Michael York
Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson;[1] 27 March 1942[2]) is a British film, television and stage actor. After performing on stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968). His blond, blue-eyed boyish looks and English upper social class demeanor saw him play leading roles in several major British and Hollywood films of the 1970s. His best known roles include Konrad Ludwig in Something for Everyone (1970), Geoffrey Richter-Douglas in Zeppelin (1971), Brian Roberts in Cabaret (1972), George Conway in Lost Horizon (1973), D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers (also 1973) and its two sequels, Count Andrenyi in Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and Logan 5 in Logan's Run (1976).
Michael York | |
|---|---|
York in 1999 | |
| Born | Michael Hugh Johnson 27 March 1942 Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Education | Bromley Grammar School for Boys, Hurstpierpoint College |
| Alma mater | University College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Spouse | Patricia McCallum (m. 1968) |
| Relatives | Rick McCallum (stepson) |
| Website | michaelyork |
In his later career he found success as Basil Exposition in the Austin Powers film series (1997–2002). He is a two-time Emmy Award nominee, for the ABC Afterschool Special: Are You My Mother? (1986) and the AMC series The Lot (2001).
In 2002, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to motion pictures.
Early life
York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire,[2] son of Florence Edith May Chown,[2] a musician, and Joseph Gwynne Johnson,[2] a Llandovery-born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer [1] and businessman.[2] York has an elder sister, Penelope Anne (born 1940) and younger twin sisters, Caroline and Bridget (born 1947); Bridget died a few hours after birth, according to York's autobiography. He was brought up in Burgess Hill, Sussex.[3]
During his teenage years, York was educated at Bromley Grammar School for Boys,[4] Hurstpierpoint College and University College, Oxford. He did some early acting at the community theatre Bromley Little Theatre and is now its president.[4] This then led to his joining the National Youth Theatre,[4] also performing with the Oxford University Dramatic Society[3] and the University College Players.[3] He began his career in a 1956 production of The Yellow Jacket.[1] In 1959, he made his West End début with a small part in a production of Hamlet.[1]
Career
Prior to graduating with a degree in English from the University of Oxford in 1964,[1] York had toured with the National Youth Theatre,[1] After some time with the Dundee Repertory Theatre,[1] where he played in Brendan Behan's The Hostage, York joined National Theatre[1] under Laurence Olivier where he worked with Franco Zeffirelli[1] during the 1965 staging of Much Ado About Nothing.[1] Following his role on British TV as Jolyon (Jolly) in The Forsyte Saga (1967), York made his film debut as Lucentio in Zeffirelli's The Taming of the Shrew (1967).[1] He then was cast as Tybalt in Zeffirelli's 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. He starred in The Guru (1969),[2] then played an amoral bisexual drifter in Something for Everyone (1970). In the 1971 film Zeppelin,[2] he portrayed a World War I soldier with conflicted family loyalties who pretends to side with the Germans. He portrayed the bisexual Brian Roberts in Bob Fosse's film version of Cabaret (1972).[2] In 1975, he portrayed a British soldier in 19th century colonial India in Conduct Unbecoming,[2] the first of three films he did with director Michael Anderson. In 1977, he reunited with Franco Zeffirelli as John the Baptist in Jesus of Nazareth.[2]
York starred as D'Artagnan in the 1973 adaptation of The Three Musketeers[2] and he made his Broadway début in the original production of Tennessee Williams's Out Cry.[2] One year later the sequel to The Three Musketeers was released (roughly covering events in the second half of the book) titled The Four Musketeers.[5] Fifteen years later, most of the cast (and crew) joined together in a third film titled The Return of the Musketeers based on the Dumas novel Twenty Years After.[2] He played the title character in the film adaptation of Logan's Run (1976), a fugitive who tries to escape a computer-controlled society.[2] The following year, he starred in The Island of Dr. Moreau opposite Burt Lancaster.[6]
