Editing Michael Rennie

{{Short description|British actor (1909–1971)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Michael Rennie
| image        = File:Michael Rennie 1958.JPG
| caption      = Rennie in 1958
| birth_name   = Eric Alexander Rennie
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1909|8|25|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Idle, West Yorkshire|Idle]], ([[Bradford]]) [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1971|6|10|1909|8|25|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Harrogate]], West Riding of Yorkshire, England
| education    = [[The Leys School]]
| occupation   = Actor
| years_active = 1936–1971
| restingplace = Harlow Hill Cemetery, [[Harrogate]], [[North Yorkshire]] 
| spouse       = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Maggie McGrath (1919-2017)|1947|1960|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Joan England (1912_1974)|1938|1945|end=divorced}}
}}
| partner      = Renee Taylor ''(née Gilbert)''
| children     = 2
}}
'''Michael Rennie''' (born '''Eric Alexander Rennie'''; 25 August 1909 &ndash; 10 June 1971) was a British film, television and stage actor, who had leading roles in a number of Hollywood films, including his portrayal of the space visitor [[Klaatu (The Day the Earth Stood Still)|Klaatu]] in the [[science fiction]] film ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still]]'' (1951). In a career spanning more than 30 years, Rennie appeared in more than 50 films and in several American television series.

Under three years after leaving Hollywood, he journeyed to his mother's home in Harrogate, Yorkshire, following the death of his brother. There, he died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm on 10 June 1971.

==Early years and career==
Rennie was born in [[Idle, West Yorkshire|Idle]] near [[Bradford]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], the second son of a Scottish wool mill owner, James Rennie, and his English wife Amelia (née Dobby). He had an elder brother William, younger brother Gordon and sister Edith. The Rennie business had operated for over 150 years, and the family was relatively well off. He was educated at [[the Leys School]], [[Cambridge]].

He went to work at the family mill in Bradford, but did not enjoy it. He worked in a number of occupations, including a stint as a car salesman, and sweeping floors in his uncle's steel ropes factory. He eventually decided (at the time of his 26th birthday, in 1935) on a career as an actor. He retained his surname but adopted Michael as his professional name.<ref name="obit">{{cite news| title=Michael Rennie, Film and TV Actor, Dead at 62| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/11/archives/michael-rennie-film-and-tv-actor-dead-at-621-sarred-as-harry-lime-i.html| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=11 June 1971| page=38| url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015070837/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/11/archives/michael-rennie-film-and-tv-actor-dead-at-621-sarred-as-harry-lime-i.html?searchResultPosition=1 |archive-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref> He cited [[Ronald Colman]] as his role model.<ref name="jean"/>

===Early British films===
The 6' 4" tall Rennie attracted the interest of a casting director at [[Gaumont British]], who took him on as an extra. Rennie said entering the film industry at this level was a deliberate strategy, so he could learn how pictures were made.<ref>{{cite news|title=Actor Michael Rennie Dies; Starred in 'Third Man' on TV|work=The Washington Post and Times-Herald|date=11 June 1971|page=C6}}</ref> Head of production [[Michael Balcon]] said Rennie was taken on  "because he was good-looking and athletic. He knew nothing of acting, but was given a contract to play small parts and to work as stand-in for players such as [[Robert Young (actor)|Robert Young]] and [[John Loder (actor)|John Loder]]."<ref name="michael">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51280328 |title=Demand For Youth |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=9 |issue=39 |date=28 February 1942 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=14 (The Movie World) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Rennie's first screen acting was an uncredited bit part in the [[Alfred Hitchcock]] film ''[[Secret Agent (1936 film)|Secret Agent]]'' (1936), standing in for Robert Young. Balcon says he saw Rennie act in a scene in ''[[East Meets West (1936 film)|East Meets West]]'' (1936) and fired him immediately afterwards. Balcon wrote "I had seen the rushes of that day's filming and had at once decided that Rennie was far too inexperienced to justify big screen parts."<ref name="michael"/>

The 1937 screen test, which exists in the [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) archives under the title "[[Marguerite Allan]] and Michael Rennie Screen Test", did not lead to a film career for either performer.<ref>{{cite web| website=BFI| title=Marguerite Allan and Michael Rennie Screen Test| url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/587625| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090920075214/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/587625| archive-date=20 September 2009| access-date=19 August 2020}}</ref>

Balcon says Rennie "took his setback well, left the studios, and went off to learn his job in repertory."<ref name="michael"/> Rennie worked mostly in Yorkshire, eventually becoming a star with the [[York Repertory Company]]. Among his roles were as Professor Henry Higgins in ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]''.

He also played other bit parts and minor unbilled roles in other films, including ''[[The Man Who Could Work Miracles]]'' (1936), ''[[Conquest of the Air]]'' (1937), ''[[The Squeaker (1937 film)|The Squeaker]]'' (1937), ''[[Gangway (film)|Gangway]]'' (1937), ''[[The Divorce of Lady X]]'' (1938), ''[[Bank Holiday (film)|Bank Holiday]]'' (1938), ''[[This Man in Paris]]'' (1939) & ''[[The Briggs Family]]'' (1940). He later said he strove to perfect a "[[Good American Speech|mid-Atlantic accent]]" that could easily be understood by American as well as British audiences which resulted in people thinking he was Canadian.<ref name="jean"/>

==World War II==
===Rising fame===
Shortly after the outbreak of war in Europe on 1 September 1939, Rennie began to receive offers for larger film roles, including ''[[This Man Is Dangerous (1941 film)|This Man Is Dangerous]]'' (1940), ''[[Dangerous Moonlight]]'' (1941) and ''[[Pimpernel Smith]]'' (1941). Rennie auditioned again for [[Michael Balcon]], now head of [[Ealing Studios]], and was cast in ''[[Ships with Wings]]''.

