Leo McKern

Reginald Leo McKern was born on 16 March 1920 in Sydney, New South Wales, the son of Vera (née Martin) and Norman Walton McKern. He attended Sydney Technical High School and, after a childhood accident that cost him his left eye, he worked as an engineering apprentice before serving as a sapper with the Australian Army's Royal Australian Engineers during World War II. McKern's first stage appearance came in 1944 in Sydney, and his talent quickly carried him to the United Kingdom where he joined the Old Vic and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. His early theatrical triumphs included the role of Iago in Othello (1952) and originating the Common Man in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons on the West End in 1960, later taking on Thomas Cromwell for the Broadway and 1966 film productions. Over the next decades he amassed more than 200 stage credits, ranging from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to Pinter's Tea Party, and became known for his powerful voice and commanding presence.

McKern's film career blossomed with memorable performances such as Clang in the Beatles' Help! (1965), Thomas Ryan in Ryan's Daughter (1970), and Carl Bugenhagen in The Omen series. He is perhaps best remembered for creating the beloved barrister Horace Rumpole in the television series Rumpole of the Bailey, a role that ran from 1978 to 1992 and cemented his status as a household name. His versatility also shone in roles like the Earl of Gloucester in King Lear (1983) and Dr Grogan in The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981). In 1987 he received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor for Travelling North. Outside the screen he appeared in notable commercials for Lloyds Bank and Smith Barney, and contributed to radio adaptations such as Captain Haddock in The Adventures of Tintin. Married to fellow Australian actress Jane Holland in 1946, he fathered two daughters, including actress Abigail McKern, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1983 before passing away in Bath, England, on 23 July 2002.