Since his auspicious early work, York has enjoyed a busy and varied career in film, television and on the stage. He appeared in two episodes in the second season of the Road to Avonlea series as Ezekiel Crane, the lighthouse keeper of Avonlea and foster father of Gus Pike.[2] His Broadway theatre credits include Bent (1980),[2] The Crucible (1992), Someone Who'll Watch Over Me (1993) and the ill-fated musical The Little Prince and the Aviator (1982), which closed during previews. He also has made many sound recordings as a reader, including Harper Audio's production of C. S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[7]
York appeared in the 1996 Babylon 5 episode "A Late Delivery from Avalon" as a delusional man who believed himself to be King Arthur returned.[2] Two years later he would play King Arthur in A Knight in Camelot. He also appeared as Professor Asher Fleming, a 60-year-old Yale professor and boyfriend of Yale student Paris Geller (Liza Weil) during the fourth season of Gilmore Girls.[2] He performed the voice of the character Dr. Montague Kane in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Zatanna", as well as Kanto in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Tools of the Trade" and Ares in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Hawk & Dove". York starred in both The Omega Code and its sequel, Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, as Stone Alexander, the Antichrist from Christian eschatology.[2]
In 2002, he received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to motion pictures.[8] He played President Alexander Bourne of Macaronesia on seaQuest 2032. He played Basil Exposition in all three of the Austin Powers films.[3] He has made an appearance on The Simpsons as Mason Fairbanks, Homer Simpson's possible father, in "Homer's Paternity Coot". In 2006, York played the character Bernard Fremont (inspired by real life serial killer Charles Sobhraj) in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Slither". He also appeared as a fictionalised version of himself in several episodes of the third season of Curb Your Enthusiasm as an investor in Larry's new restaurant 'BoBo's. In 2009, he lent his voice to Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
York voiced Petrie's uncle Pterano in The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire. In 2009, he narrated the entire Bible for The Word of Promise Audio Bible, a star-studded, performance of the New King James Version.[9] York again played King Arthur in a revival of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, which began its run at the La Mirada Theatre in Southern California, and toured nationally in 2006 and 2007.
York portrays Luke in The Truth & Life Dramatised Audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour audio dramatisation of the New Testament, which uses the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition translation. In 2008, York took part in the BBC Wales programme Coming Home about his Welsh family history. In September 2013, York played Albany in the Gala Performance of William Shakespeare's King Lear at the Old Vic in London.[10]
Personal life
York met photographer Patricia McCallum in 1967 when she was assigned to photograph him, and they married on 27 March 1968, York's 26th birthday. His stepson is Star Wars producer Rick McCallum. York was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1977.[11]
| External video | |
|---|---|
| Michael York Speaks at The National Press Club on amyloidosis, 4:00-60:00, 12 August 2016, National Press Club[12] |
Health issues
York announced he was suffering from the rare disease called amyloidosis in 2013.[13] Doctors initially thought he had bone cancer.[14] He underwent a stem cell transplant, which can alleviate symptoms, in 2012.[15]
