---
name: "Patrick Magee"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/patrick-magee"
fi1m_id: "patrick-magee"
imdb_id: "nm0535861"
tmdb_id: 2264
wikidata_id: "Q925310"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "31 March 1922"
died: "14 August 1982"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 83
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-07T10:16:44.160058+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Patrick Magee

## Identity

Patrick Magee

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/patrick-magee
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** patrick-magee
- **IMDb ID:** nm0535861
- **TMDB ID:** 2264
- **Wikidata ID:** Q925310
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Magee_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q925310, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0535861/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2264

Actor. Born 31 March 1922 in Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK. Died 14 August 1982.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 31 March 1922, Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK
- **Died:** 14 August 1982
- **Active:** 1963–1981
- **Also known as:** Patrick Joseph Gerard Magee, Patrick George Magee, Patrick George McGee
- **Frequently works with:** [Stanley Kubrick](https://film.one/person/stanley-kubrick.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 83, as actor, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 86 (2), 1970s 82 (2), 1980s 78 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 83 to 76 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, History 2, Crime 1, Horror 1, Science Fiction 1, Sport 1
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $118m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Magee_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q925310, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0535861/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2264

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Servant*](https://film.one/film/the-servant.md) (89)
- **Apple TV:** [*The Masque of the Red Death*](https://film.one/film/the-masque-of-the-red-death.md) (83)
- **HBO Max:** [*A Clockwork Orange*](https://film.one/film/a-clockwork-orange.md) (78)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Patrick Magee

> Patrick Magee's cracked Irish voice is unsettling before the words have quite registered. We value the strain audible beneath his authority, with a caveat for films that expect the sound alone to supply a character.

Patrick Magee's gravelly voice makes speaking sound like an effort, even when he is being authoritative. We hear vulnerability in that roughness, which gives the menace something human. In Stanley Kubrick's *A Clockwork Orange* (1971), he plays the writer Mr Alexander, a useful starting point for an actor frequently cast as threatening or imposing figures. His voice is distinctive enough to hold our attention by itself; the question is how much a film asks us to understand the person using it.

His work with Samuel Beckett offers a clue to why that sound mattered. Beckett wrote *Krapp's Last Tape* (1958) for him after hearing his radio performances, giving the voice words written specifically for it. Film roles began in 1960, but theatre remained central: Magee originated the Marquis de Sade in *Marat/Sade* in 1965 and reprised the part in the 1967 film. His McCann in *The Birthday Party* (1968), adapted from Harold Pinter's play, continued that close connection with theatre. These parts give us good reason to look beyond the horror films in which he frequently appeared.

*A Clockwork Orange* also requires a distinction between valuing an actor and endorsing everything the film does with its cast. We were unsettled by Malcolm McDowell's Alex, whose appalling charm makes him easy company while the people he hurts receive too little attention. Kubrick's treatment of sexual violence is a particular weakness, and a forceful supporting performance cannot repair that. We find the film gripping and worth the discomfort, but its considerable acting talent does not excuse its neglect of those characters.

Kubrick cast Magee again as the Chevalier du Balibari in *Barry Lyndon* (1975), while horror remained a frequent part of his screen work. The risk with such recognisable qualities is that casting becomes a shortcut: employ the voice and assume the character will follow. We would be wary of judging Magee solely by how readily he could make someone sound threatening, especially given the writing that Beckett made expressly for him. Start with *A Clockwork Orange*, keeping its treatment of the victims in mind, then follow the connection to Beckett and Pinter.

## Biography

Patrick Magee (born Patrick George McGee; 31 March 1922 – 14 August 1982) was a Northern Irish actor and theatre director. He began his professional career in Irish theatre companies before moving to London, where he worked with directors including Tyrone Guthrie.

Magee was noted for his collaborations with Samuel Beckett, for whom he recorded radio readings and who wrote *Krapp's Last Tape* (1958) specifically for him, and with Harold Pinter. He created the role of the Marquis de Sade in the original stage production of *Marat/Sade* (1965) and reprised it in the 1967 film, winning a Tony Award for the Broadway transfer.

On screen he appeared in *Zulu* (1964), *The Servant* (1963), *The Masque of the Red Death* (1964), *A Clockwork Orange* (1971) as Mr Alexander, *Barry Lyndon* (1975) as the Chevalier, *Tales from the Crypt* (1972), *Asylum* (1972) and *Chariots of Fire* (1981).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *Chariots of Fire* (1981), Fi1m 78, as Lord Cadogan — [page](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire.md)
- *Barry Lyndon* (1975), Fi1m 85, as The Chevalier — [page](https://film.one/film/barry-lyndon.md)
- *A Clockwork Orange* (1971), Fi1m 78, as Mr. Alexander — [page](https://film.one/film/a-clockwork-orange.md)
- *The Masque of the Red Death* (1964), Fi1m 83, as Alfredo — [page](https://film.one/film/the-masque-of-the-red-death.md)
- *The Servant* (1963), Fi1m 89, as People in Restaurant: Bishop — [page](https://film.one/film/the-servant.md)

