Michael Rennie (August 25, 1909 - June
10, 1971) was a British actor who made the transition to Hollywood with moderate success.
Rennie was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, and had several other jobs before gaining
employment as a stand-in in a Hitchcock film of 1936. Acting then became his profession, but
it was some years before he found success as a leading man in the cinema, his exceptional
height and chiselled features standing him in good stead. In 1945, he played a major role in
the original version of The Wicked Lady, starring Margaret Lockwood and James Mason. From that
point on, he was a star, and shortly afterwards he moved to the USA, where he appeared in such
classics as
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Les Misérables (1952)
The Robe (1953)
In 1959, Rennie became a familiar face on television, taking the role of Harry Lime in "The
Third Man", a spin-off series from the film starring Orson Welles. During the 1960's he
continued his TV career with guest appearances on such series as "Lost In Space" and "Batman".
Returning to the UK, he died in 1971 at Harrogate in his home county of Yorkshire from
emphysema.
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