York and his wife moved to Rochester, Minnesota, in 2022 to be closer to the Mayo Clinic Hospital for treatment.[16][17]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | The Taming of the Shrew | Lucentio | |
| Confessions of Loving Couples | Peter | ||
| Accident | William | ||
| Red and Blue | Acrobat | Short film | |
| Smashing Time | Tom Wabe | ||
| 1968 | Separation | Himself | Uncredited |
| Romeo and Juliet | Tybalt | ||
| The Strange Affair | Peter Strange | ||
| 1969 | The Guru | Tom Pickle | |
| Alfred the Great | Guthrum | ||
| Justine | Darley | ||
| 1970 | Something for Everyone | Konrad Ludwig | |
| 1971 | Zeppelin | Geoffrey Richter-Douglas | |
| Touch and Go | Basil | ||
| 1972 | Cabaret | Brian Roberts | |
| 1973 | Lost Horizon | George Conway | |
| England Made Me | Anthony Farrant | ||
| The Three Musketeers | D'Artagnan | ||
| 1974 | The Four Musketeers | D'Artagnan | |
| Great Expectations | Pip | ||
| Murder on the Orient Express | Count Rudolf Andrenyi | ||
| 1975 | Conduct Unbecoming | Lieutenant Arthur Drake | |
| 1976 | Logan's Run | Logan 5 | |
| Seven Nights in Japan | Prince George | ||
| 1977 | The Island of Dr. Moreau | Andrew Braddock | |
| The Last Remake of Beau Geste | Beau Geste | ||
| 1978 | Fedora | Himself | |
| 1979 | The Riddle of the Sands | Charles Carruthers | |
| 1980 | Final Assignment | Lyosha Petrov | |
| 1981 | The White Lions | Chris McBride | |
| 1983 | For Those I Loved | Martin Gray | |
| 1984 | Success Is the Best Revenge | Alex Rodak | |
| 1986 | Dawn | John Dawson | |
| 1987 | Lethal Obsession | Dr. Proper | |
| 1988 | Phantom of Death | Robert Dominici | |
| Midnight Cop | Karstens | ||
| 1989 | The Return of the Musketeers | D'Artagnan | |
| 1990 | Come See the Paradise | Dance Hall Band | |
| 1991 | Eline Vere | Lawrence St. Clare | |
| 1992 | The Long Shadow | Gabor Romandy | |
| 1993 | Wide Sargasso Sea | Paul Mason | |
| 1994 | Discretion Assured | Trevor McCabe | |
| 1995 | Gospa | Milan Vukovic | |
| A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court | Merlin | [18] | |
| Not of This Earth | Paul Johnson | ||
| 1997 | Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery | Basil Exposition | |
| Goodbye America | Senator Bladon | ||
| Dark Planet | Capt. Winter | ||
| The Long Way Home | Narrator | Voice, documentary | |
| A Christmas Carol | Bob Cratchit | Voice | |
| 1998 | Merchants of Venus | Alex Jakoff | |
| Wrongfully Accused | Hibbing Goodhue | ||
| 54 | Ambassador | ||
| The Treat | Simon | ||
| Lovers & Liars | Dick Bunche | ||
| One Hell of a Guy | Devil | ||
| 1999 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Basil Exposition | |
| Puss in Boots | Puss in Boots | Voice | |
| The Omega Code | Stone Alexander | ||
| The Haunting of Hell House | Professor Ambrose | ||
| 2000 | The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire | Pterano | Voice |
| Borstal Boy | Joyce | ||
| A Monkey's Tale | The Lankoo King | Voice | |
| 2001 | Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 | Stone Alexander, Satan | |
| 2002 | Austin Powers in Goldmember | Basil Exposition | |
| A Very Merry Pooh Year | Narrator | Voice | |
| 2004 | Moscow Heat | Roger Chambers | |
| 2007 | Flatland: The Movie | Spherius | Voice |
| 2008 | Testimony: The Untold Story of Pope John Paul II | Narrator | Voice, documentary film |
| 2009 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | Prime #1 | Voice |
| 2010 | Pravosudiye Volkov | Mikhail Polyakov | |
| Quixote | Don Quixote | Voice, short film | |
| Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes | Sherlock Holmes | Voice | |
| The Justice of Wolves | Mika | ||
| Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey | Core | Voice | |
| 2011 | The Mill and the Cross | Nicolaes Jonghelinck | |
| 2011 | Glad Christmas Tidings | Narrator | Voice |
| 2012 | Flatland 2: Sphereland | Spherius | Voice |
| 2014 | Sleeping Beauty | Narrator | Voice |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Arrest and Trial | Pete Bakalyan | Episode: "A Circle of Strangers" |
| 1966 | The Wild Wild West | Gupta | Episode: “The Night of the Golden Cobra” |
| 1967 | Death Valley Days | Haynie | Episode: "The Man Who Wouldn't Die" |
