Alexander Knox
Encyclopedia
Alexander Knox was a Canadian
actor and author of adventure novels set in the Great Lakes
area during the 19th century.
, and later moved to Boston, Massachusetts to perform on the stage. During the 1930s he moved to London
, England
where he appeared in several films. He starred opposite Jessica Tandy
in the 1940 Broadway
production of Jupiter Laughs
. In 1944, he was chosen by Darryl F. Zanuck
to star in Wilson
, the biographical film about US President Woodrow Wilson
, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. However, during the McCarthy Era, he was blacklisted
by the Hollywood film studio bosses and he returned to England.
He had major roles in The Sea Wolf
, Over 21
, Sister Kenny
, The Vikings
, Europa '51
, None Shall Escape
, and Nicholas and Alexandra
, as well as supporting roles in Joshua Then and Now
and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
. He also wrote six adventure novels: Bride of Quietness, Night of the White Bear, The Enemy I Kill, Raider's Moon, The Kidnapped Surgeon and Totem Dream.
He was married to American actress Doris Nolan (1916–1998) from 1943 until his death in 1995. They had a son Andrew Knox who became an actor. He died in Berwick-upon-Tweed
, Northumberland
after a battle with bone cancer.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actor and author of adventure novels set in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
area during the 19th century.
Biography
Born in Strathroy, Ontario, he graduated from the University of Western OntarioUniversity of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
, and later moved to Boston, Massachusetts to perform on the stage. During the 1930s he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he appeared in several films. He starred opposite Jessica Tandy
Jessica Tandy
Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy was an English-American stage and film actress.She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films...
in the 1940 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of Jupiter Laughs
Jupiter Laughs
Jupiter Laughs is A. J. Cronin's 1940 play in three acts about a doctor and his love interest, who hopes to become a medical missionary. The play was first staged in Glasgow at the King's Theatre and starred Henry Longhurst, Catherine Lacey and James Mason. In 1940, it opened on Broadway at the...
. In 1944, he was chosen by Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl Francis Zanuck was an American producer, writer, actor, director and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors...
to star in Wilson
Wilson (film)
Wilson is a 1944 biographical film in Technicolor about President Woodrow Wilson. It stars Charles Coburn, Alexander Knox, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.The movie was written by Lamar Trotti and directed by Henry King...
, the biographical film about US President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. However, during the McCarthy Era, he was blacklisted
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
by the Hollywood film studio bosses and he returned to England.
He had major roles in The Sea Wolf
The Sea Wolf (1941 film)
The Sea Wolf is a 1941 black-and-white film adaptation of Jack London's novel The Sea Wolf with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and John Garfield. The film was written by Robert Rossen and directed by Michael Curtiz....
, Over 21
Over 21
Over 21 is a 1945 comedy film about a wife who supports her husband's decision to enlist in the army for World War II over the objections of his boss...
, Sister Kenny
Sister Kenny
Sister Kenny is a 1946 biographical film about Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian bush nurse, who fought to help people who suffered from polio, despite opposition from the medical establishment...
, The Vikings
The Vikings (film)
The Vikings is an adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer in 1958 Technicolor, produced by and starring Kirk Douglas, and based on the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall, based in its turn on legendary material from the sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons. Other actors included Tony Curtis,...
, Europa '51
Europa '51
Europa '51 is a 1952 Italian neorealist film directed by Roberto Rossellini, starring Ingrid Bergman and Alexander Knox.-Background:...
, None Shall Escape
None Shall Escape
None Shall Escape is a 1944 war film. Even though the film was made during World War II, the setting is a post-war Nuremberg-style war crimes trial...
, and Nicholas and Alexandra
Nicholas and Alexandra
Nicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last Russian monarch, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra....
, as well as supporting roles in Joshua Then and Now
Joshua Then and Now (film)
Joshua Then and Now is a 1985 film and a TV mini-series, adapted by Mordecai Richler from his semi-autobiographical novel Joshua Then and Now. James Woods starred as the adult Joshua, Gabrielle Lazure as his wife, and Alan Arkin as Joshua's father...
and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a 1974 British spy novel by John le Carré, featuring George Smiley. Smiley is a middle-aged, taciturn, perspicacious intelligence expert in forced retirement. He is recalled to hunt down a Soviet mole in the "Circus", the highest echelon of the Secret Intelligence...
. He also wrote six adventure novels: Bride of Quietness, Night of the White Bear, The Enemy I Kill, Raider's Moon, The Kidnapped Surgeon and Totem Dream.
