the sequel Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954). After that, he played mainly minor roles in film and television. The real breakthrough in the U.S., he never made it.

Once again, to greater notoriety he came in 1959, when he was in the television series The Third Man ( based on the film starring Orson Welles ) played the role of Harry Lime. In the 1960s, he had several guest appearances on television series, including Bonanza, Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, The Invaders ( The Invaders ) and Batman.

Rennie was married twice, both marriages ended in divorce. From his second marriage to actress Maggie McGrath 's son David comes from (* 1951).

The last years of his life were spent in Geneva. Rennie, who was a heavy smoker, died in 1971 during a visit to his mother from emphysema.

Filmography (selection)

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