LEO MCKERNA highly esteemed actor best known for his television work, Leo McKern died on 23 July 2002 at the age of 82.He appeared in more than 200 plays and numerous films but it was his role as the bad-tempered and imperious lawyer Rumpole that made him a global household name.Despite spending the majority of his time in England , Mr McKern never forgot his Australian roots and returned home on numerous occasions to star in films or take to the stage.Renowned for his commanding presence, he nevertheless suffered from stage fright, a problem which became worse as he got older, according to his daughter.Born Reginald McKern on 16 March 1920 in Sydney, Australia, an accident at the age of 15 cost him his left eye but he went on to work as an engineering apprentice and then an artist before joining the Australian army during the Second World War.He made his stage debut in Australia in 1944 before moving to England at the age of 26 to be with fellow actor Jane Holland and the two married shortly after, going on to have two daughters, Abigail and Harriet.Despite his Australian accent and glass eye, he started to establish himself as a Shakespearean actor, performing in both the UK and abroad, along with other meaty lead roles in Jonson’s Volpone , Chekov’s Uncle Vanya and Ibsen’s Peer Gynt .He then moved across to the silver screen with his 1952 film debut Murder In The Cathedral and went on to make his mark in the Beatles film Help! in 1965, A Man For All Seasons in 1966 and Ryan’s Daughter in 1970.During the late 1960s, he brought his acting talents to the small screen, first starring in The Prisoner and then in Space :1999 in 1975, but it was the role of Horace Rumpole that brought him international fame.He played the belligerent barrister, a role specifically created for him by author John Mortimer, for seven series of Rumpole Of The Bailey until its end in 1992.Mr McKern also continued to act on the stage and in films with roles in The French Lieutenant’s Woman in 1981, Travelling North in 1987, and Monsignor Quixote in 1989 alongside Alec Guinness.After a career spanning more than 50 years, he gave his last performance on the West End stage in 2000 and then bowed out of the limelight, dying in a nursing home near Bath in 2002.Rumpole Of The Bailey may have been Mr McKern’s biggest success yet he declaimed his fame as an “insatiable monster” and often had to be coerced in continuing with the role amid his fears he was becoming indistinguishable from his colourful character.But Rumpole’s acerbic intelligence and unswerving belief in the presumption of innocence attracted a loyal global following with even The Bar Council paying tribute: "Leo McKern's character, Rumpole of the Bailey, brought a touch of humanity, colour and life to the way the legal profession is seen on television."The role also brought him critical acclaim and Mr McKern was twice nominated for a Bafta for Best Actor for in 1981 and 1984.In addition to his British following, he was much admired in his native Australia and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1983 and awarded the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1987 for his role in Travelling North.
Keep me informed of updates
