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 Fagin in '' Oliver!'' (1968) and its 1983 Broadway revival. Moody earned a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

and an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for the film, as well as a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination for the stage production. Other notable projects include '' The Mouse on the Moon'' (1963),

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

' '' The Twelve Chairs'' (1970) and '' Flight of the Doves'' (1971), in which Moody shared the screen with ''Oliver!'' co-star Jack Wild.

Early life and education

Moody was born on 8 January 1924 in

Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, the son of Kate (née Ogus; 1898–1980) and Bernard/Barnett Moodnick (1896–1964), a studio executive. His father was a Russian Jew and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew; said Moody, "I'm 100%

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

—totally kosher!" He was a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare Lawrence. His surname was legally changed to the more anglicised Moody in 1930. Moody was educated at Southgate County School, which at the time was a state grammar school, and based in Palmers Green,

, followed by the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

in Central London, where he trained to become an economist. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he enlisted in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF) and became a radar technician.

Career

Despite training to be an economist, Moody began appearing in theatrical shows and later decided to become a professional actor. Moody worked in a variety of genres, but he is perhaps best known for his starring role as Fagin in

Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was an English writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's "Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his work ...

's stage and film musical '' Oliver!'' based on '' Oliver Twist'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

. He created the role in the original West End production in 1960 and reprised it in the 1984 Broadway revival, receiving a

nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. For his performance in the 1968 film '' Oliver!'', he received the

for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy), the Best Actor award at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival and an

nomination in the same category. Reflecting on the role, Moody states: "Fate destined me to play Fagin. It was the part of a lifetime. That summer of 1967 uring filmingwas one of the happiest times of my life". He reprised his role as Fagin in the 1983

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

television programme ''The Other Side of London'', and again at the 1985 Royal Variety Performance in

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

before Queen Elizabeth II and the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

. Moody appeared in several children's television series, including the voice of Badger and Toad in the TV Adaptation of Colin Dann's '' The Animals of Farthing Wood'', '' Noah's Island'', '' Telebugs'', and '' Into the Labyrinth''. Among his better known roles was that of Prime Minister Rupert Mountjoy in the comedy '' The Mouse on the Moon'' (1963), alongside Margaret Rutherford, with whom he appeared again the following year in '' Murder Most Foul'' (1964), one of Rutherford's Miss Marple films. He played French entertainer and mime artist The Great Orlando in the 1963

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

film '' Summer Holiday''. He appeared as Hopkirk in the 1966 episode entitled "Honey For the Prince" of '' The Avengers''. He acted again with former ''Oliver!'' co-star Jack Wild in '' Flight of the Doves'' (1971). In 1969, Moody was offered, but declined, the lead role in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', following the departure of Patrick Troughton from the part. He later told many people (including ''Doctor Who'' companion Elisabeth Sladen) that declining the role was a decision he subsequently regretted. He played Ippolit Vorobyaninov alongside

Frank Langella Frank A. Langella Jr. (; born January 1, 1938) is an American actor. He eschewed the career of a traditional film star by making the stage the focal point of his career, appearing frequently on Broadway. He has received four Tony Awards (out of ...

(as Ostap Bender) in

' version of '' The 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 comedy '' Paradise Grove'' alongside

Rula Lenska Rula Lenska (born Roza Maria Leopoldyna Lubienski 30 September 1947) is an English actress. She mainly appears in British stage and television productions and is known in the United States for a series of television advertisements in the 1970s ...

, and played Edwin Caldecott, an old nemesis of Jim Branning on the BBC soap ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

''. In 2005, he acted in the

Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...

''Doctor Who'' audio play '' Other Lives'', playing the Duke 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. In 2004, the British

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...

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 was a guest star in an episode of ITV's long running police drama ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' in 2004 along with actress Molly Sugden and appeared in

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

's '' Casualty'' (aired on 30 January 2010) as a Scottish patient who had served with the Black Watch during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. On 30 June 2010, Moody appeared on stage at the end of a performance of Cameron Mackintosh's revival of ''Oliver!'' and made a humorous speech about the show's 50th anniversary. He then reprised the " Pick a Pocket or Two" number with the cast. 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. 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) who manage the family business Pilates On The Green Limited located in Southgate, London.

Death

Moody died of natural causes while in a London hospital on 11 June 2015, aged 91.

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 ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'' (1969, TV Movie) – Uriah Heep * '' The Twelve Chairs'' (1970) – Vorobyaninov * '' Flight of the Doves'' (1971) – Hawk Dove * '' The Edwardians'' (1972–1973, TV miniseries) – Robert Baden-Powell * '' 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 Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...

'' (2001) – Sir Isaac Newton * '' Paradise Grove'' (2003) – Izzie Goldberg * ''Lost Dogs'' (2005) – Maurice Todd * ''Moussaka & Chips'' (2005) – Officer David Tomlinson

References

External links

*
Ron Moody's Official Charitable Website
* * * *

Interview British Entertainment History Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, Ron 1924 births 2015 deaths 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English comedians 21st-century English male actors Actors from the London Borough of Haringey Alumni of the London School of Economics Audiobook narrators Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Comedians from the London Borough of Haringey English male comedians English male film actors English male musical theatre actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent English people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish English comedians Jewish English male actors Jewish male comedians People educated at Southgate School People from Tottenham Royal Air Force airmen Royal Air Force personnel of World War II