While that film was being prepared, Rennie continued repertory work and accepted a one-line role in George Formby's ''[[Turned Out Nice Again]]''. Balcon says Rennie "declared that he enjoyed it as he was playing a motor salesman, and this reminded him of the days when he tried to sell cars – without securing a single buyer."<ref name="michael"/>

Rennie had his first big film role in the suspense drama ''[[Tower of Terror (1941 film)|Tower of Terror]]'' (1941). This starred [[Wilfrid Lawson (actor)|Wilfrid Lawson]] in the lead role as a crazed Dutch lighthouse keeper in the [[Netherlands in World War II|German-occupied Netherlands]], while the second-billed Rennie and third-billed [[Movita]] had the romantic leads. In a 1951 interview Rennie said this was his worst part.<ref name="jean">{{cite news| title=Seeing His Worst Movie After 10 Years Assures Michael Rennie Part as Jean Valjean Is His Best| url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/381168037/?terms=Seeing%2BHis%2BWorst%2BMovie%2BAfter%2B10%2BYears%2BAssures%2BMichael%2BRennie%2BPart%2Bas%2BJean%2BValjean%2BIs%2BHis%2BBest |last=Scheuer| first=Philip K.| newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=8 November 1951 |page=D1}}</ref>

Michael Balcon also used him in ''[[The Big Blockade]]'' (1942). He was called a "rapidly rising newcomer".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92372391 |title=News From The Talkie Studios |newspaper=[[The Chronicle (Adelaide)|The Chronicle]] |volume=LXXXIV |issue=4,804 |location=Adelaide |date=15 January 1942 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=33 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Another profile referred to him as an "athletic, [[Clark Gable|Gable]]-ish young man."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article219386047 |title=We Introduce You To Some of the Actors Who Take Part In 'Ships With Wings' |newspaper=The Voice |volume=15 |issue=29 |location=Hobart |date=18 July 1942 |access-date=19 August 2020 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

===War service===
Rennie enlisted in the [[RAF Volunteer Reserve]] on 27 May 1941. "There has been a pause in Rennie's film career", wrote Balcon in 1942. "But there will be parts awaiting him when the war is over".<ref name="michael"/>

He was officially discharged on 4 August 1942, and then on the following day, he was commissioned "for the emergency" as [[pilot officer]] number 127347 on probation in the General Duties Branch of the RAFVR. On 5 February 1943, he was promoted to [[flying officer]] on probation. He resigned his commission on 1 May 1944 (not discharged on disability, as the studio publicity stated).{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

Rennie had carried out his basic training near [[Torquay]] in [[Devon]], after which he was sent to the United States for [[fighter plane|fighter pilot]] training under the [[Hap Arnold|Arnold Plan]]. In this programme, pilots of the RAF were trained by [[United States Army Air Forces]] instructors. One of his fellow students was RAF Sergeant Jack Morton, who told an anecdote about when he and Rennie were in the same class:
<blockquote>{{citation needed span|date=October 2024|text=At the end of our primary course we were posted to a Basic Flying School at Cochran Field, [[Macon, Georgia]]. The class which completed the course at Cochran Field was now split up, half were posted to Napier Field, [[Dothan, Alabama]], to train on single-engine planes, and the remainder were posted to twin-engine schools. Like Cochran, Napier Field was a large permanent Air Corps Base and most of us were quite content to stay on the camp when we had time off. One of the cadets on our course had told us that he was a film actor, but no one took him seriously. We had to admit that he was right however when a film came to the camp cinema called ''[[Ships with Wings]]'' starring Michael Rennie.}}</blockquote>

==Film stardom==
===''I'll Be Your Sweetheart'' and ''The Wicked Lady''===
With the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, Rennie was given his first film break, when cast alongside [[Margaret Lockwood]], then at the peak of her popularity, in the musical ''[[I'll Be Your Sweetheart]]'' (1945), directed by [[Val Guest]] for [[Gainsborough Studios]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26143594 |title=Famous Stars Return to the Fold |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |volume=CLXII |issue=23,410 |location=Hobart |date=15 December 1945 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name="val">{{cite web|url=https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/val-guest|website=British Entertainment History Project|first=Roy|last=Fowler|date=1988|title=Interview with Val Guest}}</ref> Rennie was billed below Lockwood and [[Vic Oliver]], given an "introducing" credit, but his character was the actual protagonist of the film. The movie was not a large hit but Rennie received excellent notices, including a review from the US trade paper ''Variety'' which said his performance made the film "noteworthy" and that he was "likely Hollywood material... the best bet in the way of a new male star to have come out of a British studio in many years. Rennie not only has a lot on the ball as a straight lead, he knows the value of visual tricks. Femmes will go for him in a big way."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/variety159-1945-07#page/n61/mode/1up |title=Film Reviews: I'll Be Your Sweetheart |newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=11 July 1945 |page=14}}</ref>

