Adrienne Corri — Biography

Born in Scotland, Adrienne Corri carved out a career as an actress. Though she took on many roles throughout her career, she is perhaps most recognized for a supporting character she played, Mary Alexander. In this capacity, she portrayed the wife of the writer Frank Alexander, a role undertaken by Patrick Magee, within Stanley Kubrick's bleak vision of the future, A Clockwork Orange, released in 1971. Corri actually stepped into this part after it had been offered to and then declined by two other actresses. Malcolm McDowell, who embodied the central figure Alex DeLarge, recounted that one of these actresses departed because she deemed the role "too humiliating," as it required her to be positioned, unclothed, atop Warren Clarke's (who played "Dim the Droog") shoulders for an extended period while Kubrick determined his preferred camera angles. Corri, however, displayed no hesitation about appearing nude. She lightheartedly remarked to McDowell, indicating her willingness, "Well, Malcolm, you're about to find out that I'm a real redhead." Corri's heritage was a blend of Italian and Scottish ancestry.