He was married to American actress Doris Nolan (1916–1998) from 1943 until his death in 1995. They had a son Andrew Knox who became an actor. He died in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
after a battle with bone cancer.
Partial filmography
- Rembrandt (1936)
- The Gaunt StrangerThe Gaunt StrangerThe Gaunt Stranger is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Sonnie Hale, Wilfrid Lawson, Louise Henry, Alexander Knox and Patrick Barr....
(1938) - Cheer Boys CheerCheer Boys CheerCheer Boys Cheer is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Nova Pilbeam, Edmund Gwenn, Jimmy O'Dea, Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott. Made by Ealing Studios the film depicts the fanatical rivalry between two local firms of brewers each hoping to establish a monopoly....
(1939) - The Sea WolfThe Sea Wolf (1941 film)The Sea Wolf is a 1941 black-and-white film adaptation of Jack London's novel The Sea Wolf with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and John Garfield. The film was written by Robert Rossen and directed by Michael Curtiz....
(1941) - Commandos Strike at DawnCommandos Strike at DawnCommandos Strike at Dawn is a 1942 war film directed by John Farrow and written by Irwin Shaw from a story by C.S. Forester, starring Paul Muni, Anna Lee, Lillian Gish, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, and Robert Coote.-Plot:...
(1942) - None Shall EscapeNone Shall EscapeNone Shall Escape is a 1944 war film. Even though the film was made during World War II, the setting is a post-war Nuremberg-style war crimes trial...
(1944) - WilsonWilson (film)Wilson is a 1944 biographical film in Technicolor about President Woodrow Wilson. It stars Charles Coburn, Alexander Knox, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Thomas Mitchell and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.The movie was written by Lamar Trotti and directed by Henry King...
(1944) - Over 21Over 21Over 21 is a 1945 comedy film about a wife who supports her husband's decision to enlist in the army for World War II over the objections of his boss...
(1945) - Sister KennySister KennySister Kenny is a 1946 biographical film about Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian bush nurse, who fought to help people who suffered from polio, despite opposition from the medical establishment...
(1946) - The Sign of the RamThe Sign of the RamThe Sign of the Ram is an American film noir directed by John Sturges and written by Charles Bennett, based on a novel written by Margaret Ferguson. The drama features Susan Peters, Alexander Knox, among others.-Plot:The story tells of Leah St...
(1948) - The Judge Steps Out (1949)
- Tokyo JoeTokyo JoeTokyo Joe is a 1949 film directed by Stuart Heisler from a story by Steve Fisher, adapted by Walter Doniger and starring Humphrey Bogart, Florence Marly and Sessue Hayakawa...
(1949) - I'd Climb the Highest MountainI'd Climb the Highest MountainI'd Climb the Highest Mountain is a 1951 religious drama film made by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Henry King and produced by Lamar Trotti from a screenplay by Henry King and Lamar Trotti based on the novel by Corra Harris...
(1951) - Two of a KindTwo of a Kind (1951 film)Two of a Kind is a film noir directed by Henry Levin, and written by James Edward Grant, James Gunn, and Lawrence Kimble. The film features Edmond O'Brien, Lizabeth Scott, Alexander Knox, among others.-Plot:...
(1951) - The Son of Dr. JekyllThe Son of Dr. JekyllThe Son of Dr. Jekyll is a horror film made and distributed by Columbia Pictures in 1951, directed by Seymour Friedman, based on a screenplay by Jack Pollexfen and Mortimer Braus. The film is a continuation of Robert Louis Stevenson's original classic novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,...
(1951) - Man in the Saddle (1951)
- Europa '51Europa '51Europa '51 is a 1952 Italian neorealist film directed by Roberto Rossellini, starring Ingrid Bergman and Alexander Knox.-Background:...
(1952) - The Sleeping TigerThe Sleeping TigerThe Sleeping Tiger is a 1954 film noir starring Dirk Bogarde and Alexis Smith. It was Joseph Losey's first British feature, which he directed under the pseudonym of Victor Hanbury due to being blacklisted in the McCarthy Era.- Plot :...
(1954) - The Divided HeartThe Divided HeartThe Divided Heart is a black-and-white British film directed by Charles Crichton and released in 1954. The film is a drama, based on a true story and written by Jack Whittingham and Richard Hughes. It was produced by Michael Truman and edited by Peter Bezencenet, with cinematography by Otto Heller...
