Douglas McKenzie

Doug McKenzie was born in Montana, and grew up during WW II on the coast of Oregon. It was in high school that he found his lifetime passion for theater and film. He earned his BA and MFA for performance at the University of Northern Colorado. While working on his PhD at the University of Oregon, he had a chance for this small part under the direction of Jack Nicholson. Through out his life he would entertain colleagues, students, and family regarding this experience - he found it endlessly funny that his only foray as a professional film actor was playing an army doctor giving a digital rectal exam. His one line, ordering Hector (William Tepper) to "drop your pants" as he snapped on a rubber glove. Glorious, but not his true career achievement.

For over 40 years, Doug taught thousands of college students about theater and film performance, including history, acting, theater tech, production, and direction. Few are truly called to teach, but this was his calling. In the late 1970s he was selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities to spend a summer with famous film directors such as John Ford, Stanley Kubrick, and Akira Kirusawa in a special program to develop a generation of film educators. For the remainder of his life he was filled with zeal to deepen student understanding of cinema as the highest art form. Even in retirement he taught weekly community classes of the highest quality for his coastal community until his body would no longer allow it.

Through out stage and cinema a great many owe a debt to the many teachers like Douglas McKenzie, who put the art and their students before fame and wealth.