He followed this in another movie with Lockwood at Gainsborough, the sensual costume adventure ''[[The Wicked Lady]]'' (1945). Rennie was the fifth lead, beneath Lockwood, James Mason, [[Patricia Roc]] and [[Griffith Jones (actor)|Griffith Jones]], but it was a good part as the one true love of Lockwood's character. It was an excellent project to be associated with, the year's biggest box-office hit, subsequently ninth out of the ten highest-grossing British films of all time.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xtGIAgAAQBAJ&dq=hungry+hill+film+box+office&pg=PA209| first=Robert| last=Murphy| title=Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939–48| date=2 September 2003| publisher=Routledge| page=209| isbn=978-1134901500}}</ref>

Rennie's prestige was also raised when he was given a single prominent scene as a commander of [[Roman Empire|Roman]] centurions in [[Gabriel Pascal]]'s production of [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Caesar and Cleopatra (film)|Caesar and Cleopatra]]'' (also 1945), starring [[Vivien Leigh]] and [[Claude Rains]]. The film's expense caused it to lose a large amount of money, despite its being highly successful at the box office, particularly in the U.S.

Rennie was now established as a leading actor. One report called him "the bobbysoxers' dark idol... Gainsborough's 1945 discovery."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22227865 |title=Australian Actor, John MacCallum, Has Lead in New English Film |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |issue=31,031 |location=Melbourne |date=13 February 1946 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> He was mobbed by female fans on a personal appearance tour.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47209739 |title=His tour of Britain exhausted this new star |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=13 |issue=37 |date=23 February 1946 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=31 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Gainsborough teamed him with one of their biggest female stars, [[Phyllis Calvert]], in the melodrama ''[[The Root of All Evil (1947 film)|The Root of All Evil]]'' (1947).

===Maurice Ostrer===
In July 1946 it was announced Rennie had signed a five-year contract with [[Maurice Ostrer]]'s new company, Premiere Productions, worth  £300,000 – making him the highest paid film star in Britain.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article231574726 |title=Martini Had Clothes And |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=11,384 |location=Sydney |date=19 July 1946 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Rennie's first film under a new contract was ''[[White Cradle Inn]]'' (1947), shot in Switzerland with [[Madeleine Carroll]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47502906 |title=Lucky contracts for Michael Rennie |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=14 |issue=23 |date=16 November 1946 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=36 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Rennie had been "loaned out" to another company to make it but then he made his first film for Ostrer at Premiere, ''[[The Idol of Paris]]'' (1948).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228974916 |title=British Films |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=2317 |location=Sydney |date=7 September 1947 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=19 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The film did so badly that Ostrer left the film industry.

Rennie made films for independent producers and his career momentum began to fade: ''[[Uneasy Terms]]'' (1948); ''[[Golden Madonna]]'' (1949) (again with Calvert); and two comedies for Val Guest: ''[[Miss Pilgrim's Progress]]'' (1949) and ''[[The Body Said No!]]'' (1950). He had what may be considered Rennie's only role as one of two central characters in a fully-fledged love story in the 47-minute episode "[[Trio (1950 film)#Sanatorium|Sanatorium]]", the longest of the [[Somerset Maugham]] tales constituting the omnibus film ''[[Trio (1950 film)|Trio]]'' (1950); the 40-year-old Rennie and the 20-year-old [[Jean Simmons]] play patients and doomed lovers in the title institution, which caters to victims of [[tuberculosis]].

==Hollywood career==
===20th Century Fox===
Rennie was one of several English actors cast in the [[20th Century Fox]] medieval adventure story ''[[The Black Rose]]'' (1950), shot in England starring [[Tyrone Power]] and [[Orson Welles]]. Rennie was specifically cast as the 13th-century [[Edward I of England|King Edward I]], whose {{convert|6|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}} frame gave origin to his historical [[nickname]] "Longshanks". He was fifth-billed after [[Cécile Aubry]] and [[Jack Hawkins]]. Rennie became good friends with Power, who spoke well of the actor to Fox executives.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51389950 |title=Michael Rennie |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly |volume=21 |issue=49 |date=5 May 1954 |access-date=26 March 2017 |page=47 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Rennie's performance impressed Fox's studio head, [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], who offered him a role in a film shot in Canada, ''[[The 13th Letter]]'' (1951). Directed by [[Otto Preminger]], it was a remake of the French film ''[[Le Corbeau]]'' (''The Raven'', 1943), with the setting changed to the Canadian province of [[Quebec]].

Fox was so pleased with Rennie's work that it offered him a seven-year contract in November 1950.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fitzgerald Coauthors Own Starring Subject; Rennie Wins 20th Pact |url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/385488570/?terms=Fitzgerald%2BCoauthors%2BOwn%2BStarring%2BSubject%3B%2BRennie%2BWins%2B20th%2BPact |last=Schallert |first=Edwin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=21 November 1950 |page= A11 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===''The Day the Earth Stood Still''===
[[File:Klaatu - screenshot from trailer for Day the Earth Stood Still.jpg|thumb|upright|Rennie as [[Klaatu (The Day the Earth Stood Still)|Klaatu]] in ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still]]''.]]
After [[Claude Rains]] turned down the role, Rennie received top billing in his next film, ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still]]'' (also 1951), the first postwar, large-budget, "A" [[science-fiction]] film. It was a serious, high-minded exploration of mid-20th century suspicion and paranoia, combined with a philosophical overview of humanity's coming place in the larger universe. Rennie said director Robert Wise told him to do the role "with dignity but not with superiority".<ref name="jean"/> (The story was later dramatised in 1954 on ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'', with Rennie and Billy Gray recreating their original film roles. Seven years later, on 3 March 1962, when ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' made its television premiere on [[NBC]]'s ''[[NBC Saturday Night at the Movies]]'', Rennie appeared in a two-minute introductory prologue before the start of the film.)