(1954) - The Night My Number Came UpThe Night My Number Came UpThe Night My Number Came Up is a film, directed by Les Norman at Ealing Studios. The screenplay was written by R. C. Sherriff based on a real incident in the life of British Air Marshal Sir Victor Goddard.-Plot summary:...
(1955) - Alias John PrestonAlias John PrestonAlias John Preston is a 1955 British horror film directed by David MacDonald and starring Betta St. John, Alexander Knox and Christopher Lee. A mysterious and wealthy man moves to a small village where he outwardly appears to be a friendly figure but nurses a dangerous secret.-Cast:* Betta St...
(1955) - Reach for the Sky (1956)
- High Tide at NoonHigh Tide at NoonHigh Tide at Noon is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Betta St...
(1957) - The Wreck of the Mary DeareThe Wreck of the Mary Deare (film)The Wreck of the Mary Deare is a 1959 Metrocolor British-American thriller film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Michael Redgrave, Cecil Parker, Richard Harris and John Le Mesurier, based upon the novel by Hammond Innes.-Synopsis:A merchant marine captain,...
(1959) - Chase a Crooked ShadowChase a Crooked ShadowChase a Crooked Shadow is a suspense film in which a woman has trouble convincing anybody that a complete stranger has taken her dead brother's identity...
(1958) - The VikingsThe Vikings (film)The Vikings is an adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer in 1958 Technicolor, produced by and starring Kirk Douglas, and based on the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall, based in its turn on legendary material from the sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons. Other actors included Tony Curtis,...
(1958) - Intent to KillIntent to KillIntent to Kill is a 1958 British thriller film directed by Jack Cardiff and starring Richard Todd, Betsy Drake and Herbert Lom. The film was based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Brian Moore...
(1958) - The Two-Headed SpyThe Two-Headed SpyThe Two-Headed Spy is a 1958 British spy thriller, set in World War II. It starred Jack Hawkins and was directed by Andre De Toth. It also starred Gia Scala, Erik Schumann and Alexander Knox.-Plot:...
(1958) - Operation AmsterdamOperation AmsterdamOperation Amsterdam is a 1959 British action film, directed by Michael McCarthy, and featuring Peter Finch, Eva Bartok and Tony Britton. It is based on a true story as described in the book Adventure in Diamonds, by David E Walker. The action of the story covers a few days in May 1940 when the...
(1959) - Crack in the MirrorCrack in the MirrorCrack in the Mirror is a 1960 drama film. The three principal actors, Orson Welles, Juliette Gréco, and Bradford Dillman, play dual roles in two interconnected stories as the participants in two love triangles.-Cast:*Orson Welles as Hagolin / Lamerciere...
(1960) - Oscar WildeOscar Wilde (film)Oscar Wilde is a 1960 biographical film about Oscar Wilde, made by Vantage Films and released by 20th Century Fox.-Production:The film was directed by Gregory Ratoff and produced by William Kirby, from a screenplay by Jo Eisinger, based on the play Oscar Wilde by Leslie Stokes and Sewell Stokes...
(1960) - The Longest DayThe Longest Day (film)The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
(1962) - In the Cool of the DayIn the Cool of the DayIn the Cool of the Day is a 1963, Metrocolor, American romantic drama film directed by Robert Stevens and starring Peter Finch, Jane Fonda, Angela Lansbury, Nigel Davenport, and John Le Mesurier.-Plot:...
(1963) - The DamnedThe Damned (1963 film)The Damned is a 1963 British science fiction film starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field and Oliver Reed. It was a Hammer Film production directed by Joseph Losey and based on H.L...
(1963) - Man in the MiddleMan in the Middle (film)Man in the Middle is a 1963 film, starring Robert Mitchum and directed by Guy Hamilton. The movie, set in World War II India, tells the story of the murder trial of an American Army officer who killed a British soldier. Mitchum plays Lieut. Col. Barney Adams, who has been assigned as the accused...
(1963) - Woman of StrawWoman of StrawWoman of Straw is a 1964 British crime thriller starring Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery. It was directed by Basil Dearden and written by Robert Muller and Stanley Mann, adapted from the 1964 novel by Catherine Arley.- Plot :...
(1964) - Crack in the WorldCrack in the WorldCrack in the World is an American science-fiction disaster movie filmed in Spain in 1964 and released by Paramount Pictures. While noted for its attempts at scientific accuracy, its premise—a crack in the solid crust of the Earth threatening life on it—was disproved by the conclusive...
