Michael York Movies
Frequently portraying dashing heroes or upper-crust socialites, British actor Michael York appropriately got his start in the theater. He graduated from Oxford University and toured with the National Youth Theatre before his meeting with director Franco Zeffirelli for the 1965 staging of Much Ado About Nothing. Taking him into the world of feature films, Zeffirelli cast the young actor in the roles of Lucentio for the Taming of the Shrew and Tybalt for Romeo & Juliet. York remains best known for his film work of the late '60s, but he also developed a lengthy career in televised adaptations of literary classics. Over a 30-year span, he played key roles in Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Jesus of Nazareth, and several others. His small-screen work began with the role of Jolyon Forsyte on the BBC's 1967 series The Forsyte Saga. He had some of his most interesting roles throughout the '70s, including the swashbuckling D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers, Count Andrenyi in Murder on the Orient Express, and the title hero in the sci-fi Logan's Run. He also played the bisexual Konrad in Something for Everyone, the expatriate writer in England Made Me, and he brought it all together as bisexual expatriate writer Brian Roberts in Bob Fosse's Cabaret. After a brief stint as a producer, the '80s were a slow time for York's film career and he moved on to countless TV movies, after-school specials, and a reoccurring role on the soap opera Knots Landing. In the '90s, he returned to the stage for Broadway productions of The Little Prince, Bent, and The Crucible. He also authored his memoirs, released in the U.S. under the title Accidentally on Purpose. Younger audiences may recognize him from the Austin Powers movies as Basil Exposition, head of the British Intelligence Agency, or from the Omega Code movies. Since 2000, York has found work playing the headmaster in Borstal Boy, lended his voice to such History Channel productions as Alexander Hamilton, and resurrected his D'Artagnan character for the miniseries La Femme Musketeer. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide- 1986
Loretta Young was originally to have starred in made-for-TV Dark Mansions, but she didn't like the script and passed up the project; her role was quickly filled by another Hollywood veteran, Joan Fontaine. Aaron Spelling and Douglas Cramer, the guys who brought you Love Boat, "go gothic" in this Seattle-based tale of the supernatural. While writing the history of a shipbuilding family, Linda Purl learns a little too much for her own wellbeing. Per the film's title, most of the story takes place in a haunted house-and it's a lulu. Michael York, Philip Drake and Melissa Sue Anderson costar. Dark Mansions was first telecast August 23, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
In a drama in which even God has a role (Philippe Leotard) as well as Michael York, it is certain that serious issues are at stake. Set during the time before the state of Israel was created and established, a British officer has been captured by a band of Jewish resistance fighters with the intent of killing him at dawn. One of the Jews was sentenced to die after being captured by the English, and this death will be in retaliation. The trouble is that a young and ambivalent fighter is left holding the officer captive with orders to shoot him at the pre-arranged time. It is a long night of soul-searching before the Jewish soldier comes up with a solution to his quandary. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philippe Léotard, Redjep Mitrovitsa, (more)
Two people trying to leave ugly memories behind them find life and love anew in Australia in this made-for-television adaptation of the novel by Nevil Shute. Carl Zlinter (Michael York) was a doctor who was drafted into the German Army during World War II and forced to serve the Axis war effort. After the fall of the Third Reich, Carl becomes a displaced person and in time emigrated to Australia, where he tries to build a new life for himself and forget his horrific past. Jennifer Morton (Sigrid Thornton), meanwhile, is a woman from Great Britain who has her own grim memories of the toll the war took upon her nation, and has decided to visit Australia in search of sunshine and fresh scenery. Carl and Jennifer meet, and they soon fall in love, but it becomes obvious that they must reconcile their very different pasts if they are to make a future together. Originally produced for Australian television, The Far Country first aired as a two-part miniseries. