Editing Alec McCowen (section)

===Film and television===
McCowen made his film debut in ''[[The Cruel Sea (1953 film)|The Cruel Sea]]'' released in 1953. His other film credits include roles in ''[[Town on Trial]]'' (1957), ''[[A Night to Remember (1958 film)|A Night to Remember]]'' (1958), ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'' (1962), ''[[The Witches (1966 film)|The Witches]]'' (1966), [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Frenzy]]'' (1972), ''[[Travels with My Aunt (film)|Travels with My Aunt]]'' (1972, for which he received a [[Golden Globe]] nomination), ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'' (1983) in which he played the opinionated secret service quartermaster, "Q", named Algynon, ''[[Personal Services]] '' (1987) and ''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]'' (1989).

McCowen's television roles included the BBC's [[Angel Pavement (1957 TV series)|four-part adaptation]] of [[J. B. Priestley]]'s ''[[Angel Pavement]]'' (1958), and his one-man stage performance of ''The Gospel According to Saint Mark'', transferred to television by [[Thames Television|Thames]] for Easter 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/222630 |title=BFI &#124; Film & TV Database &#124; The GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK (1979) |publisher=British Film Institute |date=16 April 2009 |access-date=1 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802163619/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/222630 |archive-date=2 August 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

McCowen appeared alongside [[Maureen Lipman]] and [[Arthur Askey]] performing comic monologues in ''[[The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog]]'', which was recorded 1982, and broadcast by [[Channel 4]] in 1983.<ref>[https://www.bright-thoughts.co.uk/monologues-02.html] The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog production website</ref>

McCowen appeared in the BBC Television Shakespeare series as Malvolio in ''[[BBC Television Shakespeare|Twelfth Night]]'' and as Chorus in ''[[BBC Television Shakespeare|Henry V]]''. In 1984 and 1985 McCowen starred in the ten episodes of the short-lived television series ''[[Mr Palfrey of Westminster]]'' as a "spy catcher" working for British intelligence under the direction of a female boss (played by [[Caroline Blakiston]]).

McCowen's one-man performance as [[Rudyard Kipling]] was broadcast on television in 1984.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} His later appearances included playing [[Albert Speer]] and [[Rudolf Hess]] in the BBC docudramas ''The World Walk'' in 1984 and 1985, and as astronomer [[Sir Frank Dyson]] in ''[[Longitude (TV serial)|Longitude]]'' in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Longitude © (1999) |url=http://movie-dude.com/[Film]%20Longitude%20(1999).htm |access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref> He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1989, when he was surprised by [[Michael Aspel]] at the [[Novello Theatre|Strand Theatre]] in London.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} He was annoyed when no mention was made of his long-term male partner, fellow actor [[Geoffrey Burridge]] and threatened to stop the show from being broadcast. The dispute was resolved by the host, Michael Aspel, adding a voiceover over the final credits acknowledging the relationship.

McCowen was the narrator in a recording of [[Roberto Gerhard|Gerhard]]'s cantata (after Camus) ''The Plague'', with the [[National Symphony Orchestra|Washington National Symphony Orchestra]] conducted by [[Antal Doráti]] in 1973, and also took the part of the Narrator in Stravinsky's ''[[Oedipus rex (opera)|Oedipus Rex]]'', with [[Peter Pears]], [[Kerstin Meyer]] and the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]] conducted by [[Georg Solti]]; the music for this was recorded in March 1976, his spoken part later and the first issue was in February 1978.<ref>Stuart, Philip. "Decca Classical, 1929-2009". July 2009, Entries U024 and 2370. Retrieved 28 August 2018.</ref>