Rennie went on to support Power in ''[[I'll Never Forget You (film)|I'll Never Forget You]]'' (1951) then had good roles in the ensemble drama ''[[Phone Call from a Stranger]]'' (1952) (where he played an American<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39362318 |title=Varied Roles for the Amazing Mr. Rennie |newspaper=[[Western Mail (Western Australia)|Western Mail]] |volume=69 |issue=3,362 |location=Perth |date=8 April 1954 |access-date=26 March 2017 |page=25 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>) and in the wartime spy thriller, ''[[5 Fingers]]'' (1952), as the agent who tracks down [[James Mason]]'s spy. He did some narration for ''[[The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel]]'' (1951) and would provide voiceovers for several Fox films, such as ''[[Pony Soldier]]'' (1952), ''[[Titanic (1953 film)|Titanic]]'' (1953), ''[[The Desert Rats (film)|The Desert Rats]]'' (1953) and ''[[Prince Valiant (1954 film)|Prince Valiant]]'' (1954).

===''Les Misérables''===
Buoyed by the strong critical reception and profitability of ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'', Fox assigned much of the credit to the central performance of Rennie. Convinced that it had a potential [[leading man]] under contract, the studio decided to produce a new version of ''[[Les Misérables (1952 film)|Les Misérables]]'' (1952) as a vehicle for him. The film was directed by [[Lewis Milestone]], known for his early sound version of ''[[All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film)|All Quiet on the Western Front]]''. Rennie's performance was respectfully, but not enthusiastically, received by the critics. Ultimately, ''Les Misérables'' returned an extremely modest profit and put an end to any further attempts to promote the 43-year-old Rennie as a potential star. This caused the studio to cancel a project he was attached to in 1952 — ''Arms of Venus''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fox to film story of Nazis in Greece: ' Arms of Venus' Involves Men Who Thought They Found Statue's Lost Appendages |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/01/28/archives/fox-to-film-story-of-nazis-in-greece-arms-of-venus-involves-men-who.html |last=Pryor |first=Thomas |newspaper=The New York Times |date=28 January 1952 |page=14 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

He was, however, launched on a thriving career as a top supporting actor at Fox, often playing figures of authority, such as doctors or military officers.

===Supporting actor at Fox===
Rennie was second-billed in ''[[Sailor of the King]]'' (also known as ''Single-Handed'', 1953), playing an admiral, as supporting actor to [[Jeffrey Hunter]]. He was leading man to [[Jeanne Crain]] in a thriller, ''[[Dangerous Crossing]]'' (1953), which re-used sets and props from ''[[Titanic (1953 film)|Titanic]]'' (also 1953), for which Rennie spoke the closing narration. He had a showy role as [[Saint Peter]] in ''[[The Robe (film)|The Robe]]'' (1953), the first movie in [[CinemaScope]] and the biggest hit of the year. The star was Richard Burton, who had essentially taken Rennie's place on the Fox lot as their "resident British star".

Rennie supported Tyrone Power once more in ''[[King of the Khyber Rifles (film)|King of the Khyber Rifles]]'' (1954), as a brigadier in British India, then he played his first villain for Fox, an evil Khan in the "eastern", ''[[Princess of the Nile]]'' (1954), opposite Jeffrey Hunter. He reprised his role as Peter in ''[[Demetrius and the Gladiators]]'' (1954) and was lent out for ''[[Mambo (film)|Mambo]]'' (1954).

In ''[[Désirée (film)|Désirée]]'' (1954), Rennie played the future [[Charles XIV John of Sweden]] opposite [[Marlon Brando]] as [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. The film was popular although not as highly regarded as other Brando films from this time. ''[[Soldier of Fortune (1955 film)|Soldier of Fortune]]'' (1955), was another hit, with Rennie as the head of British police in Hong Kong supporting [[Clark Gable]] and [[Susan Hayward]].

On TV he played the attorney in an adaptation of ''The Letter'' (1955) with [[John Mills]]. He also received good reviews for his performance as an art dealer in "A Man of Taste" (1955) for ''Climax'' with [[Zsa Zsa Gabor]].<ref>{{cite news |title=TV Review: ' Climax' Show Melds Felony and Comedy |first=J. P. |last=Shanley |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/12/02/archives/tv-review-climax-show-melds-felony-and-comedy.html |date=2 December 1955 |page=55 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Rennie enjoyed live TV. "You have greater performances as opposed to those in a filmed series", he said. "You are able to build and sustain a role in live TV whereas you have the problem of cutting, stopping and starting in a filmed show."<ref name="page">{{cite news |title=The Third Man: Harry Lime Will Be Newest TV Hero |url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/381315508/?terms=The%2BThird%2BMan%3A%2BHarry%2BLime%2BWill%2BBe%2BNewest%2BTV%2BHero |last=Page |first=Don |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=7 June 1959 |page=G8 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Based on the positive reaction to his two turns as the Apostle Peter, Fox assigned him another third-billed, top-tier role as a stalwart man of God, [[Franciscan]] [[friar]] [[Junípero Serra]], who, between 1749 and his death in 1784, founded [[Spanish missions in California|missions]] in [[Alta California]]. The film was ''[[Seven Cities of Gold (film)|Seven Cities of Gold]]'' (1955), with [[Richard Egan (actor)|Richard Egan]] and [[Anthony Quinn]].