| 1967 | The Forsyte Saga | Jolyon "Jolly" Forsyte | |
| 1968 | The Wednesday Play | Roger Porlock | Episode: "Rebel in the Grave" |
| 1974 | Great Expectations | Pip | TV film |
| 1977 | Jesus of Nazareth | John the Baptist | Miniseries |
| 1977 | BBC2 Play of the Week: True Patriot | Dietrich Bonhoeffer | TV film |
| 1978 | Much Ado About Nothing | Benedick | TV film |
| 1979 | A Man Called Intrepid | Evan Michaelian | Miniseries |
| 1981 | Vendredi ou la Vie Sauvage | Robinson Crusoe | TV film |
| 1982 | Twilight Theater | TV film | |
| 1983 | The Phantom of the Opera | Michael Hartnell | TV film |
| 1983 | The Weather in the Streets | Rollo Spencer | TV film |
| 1984 | The Master of Ballantrae | James Durie | TV film |
| 1985 | Space | Dieter Kolff | Miniseries |
| 1986 | ABC Afterschool Special | Chet Gordon | Episode: "Are You My Mother?" |
| 1986 | The Storybook Series with Hayley Mills | Beast | Voice |
| 1986 | Tall Tales & Legends | Ponce de Leon | Episode: "Ponde de Leon" |
| 1986 | Sword of Gideon | Robert | TV film |
| 1986 | Dark Mansions | Jason Drake | TV film |
| 1986 | Nevil Shute's The Far Country | Carl Zlinter | TV film |
| 1987 | The Far Country | George Miller | 2 episodes |
| 1987–1988 | Knots Landing | Charles Scott | 8 episodes |
| 1988 | The Secret of the Sahara | Desmond Jordan | Miniseries |
| 1988 | The Four Minute Mile | Franz Stampfl | Miniseries |
| 1989 | The Lady and the Highwayman | King Charles II | TV film |
| 1989 | Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again | Paul de Lancel | Miniseries |
| 1990 | The Heat of the Day | Robert Kelway | TV film |
| 1990 | Night of the Fox | Field Marshal Rommel | TV film |
| 1991 | Road to Avonlea | Ezekiel Crane | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Duel of Hearts | Gervaise Warlingham | TV film |
| 1992 | The Legend of Prince Valiant | Owen | Voice, 3 episodes |
| 1992–1993 | Batman: The Animated Series | Count Vertigo, Montague Kane | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn | Narrator | Voice, TV documentary film |
| 1993 | Tracey Ullman Takes on New York | Central Park Acquaintance | Comedy Special |
| 1994 | TekWar | Prince Richard | 1 episode |
| 1994 | ABC Weekend Special | King Sarastro | Episode: "The Magic Flute" |
| 1994 | Fall from Grace | Hans-Dieter Stromelburg | TV film |
| 1994 | Rochade | Paul Grumbach | TV film |
| 1995 | Shadow of a Kiss | Albert | TV film |
| 1995–1996 | seaQuest DSV | President Alexander Bourne | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | The Naked Truth | Leland Banks | Episode: "Woman Jokes While Husband Cooks!" |
| 1995 | The Magic School Bus | Harry Herp | Voice, episode: "Cold Feet" |
| 1996 | La Nouvelle tribu | Ilya | Miniseries |
| 1996 | September | Edmund | TV film |
| 1996 | The Ring | Walmar von Gotthard | TV film |
| 1996 | Babylon 5 | David "King Arthur" McIntyre | Episode: "A Late Delivery from Avalon" |
| 1996 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Androcles, Priest | Voice, episode: "Compassion" |
| 1996 | Un coup de baguette magique | Ilya | TV film |
| 1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | Kanto | Voice, episode: "Tools of the Trade" |
| 1997 | Sliders | Dr. Vargas | Episode: "This Slide of Paradise" |
| 1997 | True Women | Lewis Lawshe | Miniseries |
| 1997 | The Ripper | Charles Warren | TV film |
| 1998 | Dead Man's Gun | Herr Friederich Von Huber | Episode: "The Collector" |
| 1998 | Glory, Glory | Rev. Hopewell | Pilot |
| 1998 | A Knight in Camelot | King Arthur | TV film |
| 1998 | Perfect Little Angels | Dr. Calvin Lawrence | TV film |
| 1998 | Search for Nazi Gold | Narrator | TV documentary |
| 2000 | Founding Fathers | Alexander Hamilton | TV documentary film |
| 2001 | The Lot | Colin Rhome | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Liberty's Kids | Admiral Lord Howe | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Presidio Med | George Slingerland | Episode: "Secrets" |
| 2002 | Founding Brothers | Alexander Hamilton | TV documentary film |
| 2002 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Himself | 4 episodes |
