Stephen Vincent Moore (11 December 1937 – 4 October 2019) was an English actor, known for his work on British television since the mid-1970s.

Biography

Moore was born in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th centu ...

, London, the son of Mary Elisabeth (née Bruce-Anderson) and solicitor Stanley Moore. He attended the Archbishop Tenison's grammar school in Kennington. He was married four times. His half-brother Mark Moore performs with

S'Express S'Express (pronounced ''ess-express''; sometimes spelled S'Xpress or S-Express) were a British dance music act from the late 1980s, who had one of the earliest commercial successes in the acid house genre. "Theme from S'Express", which containe ...

and his brother-in-law was the actor James Hazeldine.

Acting career

Moore was known for his appearances in '' Rock Follies'' and other TV series such as ''

The Last Place on Earth ''The Last Place on Earth'' is a 1985 Central Television seven-part serial, written by Trevor Griffiths based on the book ''Scott and Amundsen'' by Roland Huntford. The book is an exploration of the expeditions of Captain Robert F. Scott (play ...

'', the children's series ''

The Queen's Nose ''The Queen's Nose'' is a children's novel by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983 with illustrations by Jill Bennett. Set in England, where King-Smith lived, it features a girl who can use a fifty pence coin to make wishes. W ...

'' and the drama ''

Mersey Beat ''Mersey Beat'' was a music publication in Liverpool, England in the early 1960s. It was founded by Bill Harry, who was one of John Lennon's classmates at Liverpool Art College. The paper carried news about all the local Liverpool bands, and ...

'' and the British TV comedy series ''

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ' ...

'', as well as numerous appearances on stage at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

, the Royal Shakespeare Company and London's West End. He was known for his distinctive speaking voice in a wide range of roles, notably

Marvin the Paranoid Android Marvin the Paranoid Android is a fictional character in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' series by Douglas Adams. Marvin is the ship's robot aboard the starship ''Heart of Gold''. Originally built as one of many failed prototypes of Sir ...

in radio and television adaptations of ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...

''.

Death

On 4 October 2019, Moore died at the age of 81.

Notable roles

*''Sen noci svatojánské'' (1959 Czech animation of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...

'' ) as

Francis Flute Francis Flute is a character in William Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''. His occupation is a bellows-mender. He is forced to play the female role of Thisbe in " Pyramus and Thisbe", a play-within-the-play which is performed for Thes ...

(voice) *'' The White Bus'' (1967) as Young Man *''

The Last Shot You Hear ''The Last Shot You Hear'' is a 1969 British thriller film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Hugh Marlowe, Zena Walker, Patricia Haines, and William Dysart. It was Marlowe's last film appearance. The film marked the end of the associa ...

'' (1969) as Peter's Colleague *'' Rock Follies'' (1976, TV Mini-Series) as Jack, left-wing teacher and morose husband of singer Anna (The role can be seen as a prototype for Marvin). *'' The New Avengers'' (1976, TV Series) as Major Prentice *'' A Bridge Too Far'' (1977) as Major Robert Steele *''

State of Revolution ''State of Revolution'' is a two act play by Robert Bolt, written in 1977. It deals with the Russian Revolution of 1917 and Civil War, the rise to power of Vladimir Lenin, and the struggles of his chief lieutenants – namely Joseph Stalin and Le ...

'' (1977,

Robert Bolt Robert Oxton Bolt (15 August 1924 – 20 February 1995) was an English playwright and a two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter, known for writing the screenplays for ''Lawrence of Arabia'', '' Doctor Zhivago'', and '' A Man for All Seasons'' ...

's play) as Anatoly Lunacharsky, a Communist leader *''

Plenty Plenty may refer to: Places * Plenty, Victoria, a town in Australia * Plenty River (Victoria), a river in the Australian state of Victoria *Plenty River (Northern Territory), a river in the Northern Territory of Australia * Plenty, Tasmania, a sma ...

'', (world premiere 1978 National Theatre London) as Raymond *''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

'' (1981, TV Mini-Series) as Cousin Jasper *''

Rough Cut In filmmaking, the rough cut is the second of three stages of offline editing. The term originates from the early days of filmmaking when film stock was physically cut and reassembled, but is still used to describe projects that are recorded and ...

'' (1980) as Chief Flight Controller *'' Diversion'' (1980) as Guy *''All's Well That Ends Well'' (1983) as Parolles (Royal Shakespeare Company & Broadway – ''Tony Nomination *''

Where the Boys Are '84 ''Where the Boys Are '84'' (onscreen title: ''Where the Boys Are'') is a 1984 American sex comedy film that was directed by Hyman Jack "Hy" Averback (the last film he ever directed) and starred Lisa Hartman, Lorna Luft, Wendy Schaal, and Lynn-H ...