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Using a combination of historical fact, deliberately anachronistic one-liners, and beautifully designed forced perpective sets, Shelley Duvall herein serves up another sparkling 50 minutes in her Tall Tales cable series. Michael York plays an arrogant, publicity-seeking Ponce de Leon, who journeys into the wilds of 16th century Florida in search of the titular fountain. Sally Kellerman and Paul Rodriguez lend their comic expertise to this tongue-in-cheek rehash of the venerable legend. Best of all: Dr. Ruth Westheimer, offering advice to De Leon's suddenly "rejuvenated" soldiers. In recent years, the strictly G-rated Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth has become a fixture of the Disney cable channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The classic Gothic romance is displayed in this made-for-television adaptation. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1985
This mammoth five-part, 13-hour CBS miniseries was based on the best-selling novel by James A. Michener. Covering the U.S.-Soviet "space race" from the end of WWII to the landing on the moon, the program stars James Garner as Norman Grant, a former war hero turned senator who tirelessly promotes the American space program despite almost insurmountable opposition. Other principal players include John Pope (Harry Hamlin), who matriculates from shavetail West Pointer to pioneering astronaut in the company of fellow space-traveler Randy Claggett (Beau Bridges); Leopold Strabismus (David Dukes), a hedonistic wheeler-dealer who hopes to capitalize on the 1947 UFO scare; German rocket scientist Dieter Kolff (Michael York), whose ideals (or lack thereof) are put to the test when he shifts his allegiance from the Nazis to the Americans; and Stanley Mott (Bruce Dern), an aeronautical engineer whose secret assignment is to make certain that men like Kolff aren't snatched up by the Soviets after the fall of Germany. The winner of three Emmy awards, James A. Michener's Space originally aired from April 14 through 18, 1985; in subsequent showings, the miniseries was cut from 13 to nine hours. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Harry Hamlin, (more)
- 1984
Alex Rodak (Michael York) is a Polish director in exile in London with his family, which includes an older teenage son Adam (Michael Lyndon) who is struggling with an identity crisis, his wife (Joanna Szerzerbic), and another son. Rodak is in the throes of putting together a major show about Poland and the politics of exile at a West End theater. His single-minded determination to succeed causes him to take advantage of others, and because of his need for backing, he turns to a low-life businessman (John Hurt) to bail him out. His wife is anything but happy about his behavior and dislikes this last decision even more. On the opposite end of the spectrum stands Adam, who is disillusioned with his father's drive to succeed at all costs (the father does receive a few awards) and who longs to go back to his roots -- in Warsaw. The story jumps from one scene to the next with some fantasy segments and not always enough connecting narrative. Otherwise, this is an interesting study of how a father and son become alienated in a conflict between cultural identity and its exploitation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Janna Szerzerbic, (more)
- 1984
It was not unusual in the 1980s for a British TV miniseries to resurface in America in the form of a re-edited feature-length "movie." The Master of Ballantrae, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, offered a unique reversal on this process. Originally telecast in the United States as a three-hour TV film on January 31, 1984, the production subsequently aired on Scottish television as a six-part miniseries, 25 minutes per episode. On this occasion, the roles of rival siblings Henry and James Durrie were played by Richard Thomas and Michael York. The basic story remained the same: In 18th century Scotland, a toss of the coin determined that Henry would enlist in the service of Bonnie Prince Charlie, while James would stay behind as temporary master of Ballantrae Hall. Reported killed in battle, Henry spent the next several years trying to reclaim his birthright from his covetous brother. The "series" version of The Master of Ballantrae was broadcast in 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Clichéd, slow-paced, and with a well-worn storyline, this melodrama revolves around the sad tale of Olivia (Lisa Eichhorn), a woman who falls in love with Rollo (Michael York), a married man, and then suffers torment when she becomes pregnant and realizes she has no choice but to abort the baby. Predictable from the very beginning, this mediocre film is raised up several notches by Lisa Eichhorn's interpretation of Olivia. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Lisa Eichhorn, (more)
- 1983