His next film was ''[[The Rains of Ranchipur]]'' (1955), assigned him fifth billing after the lead romantic teaming of [[Lana Turner]] and [[Richard Burton]]. As Turner's character's [[cuckold]]ed husband, Lord Esketh, Rennie maintained his typical dignity and stiff upper lip. He supported [[Ginger Rogers]] in ''[[Teenage Rebel]]'' (1956) and had a good role as the man murdered by James Mason in ''[[Island in the Sun (film)|Island in the Sun]]'' (1957), Darryl Zanuck's popular melodrama. His contract with Fox then wound up.

==Post-20th Century-Fox==
Rennie began his freelancing career supporting [[Cornel Wilde]] in ''[[Omar Khayyam (1957 film)|Omar Khayyam]]'' (1957) at Paramount. He returned to Britain to play the lead in a war film ''[[Battle of the V-1]]'' (1958). He was going to co-produce and star in a war film for [[Eros Films]] about bomb disposal experts, ''Getaway'', but it was not made.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rennie Twice to Star as Demolition Man; Mature's Lead Chosen |last=Schallert |first=Edwin |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=5 October 1957 |url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/381186241/?terms=Mature%27s%2BLead%2BChosen |page=B3 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Scheduling conflicts meant he missed out on a role in ''The Vikings'' (1958), being replaced by James Donald.<ref>{{cite news |title=Carol Reed Here for Movie Talks: British Director to Discuss 2 Story Properties With Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Lanchester and Laughton of Local Origin |first=Thomas M. |last=Pryor |work=The New York Times |date=13 May 1957 |page=27 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/05/13/archives/carol-reed-here-for-movie-talks-british-director-to-discuss-2-story.html |access-date=19 August 2020 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

He had top billing in a mountaineering film for Disney, ''[[Third Man on the Mountain]]'' (1959), although he was really the support for [[James MacArthur]].

[[Irwin Allen]] gave him a leading part at Fox, casting him as adventurer Lord John Roxton in an adaptation of [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s ''[[The Lost World (1960 film)|The Lost World]]'' (1960), a tale of a jungle expedition that finds prehistoric monsters in South America; the film also starred [[Claude Rains]], [[Jill St. John]] and [[Richard Haydn]]. Then, no longer bound by the no-television clause in his studio contract, he began his association with the medium.

===''The Third Man'' and ''Mary Mary''===
Rennie became a familiar face on television, taking the role of [[Harry Lime (character)|Harry Lime]] in ''[[The Third Man (TV series)|The Third Man]]'' (1959–65), an Anglo-American [[syndicated television]] series very loosely derived from the film. It ran for several years but the schedule meant Rennie had plenty of time off to work on other projects. "Every scene of every show I do for money", he said.<ref name="page"/>

At the start of the 1960s, Michael Rennie made his only [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] appearance in ''[[Mary, Mary (play)|Mary, Mary]]'' playing Dirk Winsten, a jaded film star. After two previews, the sophisticated five-character marital comedy written by [[Jean Kerr]] and directed by [[Joseph Anthony]] opened at the [[Helen Hayes Theatre]] on 8 March 1961. It ran for a very successful 1,572 performances, closing at the [[Morosco Theatre]] on 12 December 1964. Rennie stayed with the production less than five months and was replaced by [[Michael Wilding (actor)|Michael Wilding]] in July 1961.

When [[Warner Bros.]] cast the film version in early 1963, Rennie, along with leading man [[Barry Nelson (actor)|Barry Nelson]] and supporting actor [[Hiram Sherman]] (who joined the play two years after the opening in the part first played by [[John Cromwell (director)|John Cromwell]]), were the only Broadway cast members to carry over. [[Debbie Reynolds]] was given the title role created by [[Barbara Bel Geddes]], and Warner's contract player [[Diane McBain]], whom the studio saw as a potential star of the future, took over "the socialite part" essayed by [[Betsy von Furstenberg]]. [[Mervyn LeRoy]] produced and directed [[Mary, Mary (film)|the film]], which opened at [[Radio City Music Hall]] on 25 October 1963.

Rennie was cast in a lead role in the comedy play ''[[Any Wednesday (play)|Any Wednesday]]'' but left the project during out of town try outs. He was replaced by Don Porter and the play was a huge success.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/sonofanywednesda0000resn/page/14/mode/1up?|first=Muriel|last=Resnick|title=Son of Any Wednesday|year=1965|publisher=New York, Stein and Day }}</ref>