(1965) - Mister MosesMister MosesMister Moses is an adventure film about a conman blackmailed into persuading an entire African village into relocating for their own safety. It stars Robert Mitchum and Carroll Baker. It was based on the novel of the same name by Max Catto...
(1965) - The PsychopathThe PsychopathThe Psychopath is a 1966 film directed by Freddie Francis and written by Robert Bloch. It stars Patrick Wymark and Margaret Johnston.It deals with a police inspector who investigates a string of murders where the victims have dolls attached to their bodies. The trail soon leads to one Mrs...
(1966) - Modesty BlaiseModesty Blaise (1966 film)Modesty Blaise was a comedic spy-fi motion picture produced in the United Kingdom and released worldwide in 1966. It was loosely based upon the popular comic strip Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell, who wrote the original story and scenario upon which Evan Jones based his screenplay...
(1966) - KhartoumKhartoum (film)Khartoum is a 1966 film written by Robert Ardrey and directed by Basil Dearden. It stars Charlton Heston as General Gordon and Laurence Olivier as the Mahdi and is based on Gordon's defence of the Sudanese city of Khartoum from the forces of the Mahdist army during the Siege of Khartoum.Khartoum...
(1966) - La vingt-cinquième heure, English title: The 25th HourThe 25th Hour (1967 film)La Vingt-cinquième Heure is a 1967 war drama film, starring Anthony Quinn and Virna Lisi. It was produced by Italian producer Carlo Ponti and directed by french director Henri Verneuil. The film is based on a novel by C. Virgil Gheorghiu...
(1967) - Accident (1967)
- You Only Live TwiceYou Only Live Twice (film)You Only Live Twice is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel of the same name...
(1967) uncredited as the American President - How I Won the WarHow I Won the WarHow I Won the War is a black comedy film directed by Richard Lester, released in 1967. The film stars Michael Crawford as bungling British Army Officer Lieutenant Earnest Goodbody, with John Lennon , Jack MacGowran , Roy Kinnear and Lee Montague as soldiers under his command...
(1967) - Villa RidesVilla RidesVilla Rides is a 1968 film starring Yul Brynner in toupee in the title role and Robert Mitchum as an American adventurer and pilot of fortune. The supporting cast includes Charles Bronson as Fierro, Herbert Lom as Huerta, and Alexander Knox as Madero...
(1968) - ShalakoShalako (film)Shalako is a 1968 British western film directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot. Stephen Boyd portrayed a classic western villain. Jack Hawkins played an upper class Englishman abroad in the "new" country...
(1968) - Fräulein DoktorFräulein DoktorFräulein Doktor is a First World War drama filmed in 1968 and released in 1969. It was a European co-production, starring Suzy Kendall, Kenneth More, Capucine, James Booth, Giancarlo Giannini and Nigel Green. It was produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by Alberto Lattuada, with a music...
(1969) - Run a Crooked MileRun a Crooked MileRun a Crooked Mile is a made-for-TV thriller in which Louis Jourdan stars as Richard Stuart, an ordinary schoolteacher who, whilst on holiday, is a witness to a murder in a private secluded mansion....
(1969, TV) - SkullduggerySkullduggery (film)Skullduggery is a 1970 science fiction film starring Burt Reynolds, Susan Clark and Edward Fox.The screenplay is based on the French novel Les Animaux dénaturés by Jean Bruller.-Plot:...
(1970) - Puppet on a ChainPuppet on a ChainPuppet on a Chain is a novel by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. Originally published in 1969, it is set in the late 1960's narcotics underworld of Amsterdam and other locations in the Netherlands.-Plot introduction:...
(1971) - Nicholas and AlexandraNicholas and AlexandraNicholas and Alexandra is a 1971 biographical film which tells the story of the last Russian monarch, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra....
(1971) - Holocaust 2000Holocaust 2000Holocaust 2000 is a 1977 horror film directed by Alberto De Martino and starring Kirk Douglas.-Plot:Despite doomsday warnings from throngs of locals, wealthy industrialist Robert Caine makes the controversial decision to build a nuclear power plant near a sacred cave in the Middle East...
(1977) - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979)
- Gorky ParkGorky Park (film)Gorky Park is a 1983 film based on the novel Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith. It was directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Dennis Potter ....
(1983) - Joshua Then and NowJoshua Then and Now (film)Joshua Then and Now is a 1985 film and a TV mini-series, adapted by Mordecai Richler from his semi-autobiographical novel Joshua Then and Now. James Woods starred as the adult Joshua, Gabrielle Lazure as his wife, and Alan Arkin as Joshua's father...
(1985)