'' (1984) as Jeff *''Laughterhouse'' (1984) as Howard *''

'' (1985, TV Mini-Series) as Dr. 'Bill' Wilson *'' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole'' (1985, ITV series) as George Mole, father of

Adrian Mole Adrian Albert Mole is the fictional protagonist in a series of books by English author Sue Townsend. The character first appeared (as "Nigel") as part of a comic diary featured in a short-lived arts magazine (called simply ''magazine'') publi ...

*''

Clockwise Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...

'' (1986) as John Jolly *'' The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole'' (1987, ITV series) as George Mole *'' Under Suspicion'' (1991) as Roscoe *''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

No Strings (TV Episode 1992) as Ray Morgan *'' Love on a Branch Line'' (1994, TV Mini-Series) as Quirk *''

Sharpe's Sword ''Sharpe's Sword'' is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. It is the fourth in the series, being first published in 1983, though the fourteenth chronologically. Set in the summer of 1812 including the Battle ...

'' (1995, TV Movie) as Colonel Berkely *'' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995, TV Series BBC) as Ron, burglary victim *''

A Bit of Fry & Laurie ''A Bit of Fry & Laurie'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and t ...

'' (1995, TV Series) as guest *''

'' (1995-2001, TV Series) as father of Melody / Harmony Parker *'' Brassed Off'' (1996) as McKenzie, the colliery manager *'' The Missing Postman'' (BBC Television Film in two parts; 1997) as Ralph *''

Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and '' Harry & Paul'', and for the creation an ...

'' (1997-1998, TV Series) as father of Kevin the Teenager *'' The Peter Principle'' (1997-2000, TV Series, BBC) as Geoffrey Parkes, the Senior Cashier *''

Paradise Lost in Cyberspace ''Paradise Lost In Cyberspace'' was a six-episode science-fiction comedy series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1998. Cast Lavalie, John, Paradise Lost in Cyberspace Episode Guide at http://epguides.com/ParadiseLostinCyberspace/ * Stephen Moore as ...

'' (1998, Radio Series, BBC) as George Smith (main character in Colin Swash's SciFi radio comedy) *'' A Christmas Carol'' (1999, TV Movie) as Third Broker *''Claim'' (2002) as Felix Halberstein *''

The History Boys ''The History Boys'' is a play by British playwright Alan Bennett. The play premiered at the Royal National Theatre in London on 18 May 2004. Its Broadway debut was on 23 April 2006 at the Broadhurst Theatre where 185 performances were staged b ...

'' (2006) as Hector (

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

revival of

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...

's) play *'' The Boat That Rocked'' (2009) as Prime Minister *'' Doctor Who'' (2010, Episode: " Cold Blood") as Eldane *''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show Live'' (2016) as Marvin (Pre-recorded voice role) * The voice of

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transm ...

and television adaptations of ''

''. In the original radio versions, he also played a number of minor characters including Gag Halfrunt, The Ruler of the Universe, the whale and

Frankie Mouse This page is a list of characters in ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', by Douglas Adams. The descriptions of the characters are accompanied by information on details about appearances and references to the characters. Main characters ...

Jim Broadbent James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the feature film '' Iris'' (2001), as well as winning a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe for ...

took over the role in a 2018 adaptation of '' And Another Thing'' due to Moore's retirement. * Reader for the original abridged audiobook versions of the Hitchhiker's Guide series, books 1–4. *''

An Enemy of the People ''An Enemy of the People'' (original Norwegian title: ''En folkefiende''), an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, followed his previous play, '' Ghosts'', which criticized the hypocrisy of his society's moral code. That response inc ...

'' as Peter Stockman (for the National Theatre London and the

Ahmanson Theatre The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that compose the Los Angeles Music Center. History The theatre was built as a result of a donation from Howard F. Ahmanson Sr, the founder of H.F. Ahmanson & Co., an insurance and savings an ...

Los Angeles) *'' Oliver! The Musical'' as Mr Brownlow *Torvold Helmer, the overbearing husband of Nora Helmer in a 1981 rendition of Henrik Ibsen's ''A Doll's House'' in Stratford, England -S.W.E.T. Award- now known as the

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

. Also nominated for three other awards in the same season. *

Professor Calculus Professor Cuthbert Calculus (french: Professeur Tryphon Tournesol , meaning "Professor Tryphon Sunflower") is a fictional character in ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. He is Tintin's friend, an a ...

in the BBC Radio dramatisation of ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European com ...

'' series of books by

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating '' The Adventures of Tintin'', ...

References

External links

Official website
*
Interview with Stephen Moore on Theatre.comBBC radio 4
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Stephen 1937 births 2019 deaths People from Brixton Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama English male television actors English male radio actors English male stage actors People educated at Archbishop Tenison's Church of England School, Lambeth Laurence Olivier Award winners 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Male actors from London