==Later career==
During the 1960s, Rennie made guest appearances on such series as ''[[The Barbara Stanwyck Show]]'', ''[[The Americans (1961 TV series)|The Americans]]'', ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'' (a portrayal of a doomed pilot in the two-part episode "Fly Away Home"); ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]''; ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' (one of four actors in four consecutive episodes substituting for series star [[Raymond Burr]], who was recovering from surgery); ''[[Wagon Train]]'' (a 90-minute colour episode as an English big game hunter). He played in ''[[The Great Adventure (U.S. TV series)|The Great Adventure]],'' an anthology series about remarkable events in American history, he portrayed [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] president [[Jefferson Davis]]. He played ''[[Daniel Boone (1964 TV series)|Daniel Boone]]'' in the episodes "The Sound of Wings" and "First in War, First in Peace"; ''[[Lost in Space]]''  (another two-part episode). He played an all-powerful alien zookeeper in "The Keeper." He worked one last time with his ''Third Man'' co-star [[Jonathan Harris]]; ''[[The Time Tunnel]]'' as [[Edward Smith (sea captain)|Captain Smith]] of the ''[[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]'', in the series' premiere episode. He played in ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' (as the villainous Sandman, in league with [[Julie Newmar]]'s [[Catwoman]]). He was in three episodes of ''[[The Invaders]]'' (as a malign variation of the [[Klaatu (The Day the Earth Stood Still)|Klaatu]] persona, culminating in a parallel plot also involving an assembly of world leaders). He was in an episode of ''[[I Spy (1965 TV series)|I Spy]]'' ("Lana"). He was in two episodes of ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]''; and was a ''THRUSH'' agent in an episode of ''[[The Man From U.N.C.L.E.]]'' (1967 TV series) ("The Thrush Roulette Affair"/Barnaby Partridge).

===Final films===
Rennie's later films included ''[[Ride Beyond Vengeance]]'' (1966), ''[[Cyborg 2087]]'' (1967) and the all-star ''[[Hotel (1967 film)|Hotel]]'' (1967).

He completed what amounted to guest roles in two films, ''[[The Power (1968 film)|The Power]]'' and ''[[The Devil's Brigade (film)|The Devil's Brigade]]'' as Lieutenant General [[Mark W. Clark]] (both 1968), before moving to Switzerland in the latter part of that year. His final seven feature films were filmed in Britain (''[[Subterfuge (1968 film)|Subterfuge]]'' (1968)), Italy (''[[Death on the Run]]'' (1968) and ''[[The Young, the Evil and the Savage]]'' (1968)) and Spain (''Giugno '44 – Sbarcheremo in Normandia'' AKA ''Seven into Hell'' (1968), ''[[The Battle of El Alamein (film)|The Battle of El Alamein]]'' (1969) as General [[Bernard Law Montgomery]] and ''[[Los Monstruos del Terror]]'', also known as ''Dracula vs. Frankenstein'' (1970), then the [[Philippines]] (''Surabaya Conspiracy'' AKA ''Stoney'' (1969)).

==Personal life==
Rennie was married twice: first to Joan England, from 1938 to 1945,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92377299 |title=Women in English Film-making |newspaper=[[The Chronicle (Adelaide)|The Chronicle]] |volume=LXXXIV |issue=4,824 |location=Adelaide |date=4 June 1942 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=28 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> then to actress Margaret (Maggie) McGrath from 1947 to 1960;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71772852 |title=In London This Week |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |location=Melbourne |date=22 December 1956 |access-date=25 March 2017 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> their son, David Rennie, is an English [[Circuit judge (UK)|circuit judge]] in [[Lewes]], [[Sussex]], England. Both marriages ended in divorce. During the divorce hearing with his second wife, she fainted on the stand during cross-examination.<ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Rennie Granted Divorce by Stipulation |url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/381343047/?terms=michael%2Brennie%2Bdivorce%2Bstipulation |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=19 May 1960 |page=18}}</ref> Rennie revealed he had been separated from her since November 1953.<ref name=alimony>{{cite news |title=Michael Rennie Must Pay Wife $250 Month |url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/381285707/?terms=Michael%2BRennie%2BMust%2BPay%2BWife%2B%24250%2BMonth |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=14 May 1959 |page=2 |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 August 2020}}</ref> (Her mother had been murdered in 1954.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163292577 |title=Actress Testifies in London Court Drama |newspaper=[[The Newcastle Sun]] |issue=11,273 |date=13 August 1954 |access-date=26 March 2017 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230777297 |title=Mother found strangled |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |issue=13,805 |location=Sydney |date=11 May 1954 |access-date=26 March 2017 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12638746 |title=DEATH in the Actor's Flat |newspaper=[[The Sun-Herald]] |location=Sydney |date=16 May 1954 |access-date=26 March 2017 |page=56 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>)

He had a son, John Marshall, with his longtime friend and mistress, Renée (née Gilbert), whose later married name was Taylor. Renée was the sister of the British film director [[Lewis Gilbert]]. During the war years, they lived coincidentally in flats in the White House in Albany Street near Regent's Park in London, (now a hotel). The White House was a favourite location to live during the war years. It was built in the shape of a white cross and was such a good navigation mark for the [[Luftwaffe]] that it was rumoured that there were standing orders to avoid bombing it, hence its popularity with celebrities and the wealthy.

Although Rennie offered to accept paternity on discovering the news of her pregnancy, Renée refused, as she was unwilling to jeopardise his growing success as a romantic lead in major feature films. However, Rennie kept a watchful eye on John Marshall over the years, even after his marriage to Maggie McGrath, and both families remained in constant touch until Rennie's death. In fact Renée and Maggie lived for many years in the 1970s and 1980s within 200 yards of each other in [[Barnes, London|Barnes]] and were close friends. Both Michael Rennie and his sister Bunny were very fond of Renée's family. Coincidentally the [[British Film Institute]]'s database lists Rennie as also having a son, John M. Taylor, who is described as "a producer." John Marshall Rennie used the pseudonym "Taylor" during his long career in the industry to avoid accusations of nepotism.

