Malcolm McDowell

Born: 13th June, 1943
Where: Leeds, Yorkshire

The actor is still remembered for his groundbreaking performance as the evil Alex in Stanely Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.

However, his career has been patchy with plenty of straight-to-video lulls among more attractive fare such as Cat People and Voyage of the Damned.

He began work serving in his father's pub in Liverpool where acting classes offered relief from his working-class existence, and he eventually he secured work as an extra with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Two years later, Lindsay Anderson cast him as a sensitive boy hiding behind cocksure arrogance in If... His performance caught the attention of Stanley Kubrick, who cast Malcolm as the lead in A Clockwork Orange in 1971.

His first wife, Margot, was the ex wife of 2001: A Space Odyssey actor, Keir Dullea.

They married in 1975 but it ended in divorce only five years later, at which point he married his Time After Time co-star, Oscar-winning actress Mary Steenburgen. They have since divorced.

McDowell drifted into villainous parts in the 1980s - none more notorious than the title character in Caligula.

When his career hit a lull, McDowell did four straight-to-video movies in 1990, but he always worked, whether contributing a cameo (as himself) to Robert Altman's 1992 hit The Player or starring in low-budget movies such as Chain of Desire.

Although his greatest roles are more than 25 years behind him, it has not affected his confidence or enthusiasm.

Appearances in Star Trek and in action yarns such as Tank Girl, Brit flics like Gangster No 1 and the Eddie Murphy remake of I Spy have kept his stock comfortable.

Recent work includes Mike Hodges' I'll Sleep When I'm Dead and Robert Altman's The Company.