Andrew McLaglen
Encyclopedia
Andrew Victor McLaglen is a British
-American
film
and television
director
and former actor
.
Andrew McLaglen was born in London
, the son of British actor Victor McLaglen
and Enid Lamont. He was from a film family that included eight uncles and an aunt, and he grew up on movie sets with his parents as well as John Wayne
and John Ford
. After working as an assistant director on a few smaller films, Ford gave him the assistant director job on the film The Quiet Man
(1952).
After a few more assistant or second director jobs, McLaglen directed his first film, Man in the Vault
(1956), which was followed by Gun The Man Down in 1956 - a western B-movie with James Arness
, Angie Dickinson
and Harry Carey, Jr.
.
He went on to work extensively in television directing
, directing episodes of Perry Mason
(7), Gunslinger
(5), Rawhide
(6), and then 116 episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel, The Lieutenant
(4), The Virginian
(2), and 96 episodes of Gunsmoke
.
Returning to films - directing Shenandoah
(1965) and The Rare Breed
(1966), both with James Stewart
; The Devil's Brigade
(1968), Mitchell
(1975), The Wild Geese
(1978), North Sea Hijack
(1979), and The Sea Wolves
(1980), mostly westerns, but later specializing in war or action films, his last being Return from the River Kwai
(1989). He also worked many times with John Wayne
in such films as McLintock!
(1963), Hellfighters
(1968), The Undefeated
(1969), Chisum
(1970), and Cahill U.S. Marshal
(1973). He also directed The Last Hard Men
(1976) which starred Charlton Heston
and James Coburn
.
McLaglen directed films in an assortment of categories, including crime, war, historical and comedy, but he was most frequently a director of Westerns, and would be among the last of the American film directors to specialize in the Western genre.
He currently resides in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington State, directing plays for San Juan Island Community Theater.
, had one child, Andrew Victor McLaglen II (August 3, 1954–January 16, 2006).
His third marriage to Sally Pierce produced two children, Josh McLaglen, an assistant director
, and Mary McLaglen, a production manager and producer
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and former actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Andrew McLaglen was born in 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...
, the son of British actor Victor McLaglen
Victor McLaglen
Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen was an English boxer and World War I veteran who became a successful film actor.Towards the end of his life he was naturalised as a U.S. citizen.-Early life:...
and Enid Lamont. He was from a film family that included eight uncles and an aunt, and he grew up on movie sets with his parents as well as John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
and John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
. After working as an assistant director on a few smaller films, Ford gave him the assistant director job on the film The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man is a 1952 American Technicolor romantic comedy-drama film. It was directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen and Barry Fitzgerald. It was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story by Maurice Walsh...
(1952).
After a few more assistant or second director jobs, McLaglen directed his first film, Man in the Vault
Man in the Vault
Man in the Vault is a 1956 film noir about a locksmith, played by William Campbell, who is forced to help gangsters commit a robbery. It was based on the novel The Lock and the Key by Frank Gruber.-Cast:*William Campbell as Tommy Dancer...
(1956), which was followed by Gun The Man Down in 1956 - a western B-movie with James Arness
James Arness
James King Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years...
, Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson is an American actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven, Dressed to Kill and Pay It Forward, and starred on television as Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:Dickinson, the second of...
and Harry Carey, Jr.
Harry Carey, Jr.
Harry Carey, Jr. is an American film actor. He appeared in over 90 films. He is mostly remembered for appearing in Western films — notably those by his friend John Ford — and in television programs.-Early life:...
.
He went on to work extensively in television directing
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, directing episodes of Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
(7), Gunslinger
Gunslinger (TV series)
Gunslinger was a Western television series starring Tony Young that aired on the CBS television network from February 9 until May 18, 1961. The theme song was sung by Frankie Laine....
(5), Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
(6), and then 116 episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel, The Lieutenant
The Lieutenant
The Lieutenant is an American television series, the first created by Gene Roddenberry. It aired on NBC on Saturday evenings in the 1963-1964 television schedule. It was produced by Arena Productions, one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's most successful in-house production companies of the 1960s. Situated...
