Ron Moody
Ron Moody | |
---|---|
Born | Ronald Moodnick 8 January 1924 |
Died | 11 June 2015 London, England | (aged 91)
Alma mater | London School of Economics |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1952–2012 |
Spouse |
Therese Blackbourn (m. 1985) |
Children | 6 |
Ron Moody (born Ronald Moodnick; 8 January 1924 – 11 June 2015) was an English actor, composer, singer and writer. He was best known for his portrayal of
Early life and education
Moody was born on 8 January 1924 in
Moody was educated at Southgate County School, which at the time was a state grammar school, and based in Palmers Green, Middlesex, followed by the London School of Economics in Central London, where he trained to become an economist.[5] During World War II he enlisted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and became a radar technician.[5]
Career
Despite training to be an economist, Moody began appearing in theatrical shows and later decided to become a professional actor.[5]
"My proudest moment was the number "Reviewing the Situation". I suspect that, because I gave my all to the role, and because I was working with such a fine team of people, it inhibited my future career. I turned down quite a few offers afterwards because I thought the people didn't come close to those I'd worked with on Oliver!—which in retrospect was a mistake."
—Moody on his acclaimed role as Fagin and subsequent career.[5]
Moody worked in a variety of genres, but he is perhaps best known for his starring role as
Moody appeared in several children's television series, including the voice of Badger and Toad in the TV Adaptation of
In 1969, Moody was offered, but declined, the lead role in
Moody wrote a novel, The Devil You Don't, which was published by Robson Books, London, in 1980. [10]
In 2004, the British ITV1 nostalgia series After They Were Famous hosted a documentary of the surviving cast of the film Oliver! Several of the film's musical numbers were reenacted. Moody, then 80 but still spry, and Jack Wild (seriously ill with oral cancer at the time) recreated their dance from the closing credits of the film.
Moody appeared in an episode of
Moody was a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Personal life
Moody married a Pilates teacher, Therese Blackbourn, in 1985. The couple had six children.[11]
Death
Moody died of natural causes while in a London hospital on 11 June 2015, aged 91.[12][13]
Partial filmography
- Davy (1958) – The Unicyclist (uncredited)
- Follow a Star (1959) – Violinist
- Make Mine Mink (1960) – Jelks (uncredited)
- Five Golden Hours (1961) – Gabrielle
- A Pair of Briefs (1962) – Sidney Pudney
- Summer Holiday (1963) – Orlando
- The Mouse on the Moon (1963) – Prime Minister Rupert Mountjoy
- Ladies Who Do (1963) – Police Inspector
- Murder Most Foul (1964) – H. Driffold Cosgood
- Every Day's a Holiday (1964) – Professor Bastinado
- San Ferry Ann (1965) – German
- The Sandwich Man (1966) – Rowing Coach
- Oliver! (1968) – Fagin
- David Copperfield (1969, TV Movie) – Uriah Heep
- The Twelve Chairs (1970) – Vorobyaninov
- Flight of the Doves (1971) – Hawk Dove
- Robert Baden-Powell[14]
- Legend of the Werewolf (1975) – Zoo Keeper
- Dogpound Shuffle (1975) – Steps
- Closed Up-Tight (1975)
- Starsky & Hutch (1976, TV Series) – Derek Stafford
- The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It(1977) – Dr Henry Gropinger
- Dominique(1978) – Dr. Rogers
- The Word (1978, TV Mini-Series) – LeBrun
- Unidentified Flying Oddball, aka The Spaceman and King Arthur (1979) – Merlin
- Tales of the Unexpected (1980, TV Episode) – Richard Pratt
- Nobody's Perfect (1980, TV Series) – Inspector Roger Hart
- Into the Labyrinth (1981, TV Series) – Rothgo
- Othello (1981, TV Movie) – Iago
- Dial M for Murder (1981, TV movie) – Capt. Lesgate
- Wrong Is Right (1982) – King Awad
- Where Is Parsifal? (1983) – Beersbohm
- Hart to Hart (1983) – Charles Thompson
- The Other Side of London (1983)
- The Telebugs (1986–1987, TV Series) – (voice)
- Asterix and the Big Fight (1989) – Prolix (English version, voice)
- A Ghost in Monte Carlo (1990, TV Movie) – Alphonse
- How's Business (1991) – Pawnshop broker
- Emily's Ghost (1992) – Dawson
- The Animals of Farthing Wood (1993–1995, TV Mini-Series) – Toad / Badger / Bully / Spike / Large Town Rat (voice)
- A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995) – Merlin
- Noah's Island (1997–1999) – (voice)
- The 3 Kings (2000) – King Herod
- Revelation (2001) – Sir Isaac Newton
- Paradise Grove (2003) – Izzie Goldberg
- Lost Dogs (2005) – Maurice Todd
- Moussaka & Chips (2005) – Officer David Tomlinson
References
- ^
"My London". The Londoner. Mayor of London. August 2005. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
Are you a London boy originally? Yes. I was born in Tottenham. Then we moved to Hornsey, which was not that far away, but was a few steps up the social ladder.
- ^ In his most recent autobiography, Moody cites attendance at two schools based in Harringay. Hornsey and Tottenham were both used as alternative terms to refer to Harringay, Moody R., A Still Untitled, (Not Quite) Autobiography, JR Books, 2011
- ^ a b "Ron Moody Biography (1924–)". Filmreference.com. 8 January 1924. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "Los Angeles Atimes report on Moody (cache)". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. 29 April 1973. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Oliver! actor Ron Moody dies aged 91". BBC News. 11 June 2015.
- ^ "6th Moscow International Film Festival (1969)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ^ https://www.bright-thoughts.co.uk/ron-moody.html Ron Moody - The Other Side of London
- ^ "Ron Moody, Fagin in Oliver, dies aged 91 Archived 12 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Gloucestershire Echo. Retrieved 11 June 2015
- ISBN 978-1-84854-195-5.
- ISBN 0860511014.
- ^ Barker, Dennis (11 June 2015). "Ron Moody obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
- ^ "Actor Ron Moody dies at 91; earned Oscar nomination for role as Fagin in 'Oliver!'". Los Angeles Times. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ Singh, Anita (11 June 2015). "Ron Moody, Fagin actor, dies at 91". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ Stanton B. Garner (1999). Trevor Griffiths: Politics, Drama, History. University of Michigan Press. p. 105.
External links
- Ron Moody's Official Charitable Website
- Ron Moody at IMDb
- Ron Moody at the Internet Broadway Database
- Ron Moody at the TCM Movie Database
- Ron Moody at the BFI's Screenonline
- [1] Interview British Entertainment History Project