Al Mulock

Alfred Mulock Rogers (30 June 1926 – May 1968), better known as Al Mulock or Al Mulloch, was a Canadian character actor.[1]

Al Mulock
Al Mulock as "Knuckles" in Once Upon a Time in the West, 1968.
Born
Alfred Mulock Rogers

(1926-06-30)30 June 1926
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DiedMay 1968 (aged 41)
Guadix, Granada, Spain
Cause of deathSuicide by jumping
OccupationActor
Years active1955-1968
Known for"One-armed bounty hunter" in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
"Knuckles" in Once Upon a Time in the West
Spouse(s)Steffi Henderson (? - 1967; her death)
ChildrenRobin Mulock
Parent(s)Adèle Cawthra Mulock
Alfred Rogers
RelativesSir William Mulock (great grandfather)

Early life

Alfred Mulock Rogers was born on 30 June 1926 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the only child of Adèle Cawthra Mulock (1904–1970) and Alfred Rogers. Maternally he was descended from the Mulock family, headed by Sir William Mulock KCMG, the former Postmaster-General of Canada and one of the wealthiest families in the then-Dominion of Canada.

Career

He attended the Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in New York City, United States. Then, with David de Keyser, he started The London Studio, which taught method acting to British actors. Mulock became active in the British film industry in the 1950s and early 1960s, making numerous appearances in various British television series and films.

He is best known for his roles in Spaghetti Western films, most notably in his two collaborations with Sergio Leone, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West. He appears, and is memorably shot in each film: by Eli Wallach's character, Tuco, in the former and by Charles Bronson's character (in a shoot out with three others) in the opening scene of the latter.

Death

Mulock died by suicide by jumping from his hotel room in Guadix, Granada, Spain in May 1968, while filming for Once Upon a Time in the West.[2] He was wearing his cowboy-style 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 being taken away in the ambulance, director Sergio Leone shouted, "Get the costume, we need the costume."[4] The reasons for his suicide, as well as for his choice of killing himself while wearing his costume, are unknown. About a year before Mulock’s suicide his wife had died of cervical cancer. However they had been separated for some time before her death so this may or may not have had an influence on his decision to end his life. Mickey Knox also claimed in his book, The Good, the Bad and the Dolce Vita, that Mulock was a drug addict, and committed suicide out of desperation, as he was unable to acquire drugs in Guadix.[5]

Family

Al Mulock was the great-grandson of Sir William Mulock (1843–1944), the former Canadian Postmaster-General. He was married to actress Steffi Henderson, but she died in 1967 of cervical cancer. They had one child.

Selected filmography

References
  1. "Al Mulock". The New York Times. Baseline. All Media Guide, LLC, The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  2. Martínez, D. (15 May 2018). "50 años del rodaje de 'Hasta que llegó su hora' en Almería". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). Almería: Joly Digital. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  3. Abella, Anna (17 April 2016). "El 'voyeur' Hitchcock y los once dedos de Marilyn". El Periódico (in Spanish). Grupo Zeta. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  4. Egan, James (2018). 1000 Facts about the Greatest Movies Ever. 3. Lulu.com. p. 109. ISBN 9781326514617.
  5. Knox, Mickey The Good, the Bad and the Dolce Vita: The Adventures of an Actor in Hollywood, Paris and Rome Nation Books March 25, 2004
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