(4), The Virginian
The Virginian (TV series)
The Virginian is an American Western television series starring James Drury and Doug McClure, which aired on NBC from 1962 to 1971 for a total of 249 episodes. Filmed in color, The Virginian became television's first 90-minute western series...
(2), and 96 episodes of Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
.
Returning to films - directing Shenandoah
Shenandoah (film)
Shenandoah is a 1965 American Civil War film starring James Stewart, Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne, and Katharine Ross. The picture was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Though set during the American Civil War, the film's strong antiwar and humanitarian themes resonated with audiences...
(1965) and The Rare Breed
The Rare Breed
The Rare Breed is a 1966 American western film starring James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Juliet Mills and Ben Johnson and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Loosely based on the life of rancher William Burgess, the film follows Martha Price's quest to fulfill her deceased husband's dream...
(1966), both with James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
; The Devil's Brigade
The Devil's Brigade (film)
The Devil's Brigade is a 1968 American war film based on the 1966 book of the same name co-written by American novelist and historian Robert H. Adleman and Col...
(1968), Mitchell
Mitchell (film)
Mitchell is a 1975 film starring Joe Don Baker as an abrasive, alcoholic police detective, released by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation in the USA on September 10, 1975....
(1975), The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese is a British 1978 film about a group of mercenaries in Africa. It stars Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger...
(1978), North Sea Hijack
North Sea Hijack
North Sea Hijack is a British action film from 1979 starring Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins, and Michael Parks. It was directed by Andrew V...
(1979), and The Sea Wolves
The Sea Wolves
The Sea Wolves is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film is based on the book Boarding Party by James Leasor, which itself is based on a real incident which took place in World War II...
(1980), mostly westerns, but later specializing in war or action films, his last being Return from the River Kwai
Return from the River Kwai
Return from the River Kwai is a 1989 film directed by Andrew McLaglen. It stars Timothy Bottoms and Nick Tate.. It is loosely based on events concerning the Burma-Thailand Death Railway and subsequent that inspired the earlier film Bridge on the River Kwai, although both films use separate...
(1989). He also worked many times with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
in such films as McLintock!
McLintock!
McLintock! is a 1963 comedy Western starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The film is notable, perhaps even infamous, for its two spanking scenes, in which mother and daughter are each paddled with coal shovels: the daughter by her...
(1963), Hellfighters
Hellfighters (film)
Hellfighters is a 1968 American film starring John Wayne, Katharine Ross, Bruce Cabot, Jim Hutton, Jay C. Flippen and Vera Miles. The movie, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, is about a group of oil well firefighters, based loosely on the life of Red Adair...
(1968), The Undefeated
The Undefeated (1969 film)
The Undefeated is a 1969 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and John Wayne and starring John Wayne and Rock Hudson. The film portrays events surrounding the French Intervention in Mexico and is also loosely based on General J. O...
(1969), Chisum
Chisum
Chisum is a 1970 Warner Bros. Technicolor western motion picture starring John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Christopher George, Ben Johnson, Glenn Corbett, Geoffrey Deuel, Andrew Prine, Bruce Cabot, Patric Knowles, and Richard Jaeckel....
(1970), and Cahill U.S. Marshal
Cahill U.S. Marshal
Cahill U.S. Marshal is a 1973 American Western film in Technicolor. It stars John Wayne as a driven lawman in a black hat. The movie was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and filmed on location in Durango, Mexico.-Plot:...
(1973). He also directed The Last Hard Men
The Last Hard Men (film)
The Last Hard Men is a 1976 prison break film directed by Andrew McLaglen, based on the book by Brian Garfield. It stars Charlton Heston and James Coburn.-Cast:*Charlton Heston as Sam Burgade*James Coburn as Zach Provo*Barbara Hershey as Susan Burgade...
(1976) which starred Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
and James Coburn
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor. Coburn appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, and played a wide range of roles and won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.A capable,...
.
McLaglen directed films in an assortment of categories, including crime, war, historical and comedy, but he was most frequently a director of Westerns, and would be among the last of the American film directors to specialize in the Western genre.
