McCowen, Alec (Alexander Duncan) (1925– )

English stage and film actor. His theatrical performances have been mostly in Shakespearean and other classical plays, in roles such as Richard II, the Fool in King Lear, and Astrov in Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Film roles include a mild-mannered police inspector in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1953) and Q in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1982).

He began working in films in 1953 with a role in The Cruel Sea. Later film roles include the lavish period films Henry V (1989), The Age of Innocence (1993), and Gangs of New York (2002). He has also appeared in several television films, including Longitude (2000) and Victoria & Albert (2001). He is also known for his dramatic one-man shows.