## Complete filmography (83)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told* (1996), as Archival Footage
- *Another Flip for Dominick* (1982), as Caleb Line
- *The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne* (1981), as General
- *Chariots of Fire* (1981), as Lord Cadogan — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire.md)
- *The Monster Club* (1981), as Innkeeper (Luna's Father)
- *The Black Cat* (1981), as Prof. Robert Miles
- *The Flipside of Dominick Hide* (1980), as Caleb Line
- *Sir Henry at Rawlinson End* (1980), as Reverend Slodden
- *The Sleep of Death* (1980), as Marquis
- *Hawk the Slayer* (1980), as Priest
- *Rough Cut* (1980), as Ernst Mueller
- *Churchill and the Generals* (1979), as Gen. Sir Archibald Wavell
- *The Bronte Sisters* (1979), as Reverend Brontë
- *Kidnapped* (1979), series, as Ebenezer Balfour
- *The Last Window Cleaner* (1979), as Muldooney
- *Telefon* (1977), as General Strelsky
- *Beasts: What Big Eyes* (1976), as Leo Raymount
- *Beasts* (1976), series, as Leo Raymount
- *Barry Lyndon* (1975), as The Chevalier — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/barry-lyndon.md)
- *Quiller* (1975), series, as Vamvakaris
- *Galileo* (1975), as Cardinal Bellarmin
- *A Killer in Every Corner* (1974), as Prof. Marcus Carnaby
- *King Lear* (1974), as King Lear
- *Simona* (1974), as Simone's Father
- *Luther* (1974), as Luther's Father
- *The Monkey's Paw* (1973), as Sergeant Morris
- *The Final Programme* (1973), as Dr. Baxter
- *Orson Welles' Great Mysteries* (1973), series, as Sergeant Morris
- *Lady Ice* (1973), as Paul Booth
- *And Now the Screaming Starts!* (1973), as Dr. Whittle
- *Thriller* (1973), series, as Prof. Marcus Carnaby
- *Krapp's Last Tape* (1972), as Krapp
- *Asylum* (1972), as Dr. Lionel Rutherford
- *Demons of the Mind* (1972), as Falkenberg
- *The Protectors* (1972), series, as Gardner
- *Thrills Galore* (1972), as Michael
- *Pope Joan* (1972), as Elder Monk
- *Young Winston* (1972), as General Bindon Blood
- *The Fiend* (1972), as Minister
- *Tales from the Crypt* (1972), as George Carter
- *A Clockwork Orange* (1971), as Mr. Alexander — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/a-clockwork-orange.md)
- *The Trojan Women* (1971), as Menelaus
- *Play for Today* (1970), series, as Caleb Line
- *You Can't Win 'Em All* (1970), as The General - Ataturk
- *Cromwell* (1970), as Hugh Peters
- *King Lear* (1970), as Cornwall
- *Destiny of a Spy* (1969), as John Flack
- *Hard Contract* (1969), as Alexi
- *The Birthday Party* (1968), as Shamus McCann
- *Decline and Fall ...of a Birdwatcher* (1968), as Maniac
- *The Champions* (1968), series, as Pedraza
- *Anzio* (1968), as Gen. Starkey
- *ITV Playhouse* (1967), series, as Philo
- *The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade* (1967), as Marquis de Sade
- *Blood Bath* (1966), as Linda's Husband (archive footage) (uncredited)
- *Die, Monster, Die!* (1965), as Dr. Henderson
- *BBC Play of the Month* (1965), series, as Tetzel · The Storyteller, Fergus Crampton
- *Thirty-Minute Theatre* (1965), series, as The old man, Krapp
- *The Skull* (1965), as Police Surgeon
- *Portrait in Terror* (1965), as Mauricio Zaroni
- *The Wednesday Play* (1964), series, as James Player, Arnold Jesse
- *The Masque of the Red Death* (1964), as Alfredo — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/the-masque-of-the-red-death.md)
- *Seance on a Wet Afternoon* (1964), as Walsh
- *Theatre 625* (1964), series, as Duke of Wellington
- *Zulu* (1964), as Surgeon Reynolds
- *The Servant* (1963), as People in Restaurant: Bishop — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/the-servant.md)
- *The Sentimental Agent* (1963), series, as Major
- *Dementia 13* (1963), as Justin Caleb
- *Operation Titian* (1963), as Dr. Morisijus
- *The Very Edge* (1963), as Simmonds
- *The Young Racers* (1963), as Sir William Dragonet
- *Ricochet* (1963), as Inspector Cummings
- *A Prize of Arms* (1962), as RSM Hicks
- *The Boys* (1962), as Mr. Lee
- *Dr. Finlay's Casebook* (1962), series, Actor
- *Z-Cars* (1962), series, Actor
- *Never Back Losers* (1961), as Ben Black
- *The Avengers* (1961), series, as J. P. Spagge, Pancho — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-avengers-1961.md)
- *Rag Doll* (1961), as Flynn
- *Sunday-Night Play* (1960), series, Actor
- *The Criminal* (1960), as Barrows
- *No Hiding Place* (1959), series, Actor
- *Armchair Theatre* (1956), series, as Mr. Morgan

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play 1966: Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/patrick-magee