He currently resides in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington State, directing plays for San Juan Island Community Theater.
Personal life
McLaglen and his then wife, the American actress Veda Ann BorgVeda Ann Borg
Veda Ann Borg was an American film actress.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Borg was the daughter of Gottfried Borg, a Swedish immigrant and Minna Noble. She became a model in 1936 before winning a contract at Paramount Pictures. A car crash in 1939 necessitated drastic reconstruction of her face by...
, had one child, Andrew Victor McLaglen II (August 3, 1954–January 16, 2006).
His third marriage to Sally Pierce produced two children, Josh McLaglen, an assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
, and Mary McLaglen, a production manager and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Films directed
- Gun the Man DownGun the Man DownGun the Man Down is a 1956 western film distributed through United Artists and starring James Arness and Angie Dickinson in her first leading role. The movie was produced by John Wayne and his brother Robert E. Morrison for Wayne's company Batjac Productions and was also the first theatrical...
(1956) - Man in the VaultMan in the VaultMan in the Vault is a 1956 film noir about a locksmith, played by William Campbell, who is forced to help gangsters commit a robbery. It was based on the novel The Lock and the Key by Frank Gruber.-Cast:*William Campbell as Tommy Dancer...
(1956) - The AbductorsThe AbductorsThe Abductors is a 1957 film directed by Andrew McLaglen. It stars Victor McLaglen and Gavin Muir.-Cast:*Victor McLaglen as Tom Muldoon*Gavin Muir as Herbert Evans*George Macready as Jack Langley*Fay Spain as Sue Ellen*Carl Thayler as Jed...
(1957) - FrecklesFreckles (film)Freckles is a 1960 film directed by Andrew McLaglen. It stars Martin West and Carol Christensen.-Cast:*Martin West as Freckles*Carol Christensen as Chris Cooper*Jack Lambert as Duncan*Steve Peck as Jack Barbeau*Roy Barcroft as John McLean...
(1960) - McLintock!McLintock!McLintock! is a 1963 comedy Western starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and loosely based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The film is notable, perhaps even infamous, for its two spanking scenes, in which mother and daughter are each paddled with coal shovels: the daughter by her...
(1963) - ShenandoahShenandoah (film)Shenandoah is a 1965 American Civil War film starring James Stewart, Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne, and Katharine Ross. The picture was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Though set during the American Civil War, the film's strong antiwar and humanitarian themes resonated with audiences...
(1965) - The Rare BreedThe Rare BreedThe Rare Breed is a 1966 American western film starring James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Juliet Mills and Ben Johnson and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Loosely based on the life of rancher William Burgess, the film follows Martha Price's quest to fulfill her deceased husband's dream...
(1966) - The Ballad of JosieThe Ballad of JosieThe Ballad of Josie is a 1967 Technicolor American comedy western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring Doris Day, Peter Graves and George Kennedy...
(1967) - Monkeys, Go Home!Monkeys, Go Home!Monkeys, Go Home! is a 1967 Disney film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The movie stars Maurice Chevalier and Yvette Mimieux. Dean Jones plays Hank Dussard, the new owner of an olive grove, who brings in chimp labor, upsetting the other workers...
(1967) - The Way WestThe Way West (film)The Way West is a 1967 American epic western film based on the novel by A. B. Guthrie, Jr.. The film stars Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, and Richard Widmark, and features Sally Field in her first major film role. The film was directed by veteran television director Andrew V. McLaglen and featured...
(1967) - The Devil's BrigadeThe Devil's Brigade (film)The Devil's Brigade is a 1968 American war film based on the 1966 book of the same name co-written by American novelist and historian Robert H. Adleman and Col...
(1968) - Bandolero!Bandolero!Bandolero! is a 1968 western directed by Andrew V. McLaglen starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy.-Plot:Posing as a hangman, Mace Bishop arrives in town with the intention of freeing his brother Dee from the gallows. Dee and his gang have been arrested for a bank...
(1968) - HellfightersHellfighters (film)Hellfighters is a 1968 American film starring John Wayne, Katharine Ross, Bruce Cabot, Jim Hutton, Jay C. Flippen and Vera Miles. The movie, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, is about a group of oil well firefighters, based loosely on the life of Red Adair...
