- As a schoolboy, Malcolm was so bored having to listen to long, tedious speeches by minor local dignitaries at official school functions, when he became a star, he took his revenge. Asked to give the keynote speech at Cannock School's annual Open Day in 1969, he flew all the way from the United States to attend. Before a packed assembly, he simply announced "I hereby pronounce this Open Day open" and sat down.
- 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" and was ranked 68 on Premiere magazine's "100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time".
- 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. He appeared in a South Park parody of Charles Dickens' classic novel "Great Expectations", playing the narrator and simply calling himself A British Person (2000).
- 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.
- Has a fear of reptiles. When Stanley Kubrick learned this while shooting A Clockwork Orange (1971), he introduced Basil, Alex's pet snake.
- Claims Gangster No. 1 (2000) to be his best work since A Clockwork Orange (1971).
- His job as a coffee salesman provided inspiration for O Lucky Man! (1973).
- 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 most of Kubrick's films from Paths of Glory (1957) to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
- His granddaughter Clementine Mae Walton was born in January 2012. Her mother is Malcolm's daughter Lilly McDowell Walton.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on March 16, 2012.
- Is 24 years older than his wife Kelley McDowell.
- In an interview, he said that a magazine named him "King of Punk" after his appearance in A Clockwork Orange (1971). This is probably because of the punk references that appears in the movie, such as the droogies costume style.
- Along with Sir John Gielgud and Michael York he is one of three actors to play both King Arthur and Merlin. He played King Arthur in Arthur the King (1983) and Merlin in Kids of the Round Table (1995).
- Currently resides in Santa Barbara, California.
- His first wife, Margot Bennett, was Keir Dullea's ex-wife. Keir was the main character in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), while McDowell was the main character in Kubrick's next film, A Clockwork Orange (1971).
- Has said that his favourite actor of all time is James Cagney.
- Born to Charles Taylor, a publican, and his wife Edna McDowell, a hotelier, he grew up with two sisters: Gloria (older) and Judy (younger).
- Was captain of the rugby and cricket teams at his high school.
- As he wanted to get into the British Actors' Equity, he took his mother's maiden name McDowell because there was another British actor called Malcolm Taylor.
- On September 25, 2012, he was rushed to the hospital and had to undergo a 3 1/2-hour emergency surgery on his eye, for what was discovered to be a detached retina, which McDowell attributed to previous eye problems stemming while filming A Clockwork Orange (1971).
- Trained as an actor at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), the United Kingdom's oldest drama school.
- Has appeared in four films involving time travel: Time After Time (1979), Star Trek: Generations (1994), Just Visiting (2001) and The Philadelphia Experiment (2012). He auditioned for the role of Al Calavicci on the television series Quantum Leap (1989), which would have made 5 times. There was a character in A Leap for Lisa - June 25, 1957 (1992) played by Roddy McDowall, who was not related (notice the difference in spelling of the last names).
- 13 of his films were shown at retrospective tribute at New York City's Walter Reade Theatre, where he introduces the least known of these, The Connection (1961). (May 2002)
- Was good friends with Christine Noonan and David Sherwin.
- Has appeared in a scene in A Clockwork Orange (1971) with David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in Star Wars. In 2014, he appeared in a cellular telephone commercial with James Earl Jones, who provided Darth Vader's voice. McDowell also appeared in Robot Chicken: Star Wars (2007).
- Has worked with David Warner in Time After Time (1979). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Warner appeared in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and McDowell appeared in Star Trek: Generations (1994).
- Has worked with Alice Krige in the psychological horror film She Will (2021). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. McDowell appeared in Star Trek: Generations (1994) and Krige appeared in Star Trek: First Contact (1996).
- As of 2018, has appeared in two films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: A Clockwork Orange (1971) and The Artist (2011). Of those, The Artist (2011) is a winner in the category.
- He has appeared in one film that has been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant": A Clockwork Orange (1971).
- He has two roles in common with his Time After Time (1979) co-star David Warner. (1) McDowell played Admiral Geoffrey Tolwin in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (1994), Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (1995) and Wing Commander Academy (1996) while Warner played him in Wing Commander (1999) and (2) McDowell played Professor Abraham Van Helsing in Suck (2009) and Warner played him in Penny Dreadful (2014).
- He has two roles in common with both Michael York and Sir John Gielgud. (1) McDowell played King Arthur in Arthur the King (1983), York played him in A Knight in Camelot (1998) and Gielgud played him in DragonHeart (1996) and (2) McDowell played Merlin in Kids of the Round Table (1995), York played him in A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1995) and Gielgud played him in Quest for Camelot (1998). York has also played King Arthur on stage in a touring revival of the Lerner and Lowe musical "Camelot" which has been filmed twice both times with Richard Harris as Arthur.
- Despite the fact that they played enemies in Blue Thunder (1983), both Roy Scheider and Malcolm McDowell became very good friends during the production. As he would later state at various science fiction conventions, they enjoyed working together so much, that they could not leave each other alone. After Scheider passed away, a very saddened McDowell was unable to attend Scheider's funeral on account of a film commitment that he could not get away from (much to his dismay). As a result, he immediately ordered flowers and sent a letter of condolence to Scheider's family.
- During the Ludivico scene in A Clockwork Orange (1971), McDowell's eyes were clamped open using a surgical device for eye surgery. The doctor applying eyedrops in the scene was an actual physician who was on hand in case of an injury. Nevertheless, McDowell's cornea was accidentally scratched as a result of the eye clamping and he suffered temporary blindness.
- During the production of Tinto Brass' infamous epic Caligula (1979), McDowell took members of the production team to dinner at an expensive restaurant to celebrate England's victory in a football match against an Italian team. However, he left the choreographer to pay for the meal, saying he had forgotten to bring enough money.
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