Editing Ian Dury (section)

==Acting and other activities==
[[File:Ian Dury2.jpg|thumb|upright|Dury in concert]]
Dury's confident and unusual demeanour caught the eyes of producers and directors of drama. His first important and extensive role was in [[Farrukh Dhondy]]'s mini-series for the BBC ''[[King of the Ghetto]]'' (1986), a drama set in London's multi-racial [[Brick Lane]] area with a cast led by a young [[Tim Roth]].<ref>{{Citation |title=King of the Ghetto |date=1986-05-01 |type=Drama |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316994/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |others=Tim Roth, Zia Mohyeddin, Gwyneth Strong |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)}}</ref>

Dury had small parts in several films, probably the best known of which was [[Peter Greenaway]]'s ''[[The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover]]'' (1989), as well as a [[cameo role|cameo appearance]] in [[Roman Polanski]]'s ''[[Pirates (1986 film)|Pirates]]'' (1986). He also appeared in the [[Eduardo Guedes]] film '' Rocinante'' (1986), the German comedy (lead) ''Brennende Betten'' (Burning Beds) (1988), [[Alejandro Jodorowsky]]'s ''[[The Rainbow Thief]]'' (1990), and the [[Sylvester Stallone]] science fiction film ''[[Judge Dredd (film)|Judge Dredd]]'' (1995). His other film appearances included roles in ''Number One'' (1985) starring [[Bob Geldof]], the [[Bob Hoskins]] film ''[[The Raggedy Rawney]]'' (1988), and ''[[Split Second (1992 film)|Split Second]]'' (1992) starring [[Rutger Hauer]] and [[Kim Cattrall]]. He also appeared alongside fellow lyricists [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Tom Waits]], respectively, in the movies ''[[Hearts of Fire]]'' (1987) and ''Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale'' (1990), also by Eduardo Guedes.<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Willemen |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/oct/17/guardianobituaries.filmnews1 |title=Obituary: Eduardo Guedes |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=17 October 2000 |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145118/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/oct/17/guardianobituaries.filmnews1 |url-status=live }}</ref> His later films included the comedy ''[[Different for Girls (film)|Different for Girls]]'' (1996), and ''[[The Crow: City of Angels]]'' (1996), directed by [[Tim Pope]], who had directed a few of Dury's music videos.{{cn|date=April 2023}}

Dury also wrote a musical, ''Apples'', staged in London's [[Royal Court Theatre]]. In 1987 he appeared as the narrator (Scullery) in ''[[Road (play)|Road]]'', also at the Royal Court. Among the cast was actress and singer [[Jane Horrocks]], who cohabited with Dury until late in 1988, although the relationship was kept discreet.<ref>Balls, Richard (2000), pp. 264–6</ref>

Dury wrote and performed the theme song "Profoundly in Love with Pandora" for the television series ''[[The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (TV series)|The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾]]'' (1985), based on the book of the same name by [[Sue Townsend]], as well as its follow-up, ''[[The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (TV series)|The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole]]'' (1987). Dury turned down an offer from [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] to write the libretto for ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]'' (from which [[Richard Stilgoe]] reportedly earned millions). The reason, said Dury, "I can't stand his music."<ref name="G270300">{{cite news |author=Denselow, Robin |author-link=Robin Denselow |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/mar/27/guardianobituaries.robindenselow |title=Ian Dury obituary |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=27 March 2000 |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141911/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/mar/27/guardianobituaries.robindenselow |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{blockquote|...&nbsp;I said no straight off. I hate Andrew Lloyd Webber. He's a wanker, isn't he?&nbsp;... [E]very time I hear '[[Don't Cry for Me Argentina]]' I feel sick, it's so bad. He got Richard Stilgoe to do the lyrics in the end, who's not as good as me. He made millions out of it. He's crap, but he did ask the top man first!<ref name="Ind170898">{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Deborah |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interview-ian-dury-great-sense-of-tumour-1172226.html |title=Ian Dury: Great sense of tumour |work=[[The Independent]] |date=17 August 1998 |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163157/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interview-ian-dury-great-sense-of-tumour-1172226.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

When [[HIV/AIDS]] first came to prominence in the mid-1980s, Dury was among celebrities who appeared on UK television to promote [[safe sex]], demonstrating how to put on a [[condom]] using a model of an erect penis. In the 1990s, he became an ambassador for [[UNICEF]], recruiting stars such as [[Robbie Williams]] to publicise the cause. The two visited [[Sri Lanka]] in this capacity to promote polio [[vaccination]]. Dury appeared with [[Curve (band)|Curve]] on the ''[[Peace Together]]'' concert and CD (1993), performing "What a Waste", with benefits to the Youth of Northern Ireland. He also supported the charity Cancer BACUP.{{cn|date=April 2023}}

Dury appeared in the ''[[Classic Albums]]'' episode that focused on [[Steely Dan]]'s album ''[[Aja (album)|Aja]]''. Dury commented that the album was one of the most "upful" he had ever heard, and that the album "lifted [his] spirits up" whenever he played it.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/jun/05/artsfeatures.popandrock2 |title=Eggheads of rock |first=John L |last=Walters |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=5 June 2003 |access-date=12 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143552/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/jun/05/artsfeatures.popandrock2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Dury also appeared at the end of the [[Carter USM]] track "Skywest & Crooked" narrating from the musical ''[[Man of La Mancha]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine – 1992 The Love Album |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/29528317-Carter-The-Unstoppable-Sex-Machine-1992-The-Love-Album |website=Discogs |date=19 January 2024 |access-date=13 December 2024}}</ref>