This 1983 TV adaptation of Gaston Leroux's 1908 novel Phantom of the Opera was the fourth film version of the vintage chiller--and the one with perhaps the highest rate of digression from the original novel. This version is set in Budapest (where it was filmed) rather than Paris, obliging scripter Sherman Yellen to change all the character names. Protagonist Maximillian Schell is an orchestra leader whose singer wife Jane Seymour commits suicide after receiving a devastatingly bad review. Assaulting the critic, Schell is burned with acid, and scurries away to the catacombs beneath the Budapest opera house. Years later, he has become the never-seen Phantom of the Opera, and from his shadowy "home" he is coaching an aspiring young singer--who is the living image of his late wife (Jane Seymour essays both roles). Not so much a remake as a revision, this 1983 Phantom of the Opera is perhaps the most obscure of all the versions, overshadowed by the 1990 two-part TV adaptation starring Michael Caine, as well as the smash Broadway musical. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maximilian Schell, Jane Seymour, (more)
- 1983
Unfortunately bound by clichés and stereotypes rather than original insights and new viewpoints, this condensed movie version of an 8-hour television series does not do complete justice to its noble topic of courage in the face of the World War II holocaust. The story is based on the memoirs of Martin Gray (Michael York plays the older Gray and Jacques Penot the younger), a Polish Jew who survived the Warsaw Ghetto and escaped Treblinka, the Nazi death camp where his mother and brothers died. After leaving Treblinka, Martin returns to Warsaw in time to join the Jewish insurrection at the Warsaw ghetto. In 1943, thousands of Jews in the walled ghetto revolted and fought the German occupation forces for six weeks, killing 5,000 Germans but losing their heroic struggle -- that six-week battle is a major focus of the film. Miraculously, Gray survives the war and moves to France where he meets and falls in love with Dina (Brigitte Fossey) -- and then has a major second tragic episode in his life that opens this film, and in the story and in real life it inspires him to write his memoirs. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Brigitte Fossey, (more)
- 1981
- PG
This easy-going television movie is about Chris McBride (Michael York), a real-life naturalist who brings his wife and daughter to an African wildlife preserve to join him in a research project. The area has a special meaning to him because he was born there. His wife is not as enthusiastic as he is about leaving their familiar and comfortable world behind but changes her mind when she starts getting involved in the photography part of the project. A chance discovery of a pair of white-hued lion cubs (not albinos) raises disagreements on whether the family should do everything to help them survive, or just leave them alone. Eventually a compromise is reached that bodes well for the family and the fledgling lions and strengthens the family's resolve to fight off a poacher who wants to use the unusual cubs for his own profit. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Glynnis O'Connor, (more)
In this complex spy caper, Nicole (Genevieve Bujold) is a Canadian broadcast journalist working on assignment in the former U.S.S.R. She is there to cover a visit by the Canadian prime minister, but along the way she discovers an unethical experimentation on children involving the use of steroids. She is also involved in smuggling out a girl for emergency brain surgery and develops a romantic liaison with Lyosha (Michael York), a bureaucrat in the Soviet press corps. A Jewish businessman she knows just happens to be in Russia, and she asks him to help her in the smuggling attempt. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geneviève Bujold, Michael York, (more)
- 1979
Based on the best-selling book by William Stevenson, this three-part NBC miniseries begins in 1939, just before the outbreak of WWII. With his warnings of Hitler's treachery going ignored, out-of-power politician Winston Churchill (Nigel Stock) approaches patriotic Canadian industrialist Sir William Stephenson (David Niven) with an unusual request. Sir William is asked to use his own funds to secretly organize an Allied espionage network, to be set in motion the moment Hitler shows his hand. Joining in this covert operation is American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who, risking possible impeachment, encourages Sir William to establish a training base for spies in Ontario. Other concerned parties include the courageous French expatriate Madelaine (Barbara Hershey) and Sir William's right-hand man Evan Michaelain (Michael York). Location-filmed in England, Norway, and Canada, A Man Called Intrepid was originally broadcast from May 20 to 22, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Niven, Michael York, (more)
- 1979
One of the earliest English spy novels, The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers, is the basis for this movie. In the story, it is 1901, and England is at the height of its power and influence in the world. Arthur Davies (Simon MacCorkindale) is out sailing in his yacht in the North Sea. Off the coast of Germany, he has a set-to with a local sea-captain, Dollmann (Alan Badel). The encounter itself was odd enough, but adding to it's strangeness is Arthur's nagging sense that the German captain was known to him, somehow. He discovers that Dollman is actually a British naval officer who has gone bad and calls on his old college friend, Charles Carruthers (Michael York) to help him investigate this phenomenon. Eventually, the two men discover that the Kaiser Wilhelm has planned to secretly invade and conquer Britain, and they are the only ones who can prevent it. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Jenny Agutter, (more)
- 1978
- PG
In Fedora, Billy Wilder approaches Hollywood stardom in the same fashion as he did in Sunset Boulevard--with cynicism, regret, understanding, and awe. Fedora (Marthe Keller) is film's most intriguing movie queen. Rumored to be well into her sixties, the actress has remained a starlet for over four decades--retaining youth and radiance despite her advancing years. The mystery behind her numinous persona has never ceased to captivate audiences. Even now, as she lives in seclusion on the beautiful Greek island of Corfu, the public buzzes for her to return to the screen. When producer Barry Detweiler (William Holden) travels to Corfu, staking his faltering career on Fedora's return, he discovers the actress's tragic secret. Fedora's eternal loveliness may not be the result of defying her age, but of concealing her youth. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Holden, Hildegarde Neff, (more)
Because director Franco Zeffirelli noted publicly that he intended to depict Jesus Christ as a human being rather than a religious icon, his expensive made-for-TV miniseries Jesus of Nazareth fell victim to protestors long before its April 3, 1977, debut. Despite the pullout of several sponsors, Jesus of Nazareth was aired as scheduled, sweeping the ratings in the process. In avoiding the usual overproduced Hollywood approach to the Gospels, Zeffirelli offers one of the most sensitive and reverent portrayals of Jesus ever seen on film. In the title role, Robert Powell heads a huge international cast, which includes Olivia Hussey as Mary, Peter Ustinov as Herod the Great, Christopher Plummer as Herod Antipas, Michael York as John the Baptist, James Farentino as Simon Peter, Donald Pleasence as Melchior, James Earl Jones as Balthazar, Ian McShane as Judas, Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene, Rod Steiger as Pontius Pilate, James Mason as Joseph of Arimathea, Anthony Quinn as Caiaphas, Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus, Ernest Borgnine as the Centurion, and Claudia Cardinale as the Adulteress. Filmed in England, Tunisia, and Morocco, Jesus of Nazareth was scripted by Zeffirelli, Anthony Burgess, and Suso Cecchi D'Amico. It originally aired in two three-hour segments, telecast Palm and Easter Sunday of 1977 as part of NBC's Big Event anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Powell, Olivia Hussey, (more)
In The Island of Dr. Moreau, which is based on a novella by H.G. Wells, Braddock (Michael York) is a decent young Englishman who has unaccountably been saved from being thrown overboard from a ship sailing in a remote area of the Pacific by the mysterious Dr. Montgomery (Nigel Davenport). Dr. Montgomery is accompanying a cargo of animals destined for a tropical island. At first an "honored guest" (prisoner) on that island, he is finds his contacts with the natives increasingly disturbing, for they are not like any men he has ever seen. Eventually it transpires that these "men" are experimental reconstructions from wild animals made by a particularly sinister scientist, Dr. Moreau (Burt Lancaster). He feels that he is in danger from the animal/men and from Dr. Moreau himself and does not know where to turn. This story was also filmed in 1933 as The Island of Lost Souls, starring Charles Laughton as the monomaniacal Dr. Moreau and was remade yet again in 1996 with Marlon Brando in the title role. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Michael York, (more)
- 1977
- PG
