Matinee Classics - Stephen McNally Biography & Filmography

Stephen McNally ACTOR

PHOTOS

STEPHEN MCNALLY BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Stephen McNally, born July 29, 1913, was an American actor most noted for his involvement in many action and western films. Originally, McNally was a lawyer, but in the 1930's he decided to pursue acting. He began his career onstage under his birth name of Horace McNally. The actor’s first non-theatrical performance was in the short “Inflation” (1942). McNally was nearly thirty, however, when he made his film debut. Under contract by Metro Goldwyn Meyer in 1942 and 1943, the actor played his first role in a movie in the crime/drama picture “Grand Central Murder” (1942). While with MGM, he continued playing in features such as “The War Against Mrs. Hadley” (1942) and “Air Raid Warrens” (1943), as well as shorts, including “Rover’s Big Chance” (1942) and “For God and Country” (1943).

In 1946, the actor’s career finally started to look up. He changed his name from Horace, to Stephen, and his screen image concurrently became rougher, but more notable. McNally began portraying both 'tough guy' heroes and villains alike in a plethora of pictures. The actor played memorably despicable characters in both the Oscar and Golden Globe winning drama “Johnny Belinda” (1948) as well as the man-hunt centered western “Winchester ‘73” (1950) starring along side James Stewart. He took heroic roles in “City Across the River” (1949), where he played the lead macho man and head of the local urban community center, who attempts to improve a group of juvenile delinquents, and “Air Cadet” (1951), where McNally portrayed Major Jack Page, who has the unfortunate job of training a new set of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Training Academy. Other noteworthy films in which the actor was involved include the Oscar-nominate drama “No Way Out” (1950), the war themed “Battle Zone” (1952), the fairly uncanny western “The Duel at Silver Creek” (1952), and the drama “A Bullet is Waiting” (1954). Additional roles that McNally played exceptionally in are the bank robber in “Violent Saturday” (1955), McNulty in “Tribute to a Bad Man” (1956), and Tony Rocco in “Johnny Rocco” (1958).

While McNally appeared as both the bad guy and the hero, it was his villain roles that really put him on the map. The actor additionally acted in television series and movies, but nothing very notable, for it was his involvement in the motion pictures that people remembered. He persisted in his acting career until 1980, although his final movie was “Hi-Riders” in 1978. His last contribution was in an appearance on the TV show “Secrets of Midland Heights” (1980). Fourteen years after his retirement from acting, on July 4, 1994, McNally died. His cause of death was a heart attack.