| 2003 | La Femme Musketeer | Jacques D'Artagnan | TV film |
| 2003–2004 | Gilmore Girls | Professor Asher Fleming | 4 episodes |
| 2004 | Crusader | McGovern | TV film |
| 2004 | Justice League Unlimited | Ares | Voice, episode: "Hawk and Dove" |
| 2004 | Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! | Master Zan | Voice, episode: "Antauri's Masters" |
| 2005 | Icon | Nigel Irvine | TV film |
| 2006, 2016-2020 | The Simpsons | Mason Fairbanks, Dr. Lionel Budgie, Nigel, Clay | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Bernard Fremont | Episode: "Slither" |
| 2007 | The Replacements | Agent G | Voice, pisode: "London Calling" |
| 2008 | Four Seasons | Stephen Combe | Miniseries |
| 2008 | Ben 10: Alien Force | Patrick | Voice, episode: "Be-Knighted" |
| 2009 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Dr. Nuvo Vindi | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2010 | How I Met Your Mother | Jefferson Van Smoot | Episode: "Robots Versus Wrestlers" |
| 2010 | Family Guy | Documentary Speaker | Voice, episode: "Partial Terms of Endearment" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Die by the Sword | Instructor | |
| 1998 | Tex Murphy: Overseer | J. Saint Gideon |
Autobiography
- Accidentally on Purpose: An Autobiography. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1991. ISBN 978-0-6716-8940-7..
- Travelling Player: An Autobiography. London: Headline. 1991. ISBN 978-0-7472-3306-0..
- Also available in other editions
Other works
- York wrote about his experience with Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 in Dispatches from Armageddon. 2001, Smith & Kraus. ISBN 978-1-5752-5311-4.
- York is also the co-author, with director Adrian Brine, of A Shakespearean Actor Prepares. 2000, Smith & Kraus. ISBN 978-0-7394-1178-0.
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k . yahoo.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Michael York profile". FilmReference.com. Retrieved 5 June 2009.
- ^ a b c d "York, Michael (1942-) Biography". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Grafton-Green, Patrick. "Hollywood icon Michael York talks about acting, illness and Bromley Little Theatre's fight for survival". newsshopper.co.uk. Petts Wood, Kent. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Three Musketeers (1973)". At-A-Glance Film Reviews. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- ^ "The Island of Dr. Moreau". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "Talking with Michael York". audiofilemagazine.com. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ a b "York, Michael Walk of Fame". walkoffame.com/. 2002.
- ^ Groves, Martha (16 November 2009). "Stars lined up for elaborate audio Bible: Michael York, Jason Alexander and many others gave voice to a 79-CD reading of Old and New Testaments". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "King Lear. 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. The Old Vic. Accessed 4 November 2014.
- ^ . vanityfair.com. 7 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012.
- ^ "National Press Club Luncheon with Michael York, August 12, 2016". National Press Club. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
- ^ Walker, Tim (27 April 2013). "Cabaret star Michael York's secret battle against killer illness". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
- ^ . 3 News NZ. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ^ Bosley, Sarah (21 October 2013). "Michael York's battle with amyloidosis". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Pener, Degen (16 January 2022). "Michael York, Now Living in Minnesota, Lists L.A. Home for $7M". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "From Hollywood to Rochester: Actor Michael York moves to be closer to Mayo Clinic". Post-Bulletin. Rochester, Minn. 11 January 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", IMDb, retrieved 16 June 2020
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Michael York Awards". IMDB (Index source only). Retrieved 1 November 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Michael York at IMDb
- Michael York at the Internet Broadway Database