Roddy McDowall Biography

Roddy McDowall was a child actor in the 1930s and ’40s and got his big break in 1943’s My Friend, Flicka. In the course of his career he appeared in hundreds of movies and television shows, including four of the five movies in the Planet of the Apes series. (He played Dr. Cornelius in the original 1968 film, co-starring with Charlton Heston.) McDowall’s distinctive British voice and mischievous eyes were recognizable even beneath the chimpy makeup. Later in his career he lent his voice to a variety of cartoons, including Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles.