About Roddy McDowall
Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 3 October 1998) was a British-born American actor, whose career spanned over 270 screen and stage roles across more than 60 years. He began his career as a child in his native England before starring in How Green Was My Valley (1941), My Friend Flicka (1943), and Lassie Come Home (1943) in America. Unlike many child stars, McDowall evolved into an adult performer on stage and screen. He played Mordred in the Broadway musical Camelot (1960–63), won a Tony Award for his performance in Jean Anouilh's The Fighting Cock, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance in Cleopatra (1963). He subsequently appeared in a variety of film and television roles, notably as Cornelius and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes films (1968–73), and in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), The Legend of Hell House (1973), The Fantastic Journey (1977), Fright Night (1985), A Bug's Life (1998), and as the voice of Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter in the DC Animated Universe. McDowall served in various positions on the board of governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the selection committee for the Kennedy Center Honors, contributing to various charities related to the film industry and film preservation. He was a founding member of the National Film Preservation Board and represented the Screen Actors Guild on that board until his death. He was also active as a photographer and journalist. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and McDowall's role as Huw Morgan made him a household name. It was made by 20th Century Fox, which also produced McDowall's next film, How Green Was My Valley (1941), on which he and Maureen O'Hara became lifelong friends. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer borrowed McDowall for the star role in Lassie Come Home (1943) with Elizabeth Taylor, who became another lifelong friend, and kept him for a leading role in The White Cliffs of Dover (1944).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.