Norman McKinnel

Norman McKinnel
Born	10 February 1870(1870-02-10) Maxwelltown, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland
Died	29 March 1932(1932-03-29) (aged 62) London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1894 – 1932

Norman McKinnel (10 February 1870 – 29 March 1932) 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.

Early years

McKinnel was born in 1870 at Maxwelltown, Kirkcudbrightshire (since incorporated into Dumfries) 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-Sea, 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.

Death

McKinnel died of a heart attack in London on 29 March 1932, aged 62.^[1]

Filmography

1899: King John 1915: The Shulamite 1917: Everybody's Business 1917: Mary Girl 1918: Hindle Wakes 1919: Dombey and Son 1920: Pillars of Society 1920: A Gamble in Lives 1927: The Fake

1927: Hindle Wakes 1927: Downhill 1931: Potiphar's Wife 1931: The Sleeping Cardinal 1931: The Outsider 1931: Hindle Wakes 1932: The Frightened Lady 1932: White Face

References

1. ^ "Noted stage star in England dead" The Montreal Gazette, 30-03-1932. Retrieved 25-08-2010

External links

• Norman McKinnel filmography at Internet Movie Database
• The Bishop's Candlesticks Full text at ebooksread.com

Persondata
Name	Mackinnel, Norman
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	10 February 1870
Place of birth	Maxwelltown, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland
Date of death	29 March 1932
Place of death	London, England