Ron Moody | |
|---|---|
 Moody in 1975 | |
| Born | Ronald Moodnick (1924-01-08)8 January 1924 |
| Died | 11 June 2015(2015-06-11) (aged 91) London, England |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1952–2012 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
Ron Moody (bornRonald Moodnick; 8 January 1924 – 11 June 2015) was an English actor, composer, singer and writer. He was best known for his portrayal ofFagin inOliver! (1968) and its1983 Broadway revival. Moody earned aGolden Globe Award and anAcademy Award nomination for the film, as well as aTony Award nomination for the stage production. Other notable projects includeThe Mouse on the Moon (1963),Mel Brooks'sThe Twelve Chairs (1970) andFlight of the Doves (1971), in which Moody shared the screen withOliver! co-starJack Wild.
Moody was born on 8 January 1924 inTottenham,Middlesex,[1][2] the son of Kate (née Ogus; 1898–1980) and Bernard/Barnett Moodnick (1896–1964), a studio executive.[3] His father was aRussian Jew and his mother was aLithuanian Jew; said Moody, "I'm 100%Jewish—totally kosher!"[4] He was a cousin ofdirectorLaurence Moody and actressClare Lawrence. His surname was legally changed to the more anglicised Moody in 1930.[3]
Moody was educated atSouthgate County School, which at the time was a state grammar school, and based inPalmers Green,Middlesex, followed by theLondon School of Economics inCentral London, where he trained to become an economist.[5] DuringWorld War II, he enlisted in theRoyal Air Force (RAF) and became a radar technician.[5]
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 onOliver!—which in retrospect was a mistake."
Moody worked in a variety of genres, but he is perhaps best known for his starring role asFagin inLionel Bart's stage and film musicalOliver! based onOliver Twist byCharles Dickens. He created the role in the originalWest End production in 1960 and reprised it in the 1984Broadway revival, receiving aTony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. For his performance in the 1968 filmOliver!, he received theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy), the Best Actor award at the6th Moscow International Film Festival and anAcademy Award nomination in the same category.[6] Reflecting on the role, Moody states: "Fate destined me to play Fagin. It was the part of a lifetime. That summer of 1967 [during filming] was one of the happiest times of my life".[5] He reprised his role as Fagin in the 1983Channel 4 television programmeThe Other Side of London,[7] and again at the 1985Royal Variety Performance inTheatre Royal, Drury Lane beforeQueen Elizabeth II and theDuke of Edinburgh.[8]
Moody appeared in several children's television series, including the voice of Badger and Toad in the TV Adaptation ofColin Dann'sThe Animals of Farthing Wood,Noah's Island,Telebugs, andInto the Labyrinth. Among his better known roles was that of Prime Minister Rupert Mountjoy in the comedyThe Mouse on the Moon (1963), alongsideMargaret Rutherford, with whom he appeared again the following year inMurder Most Foul (1964), one of Rutherford's Miss Marple films. He played French entertainer andmime artist The Great Orlando in the 1963Cliff Richard filmSummer Holiday. He appeared as Hopkirk in the 1966 episode entitled "Honey For the Prince" ofThe Avengers. He acted again with formerOliver! Co-starJack Wild inFlight of the Doves (1971).
In 1969, Moody wasoffered, but declined, the lead role inDoctor Who, following the departure ofPatrick Troughton from the part.[9] He later told many people (includingDoctor Who companionElisabeth Sladen) that declining the role was a decision he subsequently regretted.[5] He played Ippolit Vorobyaninov alongsideFrank Langella (asOstap Bender) inMel Brooks' version ofThe Twelve Chairs (1970).In 1995 he appeared in the UK's longest running TV comedy series 'Last of the Summer Wine' as Lieutenant Willoughby. In 2003, he starred in the black comedyParadise Grove alongsideRula Lenska, and playedEdwin Caldecott, an old nemesis ofJim Branning on the BBC soapEastEnders.[5] In 2005, he acted in theBig Finish ProductionsDoctor Who audio playOther Lives, playing theDuke of Wellington. He made several appearances in BBC TVs long-running variety show,The Good Old Days, enacting pastiche/comic Victorian melodramas.
Moody wrote a novel,The Devil You Don't, which was published by Robson Books, London, in 1980.[10]
In 2004, the BritishITV1 nostalgia seriesAfter They Were Famous hosted a documentary of the surviving cast of the filmOliver! Several of the film's musical numbers were reenacted. Moody, then 80 but still spry, andJack Wild (seriously ill with oral cancer at the time) recreated their dance from the closing credits of the film.
Moody was a guest star in an episode of ITV's long-running police dramaThe Bill in 2004 along with actressMollie Sugden and appeared inBBC1'sCasualty (aired on 30 January 2010) as a Scottish patient who had served with theBlack Watch during theSecond World War.[5] On 30 June 2010, Moody appeared on stage at the end of a performance ofCameron Mackintosh's revival ofOliver! And made a humorous speech about the show's 50th anniversary. He then reprised the "Pick a Pocket or Two" number with the cast.[5]
Moody was a supporter ofTottenham Hotspur F.C.
Moody married aPilates teacher, Therese Blackbourn, in 1985. The couple had six children. Catherine Laura (B. July 1986), Daniel Maxmillian (B. September 1988), Matthew Alexander (B. Sept 1990), Micheal Orlando (B. July 1992), Jonathan Barnaby (B. April 1994) & Conrad Augustus (B. July 1996).[11]
Moody died of natural causes while in a London hospital on 11 June 2015, aged 91.[12][13]
Are you a London boy originally? Yes. I was born inTottenham. Then we moved toHornsey, which was not that far away, but was a few steps up the social ladder.
