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13
Sept 2023
Plaque unveiled in Harrogate in memory of Hollywood actor
A Hollywood actor who became a household name in the 1950s was honoured with a commemorative plaque at his family home in Harrogate on Saturday.
Michael Rennie was born in 1909 in Idle, near Bradford, and went on to become the highest-paid filmstar in Britain in 1946, starring with many of the leading actors of the post-war period, including Orson Welles, Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh.
Arguably his most famous role was as Klaatu, the alien ambassador in the 1951 blockbuster The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Less than three years after leaving Hollywood, he died at 1 Otley Road – his mother's home – in Harrogate on June 10, 1971. His ashes were interred up the road in Harlow Hill Cemetery.
The brown Harrogate Civic Society plaque was unveiled on the gatepost at 1 Otley Road by his son, David Rennie, who had instigated the process.
The plaque includes the enigmatic words 'Klaatu barada nikto', uttered by Michael Rennie's alien character in The Day The Earth Stood Still.
As well as the brief biographical details that tell passersby who Michael Rennie was, it also includes the words 'Klaatu barada nikto, a phrase uttered by his character in The Day the Earth Stood Still.
The phrase, described by one journalist as "the most famous phrase ever spoken by an extraterrestrial", has become iconic among science fiction fans, and its meaning has been the topic of much debate and speculation.
According to film historian Steven Jay Rubin, the film's screenplay writer, Edmund H North, said it meant “There's hope for Earth, if the scientists can be reached”.
Also present at the unveiling ceremony were: Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough; Michael Harrison, charter mayor of Harrogate; Stuart Holland, chair of Harrogate Civic Society; David Bown, chief executive of Harrogate Theatre; Paula Stott, chair of Harrogate Film Society; as well as neighbouring residents and members of the Rennie family.
Mr Holland said:
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