Michael Rennie was also briefly engaged to Mary Gardner, the former wife of Hollywood director [[Otto Preminger]]. In 1959, Preminger was divorcing Mary and claimed Rennie was having an affair with her.<ref>{{cite news |title=Preminger Levels New Charges of Indiscretions: Producer Links Wife and Michael Rennie in Supplemental Complaint |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/381093476/?terms=Preminger%2BLevels%2BNew%2BCharges%2Bof%2BIndiscretions%3A%2BProducer%2BLinks%2BWife%2Band%2BMichael%2BRennie%2Bin%2BSupplemental%2BComplaint |date=10 January 1959 |page=B1 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In 1958, Rennie said he earned $117,000 a year which provided him with $36,000 net.<ref name=alimony/>
[[File:CLP TWITTER MAR2022-11.jpg|thumb|Michael Rennie's grave in Harlow Hill Cemetery, Harrogate, North Yorkshire]]

===Death===
Within three years of leaving Hollywood, he journeyed to his mother's home in [[Harrogate]], [[Yorkshire]]. It was there that he died on 10 June 1971.<ref name="obit"/> He was buried in Harlow Hill Cemetery in Harrogate. His death was attributed to "natural causes".<ref>{{cite web |title=Michael Rennie cause of death |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_5guAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22Michael+Rennie%22&pg=PA25&article_id=2138,2625583 |website=books.google.com |publisher=Montreal Gazette. June 11, 1971. |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>

==Complete filmography==
* ''[[Secret Agent (1936 film)|Secret Agent]]'' (1936) as Army Captain (uncredited)
* ''[[The Man Who Could Work Miracles]]'' (1936) (uncredited)
* ''[[Conquest of the Air]]'' (1936) (uncredited)
* ''[[Gypsy (1937 film)|Gypsy]]'' (1937) (uncredited)
* ''[[Gangway (film)|Gangway]]'' (1937) as Ship's Officer (uncredited)
* ''[[The Squeaker (1937 film)|The Squeaker]]'' (1937) as Medical Examiner (uncredited)
* ''[[The Divorce of Lady X]]'' (1938) (uncredited)
* ''[[Bank Holiday (film)|Bank Holiday]]'' (1938) as Guardsman (uncredited)
* ''[[This Man in Paris]]'' (1939) (uncredited)
* ''[[The Briggs Family]]'' (1940) as Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)
* ''[[This Man Is Dangerous (1941 film)|This Man Is Dangerous]]'' (1941) as Inspector
* ''[[Turned Out Nice Again]]'' (1941) as Diner (uncredited)
* ''[[Dangerous Moonlight]]'' (1941) as Kapulski
* ''[["Pimpernel" Smith]]'' (1941) as Prison Camp Officer (uncredited)
* ''[[Tower of Terror (1941 film)|Tower of Terror]]'' (1941) as Anthony Hale
* ''[[Ships with Wings]]'' (1942) as Lieutenant Maxwell
* ''[[The Big Blockade]]'' (1942) as Royal Air Force: George
* ''The Sky's the Limit'' (1943, Short) as George
* ''[[I'll Be Your Sweetheart]]'' (1945) as Bob Fielding
* ''[[The Wicked Lady]]'' (1945) as Kit Locksby
* ''[[Caesar and Cleopatra (film)|Caesar and Cleopatra]]'' (1945) as 1st Centurion
* ''[[The Root of All Evil (1947 film)|The Root of All Evil]]'' (1947) as Charles Mortimer
* ''[[White Cradle Inn]]'' (1947) as Rudolph
* ''Morning Departure'' (1948, TV Movie) as Lieutenant-Commander Stanford<ref>[[BFI]] Film & TV database, Morning Departure 1948.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090604045019/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/559456?view=cast]</ref>
* ''[[The Idol of Paris]]'' (1948) as Hertz
* ''[[Uneasy Terms]]'' (1948) as [[Slim Callaghan]]
* ''[[The Golden Madonna]]'' (1949) as Mike Christie
* ''[[Miss Pilgrim's Progress]]'' (1950) as Bob Thane
* ''[[Trio (1950 film)|Trio]]'' (1950) as Major Templeton (segment "Sanatorium")
* ''[[The Black Rose]]'' (1950) as King Edward
* ''[[The Body Said No!]]'' (1950) as himself
* ''[[The 13th Letter]]'' (1951) as Dr. Pearson
* ''[[The Day the Earth Stood Still]]'' (1951) as [[Klaatu (The Day the Earth Stood Still)|Klaatu]]
* ''The House in the Square'', also known as ''[[I'll Never Forget You (film)|I'll Never Forget You]]'' (1951) as Roger Forsyth
* ''[[The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel]]'' (1951) as Narrator (uncredited)
* ''[[Phone Call from a Stranger]]'' (1952) as Dr. Robert Fortness
* ''[[5 Fingers|Five Fingers]]'' (1952) as Colin Travers
* ''[[Les Misérables (1952 film)|Les Misérables]]'' (1952) as [[Jean Valjean]]
* ''[[Pony Soldier]]'' (1952) as Ending Narrator (uncredited)
* ''[[Titanic (1953 film)|Titanic]]'' (1953) as End Narrator (uncredited)
* ''[[The Desert Rats (film)|The Desert Rats]]'' (1953) as narrator (uncredited)
* ''[[Sailor of the King]]'' (1953) as Lieutenant Richard Saville
* ''[[Dangerous Crossing]]'' (1953) as Dr. Paul Manning
* ''[[The Robe (film)|The Robe]]'' (1953) as [[Apostle Peter]]
* ''[[King of the Khyber Rifles (film)|King of the Khyber Rifles]]'' (1953) as Brigadier General J. R. Maitland
* ''[[Prince Valiant (1954 film)|Prince Valiant]]'' (1954) as Narrator (uncredited)
* ''[[Princess of the Nile]]'' (1954) as Rama Khan
* ''[[Demetrius and the Gladiators]]'' (1954) as Peter
* ''[[Mambo (1954 film)|Mambo]]'' (1954) as Enrico Marisoni
* ''[[Désirée (film)|Désirée]]'' (1954) as [[Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte]]
* ''[[Soldier of Fortune (1955 film)|Soldier of Fortune]]'' (1955) as Inspector Merryweather
* ''[[Seven Cities of Gold (film)|Seven Cities of Gold]]'' (1955) as Father Junipero Serra
* ''[[The Rains of Ranchipur]]'' (1955) as Lord Albert Esketh
* ''[[Teenage Rebel]]'' (1956) as Jay Fallon
* ''[[Island in the Sun (film)|Island in the Sun]]'' (1957) as Hilary Carson
* ''[[Omar Khayyam (1957 film)|Omar Khayyam]]'' (1957) as Hasani Sabah
* ''[[Battle of the V-1]]'' (1958) as Stefan
* ''[[Third Man on the Mountain]]'' (1959) as Captain John Winter
* ''[[The Lost World (1960 film)|The Lost World]]'' (1960) as Lord John Roxton
* ''[[Mary, Mary (film)|Mary, Mary]]'' (1963) as Dirk Winsten
* ''Mark Dolphin'' (1965, TV Movie)
* ''[[Ride Beyond Vengeance]]'' (1966) as Brooks Durham
* ''Mr. Paracelaus, Who Are You?'' (1966, TV Movie) 
* ''[[Cyborg 2087]]'' (1966) as Garth A7
* ''[[Hotel (1967 film)|Hotel]]'' (1967) as Geoffrey – Duke of Lanbourne
* ''[[Death on the Run]]'' (1967) as Major Worthington Clark
* ''[[Naked You Die|The Young, the Evil, and the Savage]]'' (1968) as Inspector Durand
* ''[[The Power (1968 film)|The Power]]'' (1968) as Arthur Nordlund
* ''[[The Devil's Brigade (film)|The Devil's Brigade]]'' (1968) as General [[Mark Wayne Clark|Mark Clark]]
* ''[[The Last Chance (1968 film)|The Last Chance]]'' (1968) as George McConnell
* ''European Eye'' (1968, TV Movie) as Martin Purcell
* ''Giugno '44 – Sbarcheremo in Normandia'' (''Seven into Hell'') (1968) as Blynn
* ''[[Subterfuge (1968 film)|Subterfuge]]'' (1968) as Goldsmith
* ''[[The Battle of El Alamein (film)|The Battle of El Alamein]]'' (1969) as General Bernard Law Montgomery
* ''Stoney'' (1969) as Harvey Ward
* ''[[Los Monstruos del Terror]]'', also known as ''Dracula vs. Frankenstein'' (1970) as Dr. Odo Warnoff

