Alfred Mulock Rogers (June 30, 1926 – May 1968), better known as Al Mulock or Al Mulloch, was a Canadian character actor.[1]
Al Mulock | |
|---|---|
 Al Mulock as "Knuckles" in Once Upon a Time in the West, 1968. | |
| Born | Alfred Mulock Rogers June 30, 1926 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | May 1968 (aged 41) Guadix, Granada, Spain |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1955–1968 |
| Known for | "One-armed bounty hunter" in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly "Knuckles" in Once Upon a Time in the West |
| Spouse | Steffi Henderson (? – 1967; her death) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Sir William Mulock (great grandfather) |
Early life
editAlfred Mulock Rogers was born on June 30, 1926, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the only child of Adèle Cawthra Mulock and Alfred Rogers. Maternally he was descended from the Mulock family, headed by Sir William Mulock KCMG, the former Postmaster-General of Canada and one of the wealthiest families in Canada.
Career
editHe attended the Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in New York City, United States. Then, with David de Keyser, he started The London Studio, which taught method acting to British actors. Mulock became active in the British film industry in the 1950s and early 1960s, making numerous appearances in various British television series and films.
He is best known for his roles in Spaghetti Western films, most notably in his two collaborations with Sergio Leone, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West. He appears, and is memorably shot in each film: by Eli Wallach's character, Tuco, in the former and by Charles Bronson's character (in a shoot out along with two others) in the opening scene of the latter.
Death
editMulock died by suicide by jumping from his hotel room in Guadix, Granada, Spain, in May 1968, while filming for Once Upon a Time in the West.[2] He was wearing his cowboy-style costume at the time of his fall.[3] Mickey Knox, screenwriter for the film, and production manager Claudio Mancini witnessed Mulock's suicide as his body passed their hotel window near the end of the shoot. Mulock survived the fall, but suffered a pierced lung from a broken rib during the bumpy ride to the hospital. Before being taken away in the ambulance, director Sergio Leone shouted, "Get the costume, we need the costume."[4]
Family
editAl Mulock was the great-grandson of Sir William Mulock, the former Canadian Postmaster-General. He was married to actress Steffi Henderson; she died in 1967. They had one child named Robin Mulock - now named Eclipse Neilson who is a screenwriter and artist.
Selected filmography
edit- Joe MacBeth (1955) – First Assassin
- Wicked as They Come (1956) – Supporting Role (uncredited)
- Interpol (1957) – Interrogator
- Kill Me Tomorrow (1957) – Rod
- The One That Got Away (1957) – US Patrolman at Ogdensburg (uncredited)
- High Hell (1958) – Frank Davidson
- Death Over My Shoulder (1958) – Brainy Peterson
- Dial 999 (TV series) ('Commando Crook', episode) (1958) - Kendall
- The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw (1958) – Henchman (uncredited)
- Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959) – Dino
- Jazz Boat (1960) – The Dancer
- In the Nick (1960) – Dancer
- Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) – Martin Banton
- The Mark (1961) – Convict
- The Hellions (1961) – Mark Billings
- The Longest Day (1962) – Minor Role (uncredited)
- The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963) – Dealer
- Call Me Bwana (1963) – Second Henchman
- Game for Three Losers (Edgar Wallace Mysteries) (1965) – Nick
- Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) – Detective (segment "Vampire")
- Lost Command (1966) – Mugnier
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) – One-Armed Bounty Hunter
- Huyendo del halcón (1966) (released in 1973)
- The Hellbenders (1967) – The Beggar
- The Treasure of Makuba (1967) – Pat
- Battle Beneath the Earth (1967) – Sergeant Marvin Mulberry
- Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) – Private (uncredited)
- Day of Anger (1967) – Wild Jack (uncredited in Italian version)
- Shoot Twice (1968)
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – Knuckles, Member of Frank's Gang (uncredited) (final film role)
References
edit- ^ "Al Mulock". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ Martínez, D. (May 15, 2018). "50 años del rodaje de 'Hasta que llegó su hora' en Almería". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). Almería: Joly Digital. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ Abella, Anna (April 17, 2016). "El 'voyeur' Hitchcock y los once dedos de Marilyn". El Periódico (in Spanish). Grupo Zeta. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ Frayling, Christopher (2012). Sergio Leone: Something to Do with Death. University of Minnesota Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-0-8166-4683-8.