Malcolm John Taylor was born on June 13, 1943, in Leeds, England, to working-class parents Charles and Edna Taylor. His father was a publican and an alcoholic. Malcolm hated his parents' ways and fought against it. His father was keen to send his son to private school to give him a good start in life, so Malcolm was packed off to boarding school at 11. He attended the Tunbridge Boarding School and the Cannock House School in Eltham, Kent. At school he was beaten with the slipper or cane every Monday for his waywardness. Whilst at school, he decided that he wanted to become an actor; it was also around this time that his love for race cars began. He attended the London Academy of Music and Art to study acting. Meanwhile, he worked at his parents' pub but lost his job when the pub went bankrupt, his father drinking all the profits. He then had a variety of jobs, from coffee salesman to messenger.His first big-screen role was in Poor Cow (1967), although his 2-minute scene was ultimately cut from the completed film. Soon after, he caught the attention of director Lindsay Anderson who cast him in the role of a rebellious student in his film If.... (1968). The film catapulted Malcolm to stardom in Britain but failed everywhere else. He was so enthusiastic about the film's success that he wanted to do another right away. He began writing what would become the semi-autobiographical O Lucky Man! (1973). Meanwhile, he starred as the infamous Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick's controversial A Clockwork Orange (1971), a role that caused him to be typecast as a manic psychopathic villain. In early 1976, he spent nearly a year working on what would later be one of the most infamous films of all time, the semi-pornographic Caligola (1979), financed by Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione. Around that time, the British film industry collapsed, forcing him to flee to America to continue working. His first American film was Time After Time (1979). He then did Britannia Hospital (1982), the last part of Lindsay Anderson's working-class trilogy that started with If.... (1968).In the mid-1980s, the years of alcohol and drug abuse, including $1000 a week on cocaine, caught up with him. Years of abuse took its toll on him; his black hairs were now grey. Looking older than he really was, nobody wanted to cast him for playing younger roles. The big roles having dried up, he did many B-rated movies.The 1990s were kinder to him, though. In 1994, he was cast as Dr. Soran, the man who killed Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations (1994). He was back on the track, playing villains again. He played another in the classic BBC mini-series, "Our Friends in the North" (1996). Today, with more than 100 films under his belt, he is one of the greatest actors in America. He still doesn't have American citizenship, but he likes the no-nonsense American ways. He currently resides in the northern suburb of Los Angeles.

His first wife, Margot Bennett, was Keir Dullea's ex wife. Keir was the main character in Stanley Kubrick's "2001", while McDowell was the main character in Kubrick's next film, "A Clockwork Orange".Father of actress Lilly McDowell, born in 1981.Uncle of Alexander Siddig ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993)).Father of producer/director Charlie McDowell, born in 1983.Along with Sir John Gielgud, he is one of only two actors to play both King Arthur and Merlin. He played King Arthur in Arthur the King (1985) (TV) and Merlin in Kids of the Round Table (1997).13 of his films shown at retrospective tribute at NYC's Walter Reade Theatre in May 2002, where he introduces the least known of these, The Connection.Has said that his favorite actor of all time is James Cagney.Received death threats from overzealous Star Trek fans after his character killed Captain Kirk in Star Trek: Generations (1994).He and Wife, Kelley McDowell, had a son, Beckett Taylor McDowell (born January 29, 2004).Claims Gangster No. 1 (2000) to be his best work since A Clockwork Orange (1971).Was the first well-known actor to appear non-animated and in the flesh for "South Park" (1997) because he is one of Trey Parker's favorite actors and he was specifically requested.Has appeared in three different films involving time travel: Time After Time (1979), Star Trek: Generations (1994) and Just Visiting (2001).His performance as Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange (1971) was ranked 100 on the list of the "100 Greatest Film Performances of All Time".His performance as Alex De Large in A Clockwork Orange (1971) is ranked #68 on Premiere Magazine's "100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time".Lives in Santa Barbara, CA.Owns another home in Britain and a summer retreat in Tuscany.Good friends with Christine Noonan and David Sherwin.Was captain of the rugby and cricket teams at his high school.As he wanted to get into the SAG, he took his mother's maiden name McDowell because there was another British actor called Malcolm Taylor.Born to Charles Taylor, a pub owner, and his wife Edna McDowell, a hotelier, he grew up with an older (Gloria) and a younger sister.He and Wife, Kelley McDowell, had a son, Finnian Anderson McDowell (born December 23, 2006).His job as a coffee salesman provided inspiration for O Lucky Man! (1973).In an interview he said that a magazine named him "King Of Punk" after his appearance in "A clockwork orange". This is probably because of the punk references that appears in the movie, such as the droogies costume style.Has been a friend of Aubrey Morris ever since they worked together in A Clockwork Orange (1971).Announced that wife, Kelley, is expecting their third child, a boy, in January 2009. [September 8, 2008].Third son, Seamus Hudson McDowell, was born on January 7, 2009.When he went to meet with Stanley Kubrick for the first time, he had little knowledge of film and confused him with Stanley Kramer. In preparation, McDowell's friend and mentor, Lindsay Anderson, showed him all of Kubrick's films from Paths of Glory (1957) to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).