Beau Geste, the classic adventure story of a young man's dangerous journeys as part of the French Foreign Legion, becomes the subject of broad parody in this slapstick comedy. The original tale, best known to film lovers from William Wellman's 1939 classic, tells of several brothers who join the Foreign Legion after claiming responsibility for the mysterious disappearance of an invaluable family heirloom. Eventually, brothers Beau and Digby find themselves in conflict with their vicious commander, leading to a potential mutiny. The plot here is similar, with Michael York assuming Gary Cooper's role as Beau, and first-time director Marty Feldman co-starring as Digby. However, following the lead of former collaborator Mel Brooks, Feldman plays strictly for laughs, loading the story with jokes ranging from the satirical to the vulgar. A cast of notables keeps things lively, with Peter Ustinov and Ann-Margret mocking their own images as the sadistic commander and lusty Geste stepmother. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann-Margret, Marty Feldman, (more)
- 1976
In the romantic drama Seven Nights in Japan, Michael York plays Prince George, the fictional heir to the British throne, a British navy officer. On shore leave in Japan, he meets Somi, a Japanese tour bus guide (Hidemi Aoki), and they have a brief romance. Attempts are made on the prince's life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Hidemi Aoki, (more)
In a hermetically sealed, post-apocalyptic urban environment several centuries hence, Logan 5 (Michael York) and his friend Francis 7 (Richard Jordan) lead unquestioning lives of hedonism. Entertainment comes in the form of casual sexual liaisons and gladiatorial games in which those who do not wish to undergo euthanasia at the age of 30 vie for the illusory chance of continued life. As "sandmen," Logan and Francis are charged with tracking down and killing "runners" -- those citizens who will submit to neither "renewal" (a peaceful death) nor "carousel" (a gladiatorial battle) when their time comes. When Logan grows intrigued by a beautiful young woman, Jessica 6 (Jenny Agutter), who plans to become a runner, he is forced to question the fundamental principles of his society. And when his superiors force him to pose as a runner himself to weed out Jessica's guerilla underground, Logan finds himself fleeing the city in search of a mythical place called Sanctuary where people are allowed to live out their natural spans. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Richard Jordan, (more)
- 1975
- PG
This comic interpretation of Alexandre Dumas's classic adventure saga picks up where 1974's The Three Musketeers left off, as D'Artagnan (Michael York), Athos (Oliver Reed), Aramis (Richard Chamberlain), and Porthos (Frank Finlay) scuttle the plans of Lady de Winter (Faye Dunaway) to remove Queen Anne (Geraldine Chaplin) from the seat of power. De Winter is determined to get revenge against the Musketeers, and when she learns that D'Artagnan is infatuated with the lovely Constance (Raquel Welch), she first tries to foil their romance by seducing D'Artagnan herself, and then by persuading Rochefort (Christopher Lee) to kidnap Constance. She then engineers the assassination of the Duke of Buckingham (Simon Ward), a close friend of D'Artagnan; when word of the Duke's death and Constance's imprisonment reaches D'Artagnan and his comrades, the foursome ride off to rescue the fair lady and see that justice is done against de Winter. The Four Musketeers was filmed concurrently with The Three Musketeers; it was originally intended to be one film, but when director Richard Lester realized the movie would be over three and a half hours long, the decision was made to release it as two separate features instead. This led to lawsuits filed by several of the stars, claiming that they were hired under false pretenses and entitled to be paid for making two films rather than one. The actors won their case, but their settlement was significantly less than the salary they hoped to receive. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, (more)
Based on a play by Barry England, the British Conduct Unbecoming revolves around a sexual violation--which may or may not have occurred. In British India, highborn Mrs. Scarlett (Susannah York) accuses 2nd Lt. Millington, a Bengal Lancer officer (James Faulkner) of raping her. Lieutenant Arthur Drake (Michael York) is assigned to defend Lt. Millington in a trial held behind closed doors to avoid scandal. Colonel Strang (Trevor Howard.) is a martinet judge who presses for a conviction, only to have his determination shaken by the introduction of new evidence. Conduct Unbecoming has the look and feel of a decades-old stage production, but the dialogue and performances provide a strictly contemporary slant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Richard Attenborough, (more)
