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Al Mulock

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Al Mulock
Mulock in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
Born
Alfred Mulock Rogers

(1926-06-30)June 30, 1926
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedMay 1968 (aged 41)
Guadix, Granada, Spain
Alma materActors Studio
OccupationActor
Years active1955–1968
SpouseSteffi Henderson (? – 1967; her death)
Children1
RelativesSir William Mulock (great grandfather)

Alfred Mulock Rogers (June 30, 1926 – May 1968), better known as Al Mulock or Al Mulloch, was a Canadian actor, director, and acting teacher. He trained at the Actors Studio and initially worked on the stage. After moving to England in the 1950s, he co-founded the London Studio, to teach method acting, and worked in film and television. He moved to Spain in 1966 and appeared in a number of spaghetti Westerns, including Once Upon a Time in the West, during the production of which he died by suicide.

Early life

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Alfred Mulock Rogers was born on June 30, 1926, in Toronto, Canada. He was the only child of Adèle Cawthra Mulock and Alfred Rogers. Maternally, he was descended from the wealthy Mulock family, headed by Sir William Mulock, the former Postmaster-General of Canada and Chief Justice of Ontario. Al Mulock trained at the Actors Studio in New York City.

Career

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During the late 1940s, Mulock co-owned the Red Barn Theatre in Jackson's Point, north of Toronto. He later moved to England and, with David de Keyser, founded The London Studio, which taught method acting to British actors. In 1957, he starred in a touring production of the play A Hatful of Rain (originally created as an Actors Studio exercise by Michael V. Gazzo), directed by Sam Wanamaker. He directed his own production at the Oxford Playhouse the following year.[1]

He became active in the British film industry in the 1950s and early 1960s, making numerous appearances in television series and films, usually in small roles as an American or Canadian.

After appearing in 1966's Lost Command, Mulock moved to Spain, where he became known for his roles in spaghetti Westerns. He appeared in two Sergio Leone films, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West. In each film, his character is memorably shot: by Eli Wallach's character, Tuco, in the former and by Charles Bronson's character (in a shootout along with two others) in the opening scene of the latter.

Personal life

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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. He was previously married to actress Catharine Ellison.

Death

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In May 1968, Mulock died after jumping from his hotel in Guadix, Granada, Spain, during production of Once Upon a Time in the West.[2] He was wearing his cowboy 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 the ambulance left, director Sergio Leone shouted, "Get the costume, we need the costume."[4]

In his memoir, Mickey Knox claimed that Mulock suffered from a drug addiction and became suicidal after being unable to find a fix.[5]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Al Mulock | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  2. ^ 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. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Abella, Anna (April 17, 2016). "El 'voyeur' Hitchcock y los once dedos de Marilyn". El Periódico (in Spanish). Grupo Zeta. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  4. ^ Frayling, Christopher (2012). Sergio Leone: Something to Do with Death. University of Minnesota Press. p. 294. ISBN 978-0-8166-4683-8.
  5. ^ Knox, Mickey (2004). The Good, the Bad and the Dolce Vita: The Adventures of an Actor in Hollywood, Paris and Rome. Nation Books. p. 264. ISBN 978-1560255758.
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