Although he sounded very British, Leo McKern was an Australian. By the time he was 15 years old, he had endured an accident that left him without his left eye. A glass eye replaced it - one might conjecture for the better, as far as making McKern a one-day actor of singular focus , and though every actor can appreciate the security of a long-running role, McKern feared that it was subsuming his more than considerable body of work. Along with that, McKern became increasingly self-conscious of his acting, and mixed in was the idea that his physical appearance was not appealing to the public. As a result, he had to deal with a progressively increasing stage fright. He need not have worried; he was working in diverse TV and movie roles nearly to the time of his passing, and he was beloved by movie and TV fans alike. Along with receiving the award of Officer of the Order of Australia from his home country, in 1983 McKern's memoir "Just Resting" was published.
Leo McKern went to England in 1946, spending three years with the Old Vic and two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He has been in constant demand during his years in England in film, television and theatre work.
Father of actress Abigail McKern , and of Harriet.
He has one thing in common with Peter Falk and Sammy Davis Jr. : one of his eyes is actually glass (the result of an accident when he was a teen).
He was awarded the A.O. (Officer of the Order of Australia) in the 1983 Queens New Years Honours List for his services to the performing arts.
Served as a corporal in the Royal Engineering Corps in Victoria during the Second World War.
Replaced John Houseman as spokesman for Smith-Barney after his death.
He had a glass left eye as a result of an accident at the age of 15. He used to play "practical eye jokes" on the set of his famous TV series "Rumpole of the Bailey."
His daughter, Abigail McKern , replaced actress Samantha Bond in the role of a female barrister Elizabeth Mizz Liz Probert in his series "Rumpole of the Bailey" .
Considered for Fallada, Sir Percy and Dr.Armstong in Lifeforce.
A memorial service was held for him at St. Pauls, Covent Garden (commonly known as the Actors Church) on 16 December 2002.
Leo McKern was the first choice to play Alf Garnett. When he couldnt (or wouldnt) accept the part went to Warren Mitchell.
He was nearly killed during the filming of the storm sequence in "Ryans Daughter", something he was inclined to blame on the negligence of director David Lean. The innumerable delays during the filming drove him to distraction, and, once his role was completed, he had what he later called a nervous breakdown. He seriously contemplated giving up acting altogether and made no films for about three years.
He auditioned for, but didnt get, the part Red Buttons eventually played (after considerable rewriting) in "Hatari!". He claimed to have been unimpressed by director Howard Hawks, and actively didnt want to work with John Wayne because of the latters extreme right-wing politics.
In 1961, he went to America to play Cardinal Wolsey in the Broadway production of "A Man For All Seasons", but found New York a terrifying place and left the cast after only two weeks; he was replaced by Thomas Gomez. McKern also acted in the 1966 film version, but played a different role. The film was a huge success, but he always claimed it was inferior to the stage production.
