Leo McKern

“She Who Must Be Obeyed.”

“Never plead guilty.”

“I think acting is a childish profession. I don't mean that in a derogatory way. I mean it's in the sense that you are playing, in a way that children play.”

“I'm not a star. I'm a character actor.”

“The audience is the other actor in the play and if they're not concentrating, it's very, very difficult.”

“I suppose Rumpole is my alter ego. He's the man I'd like to be, but I'm not.”

“Having a glass eye is a great advantage in the acting trade. You can pop it out on the table and get a big laugh.”

“I was never a handsome leading man, so I didn't have to worry about losing my looks.”

“My voice is my fortune.”

“The most difficult thing is to learn the lines. It's a sheer bloody grind.”

“An actor's life is a bit like a butterfly's. You're a caterpillar for a long time, and then you're a butterfly for a very short time. Then you die.”

“I have now given up the stage. I don't enjoy it any more. I've been acting for 50 years.”