==Partial list of TV appearances==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Wagon Train]]'' (1957), episode "The John Cameron Story" as John Cameron
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1958) (Season 3 Episode 24: "The Foghorn") as Allen Bliss
* ''[[Decision (TV series)|Decision]]'' (1958) (Season 1 Episode 4: "The Tall Man") as Colonel T.&nbsp;J.&nbsp;Allan
* ''[[DuPont Show of the Month]]'' (1960), episode "The Scarlet Pimpernel" as Sir Percy Blakeney
* ''[[Route 66 (TV series)|Route 66]]'' (1961), episode "Fly Away Home" &ndash; as Summers
* ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' (1962) (Season 7 Episode 13: "The Silk Petticoat") as Sir Humphrey J. Orford
* ''[[The Virginian (TV series)]]'' (1963), episode "Vengeance Is the Spur"
* ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' (1963), episode "The Case of the Libelous Locket" &ndash; as Professor Edward Lindley
* ''[[The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' (1963) (Season 1 Episode 25: "The Long Silence") as Ralph Manson
* ''[[Lost in Space]]'' (1965) &ndash; as The Keeper – two episodes
* ''[[Bonanza]]'' (1965), episode "Once a Doctor" &ndash; as Professor Poppy / Dr. P.A. Mundy
* ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' (1966) &ndash; as [[Sandman (DC Comics)|The Sandman]] – two episodes
* ''[[The Time Tunnel]]'' (1966), episode #1 "Rendezvous With Yesterday" &ndash; as the Captain of the ''[[RMS Titanic|Titanic]]''
* ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'' (1967), episode "The Conspirators" as Conrad Letterman
* ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' (1967), episode "The THRUSH Roulette Affair" as Barnaby Partridge
* ''[[The Invaders]]'' (1967), episode "The Innocent" as Magnus
* ''[[The Invaders]]'' (1968), episode "Summit Meeting" – two part episode.
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [http://www.michaelrennie.net The Complete Michael Rennie] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723195338/http://www.michaelrennie.net/ |date=23 July 2008 }} – Fan site

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rennie, Michael}}
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