(1968) - The UndefeatedThe Undefeated (1969 film)The Undefeated is a 1969 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and John Wayne and starring John Wayne and Rock Hudson. The film portrays events surrounding the French Intervention in Mexico and is also loosely based on General J. O...
(1969) - ChisumChisumChisum is a 1970 Warner Bros. Technicolor western motion picture starring John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Christopher George, Ben Johnson, Glenn Corbett, Geoffrey Deuel, Andrew Prine, Bruce Cabot, Patric Knowles, and Richard Jaeckel....
(1970) - One More Train to RobOne More Train to RobOne More Train to Rob is a 1971 film directed by Andrew McLaglen. It stars George Peppard and Diana Muldaur.-Cast:*George Peppard as Harker Fleet*Diana Muldaur as Katy*John Vernon as Timothy Xavier Nolan*France Nuyen as Ah Toy...
(1971) - Fools' ParadeFools' ParadeFools' Parade is a 1971 drama film directed by Andrew McLaglen and starring James Stewart, George Kennedy, Kurt Russell, and Strother Martin. It was based on the novel of the same name by Davis Grubb...
(1971) - Something BigSomething BigSomething Big is a 1971 American motion picture produced by Andrew V. McLaglen and James Lee Barrett . The film stars Dean Martin and Brian Keith.-Description:...
(1971) - Cahill U.S. MarshalCahill U.S. MarshalCahill U.S. Marshal is a 1973 American Western film in Technicolor. It stars John Wayne as a driven lawman in a black hat. The movie was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and filmed on location in Durango, Mexico.-Plot:...
(1973) - MitchellMitchell (film)Mitchell is a 1975 film starring Joe Don Baker as an abrasive, alcoholic police detective, released by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation in the USA on September 10, 1975....
(1975) - The Last Hard MenThe Last Hard Men (film)The Last Hard Men is a 1976 prison break film directed by Andrew McLaglen, based on the book by Brian Garfield. It stars Charlton Heston and James Coburn.-Cast:*Charlton Heston as Sam Burgade*James Coburn as Zach Provo*Barbara Hershey as Susan Burgade...
(1976) - The Wild GeeseThe Wild GeeseThe Wild Geese is a British 1978 film about a group of mercenaries in Africa. It stars Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger...
(1978) - North Sea HijackNorth Sea HijackNorth Sea Hijack is a British action film from 1979 starring Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins, and Michael Parks. It was directed by Andrew V...
(1979) - BreakthroughBreakthrough (film)Breakthrough is a 1979 war film set on the Western Front. It is a sequel to Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron, and borrows several characters from that film.The film starred several big names including Richard Burton and Rod Steiger...
(1979) - The Sea WolvesThe Sea WolvesThe Sea Wolves is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film is based on the book Boarding Party by James Leasor, which itself is based on a real incident which took place in World War II...
(1980) - SaharaSahara (1983 film)Sahara is a 1983 film starring Brooke Shields, Lambert Wilson, John Mills and Horst Buchholz. It was filmed in Israel and directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The original music score was composed by Ennio Morricone...
(1983) - Eye of the WidowEye of the WidowEye of the Widow is an 1988 French-American action film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen.It was written by Joshua Sauli and William Blake Herron as an adaptation of two Gérard de Villiers' novels of his SAS series about the Austrian secret agent Malko Linge. It stars Richard Young as Malko Linge...
(1989) - Return from the River KwaiReturn from the River KwaiReturn from the River Kwai is a 1989 film directed by Andrew McLaglen. It stars Timothy Bottoms and Nick Tate.. It is loosely based on events concerning the Burma-Thailand Death Railway and subsequent that inspired the earlier film Bridge on the River Kwai, although both films use separate...
(1989)
Further Reading
- Armstrong, Stephen B. Andrew V. McLaglen: The Life and Hollywood Career. McFarland & Co. 2011. ISBN 0786449772.
External links
- McLaglen interview. - at SensesofCinema.com.