Editing Ron Moody

{{About|the actor|the sculptor|Ronald Moody}}
{{Short description|English actor, composer, singer and writer (1924–2015)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Ron Moody
| image              = Ron Moody.jpg
| caption            = Moody in 1975
| birth_name         = Ronald Moodnick
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1924|1|8|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Tottenham]], [[Middlesex]]<!-- Tottenham was part of Middlesex when Moody was born, it did not become part of London until 1965-->, England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2015|6|11|1924|1|8|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[London]], England
| alma_mater         = [[London School of Economics]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actor|composer|singer|writer}}
| years_active       = 1952–2012
| spouse             = {{marriage|Therese Blackbourn|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 [[Fagin]] in ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'' (1968) and its [[Oliver!#1983 London and Broadway revivals|1983 Broadway revival]]. Moody earned a [[Golden Globe Award]] and an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for the film, as well as a [[Tony Award]] nomination for the stage production. Other notable projects include ''[[The Mouse on the Moon]]'' (1963), [[Mel Brooks]]' ''[[The Twelve Chairs (1970 film)|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]], [[Middlesex]],<!-- Tottenham was part of Middlesex when Moody was born, it did not become part of London until 1965 --><ref>
{{cite web
  | title      = My London
  | work       = [[The Londoner]]
  | publisher  = [[Mayor of London]]
  | date       = August 2005
  | url        = http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/05aug/p18b.jsp?nav=on
  | access-date = 18 June 2007
  | quote      = 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. |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210133/http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/05aug/p18b.jsp?nav=on <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 30 September 2007}}</ref><ref>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</ref> the son of Kate (née Ogus; 1898–1980) and Bernard/Barnett Moodnick (1896–1964), a studio executive.<ref name=filmr>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/30/Ron-Moody.html |title=Ron Moody Biography (1924–) |publisher=Filmreference.com |date=8 January 1924 |access-date=10 December 2011}}</ref> His father was a [[History of the Jews in Russia|Russian Jew]] and his mother was a [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuanian Jew]];  said Moody, "I'm 100% [[Jews|Jewish]]—totally kosher!"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/604324252.html?dids=604324252:604324252&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+29%2C+1973&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Stage&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024151859/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/604324252.html?dids=604324252:604324252&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+29,+1973&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Stage&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 October 2012 |title=Los Angeles Atimes report on Moody (cache) |publisher=Pqasb.pqarchiver.com |date=29 April 1973 |access-date=26 May 2013}}</ref> He was a cousin of [[television director|director]] [[Laurence Moody]] and actress [[Clare Lawrence]]. His surname was legally changed to the more anglicised Moody in 1930.<ref name=filmr/>

Moody was educated at [[Southgate School|Southgate County School]], which at the time was a state grammar school, and based in [[Palmers Green]],  [[Middlesex]]<!-- Palmers Green did not become part of London until 1965-->, followed by the [[London School of Economics]] in [[Central London]], where he trained to become an economist.<ref name="BBC"/> During [[World War II]], he enlisted in the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) and became a radar technician.<ref name="BBC"/>

==Career==
Despite training to be an economist, Moody began appearing in theatrical shows and later decided to become a professional actor.<ref name="BBC"/>

{{Quote box|width=28%|align=right|quote="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! (film)|Oliver!]]''—which in retrospect was a mistake."|source=—Moody on his acclaimed role as Fagin and subsequent career.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|title=Oliver! actor Ron Moody dies aged 91|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33094914|publisher=BBC News|date=11 June 2015}}</ref>}}
Moody worked in a variety of genres, but he is perhaps best known for his starring role as [[Fagin]] in [[Lionel Bart]]'s stage and film musical ''[[Oliver!]]'' based on ''[[Oliver Twist]]'' by [[Charles Dickens]]. He created the role in the original [[West End theatre|West End]] production in 1960 and reprised it in the 1984 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] revival, receiving a [[Tony Award]] nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. For his performance in the 1968 film  ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'', he received the [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy), the Best Actor award at the [[6th Moscow International Film Festival]] and an [[Academy Award]] nomination in the same category.<ref name="Moscow1969">{{cite web |url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1969 |title=6th Moscow International Film Festival (1969) |access-date=21 December 2012 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116194825/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1969 |archive-date=16 January 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> 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".<ref name="BBC"/> He reprised his role as Fagin in the 1983 [[Channel 4]] television programme ''The Other Side of London'',<ref>https://www.bright-thoughts.co.uk/ron-moody.html Ron Moody - The Other Side of London</ref> and again at the 1985 [[Royal Variety Performance]] in [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]] before [[Queen Elizabeth II]] and the [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Duke of Edinburgh]].<ref>[http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Ron-Moody-Fagin-Oliver-dies-aged-91/story-26679360-detail/story.html "Ron Moody, Fagin in Oliver, dies aged 91] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612190332/http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Ron-Moody-Fagin-Oliver-dies-aged-91/story-26679360-detail/story.html |date=12 June 2015 }}. Gloucestershire Echo. Retrieved 11 June 2015</ref>

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 (TV series)|The Animals of Farthing Wood]]'', ''[[Noah's Island]]'', ''[[Telebugs]]'', and ''[[Into the Labyrinth (TV series)|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 (film)|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]] film ''[[Summer Holiday (1963 film)|Summer Holiday]]''. He appeared as Hopkirk in the 1966 episode entitled "Honey For the Prince" of ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|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]]'', following the departure of [[Patrick Troughton]] from the part.<ref name="Stevens">{{cite book	
|last= Stevens	
|first= Christopher
|title= Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams
|publisher= John Murray
|year= 2010
|isbn = 978-1-84854-195-5
|page=370
}}</ref>  He later told many people (including ''Doctor Who'' companion [[Elisabeth Sladen]]) that declining the role was a decision he subsequently regretted.<ref name="BBC"/> He played Ippolit Vorobyaninov alongside [[Frank Langella]] (as [[Ostap Bender]]) in [[Mel Brooks]]' version of ''[[The Twelve Chairs (1970 film)|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]], and played [[Edwin Caldecott]], an old nemesis of [[Jim Branning]] on the BBC soap ''[[EastEnders]]''.<ref name="BBC"/> In 2005, he acted in the [[Big Finish Productions]] ''Doctor Who'' audio play ''[[Other Lives (audio drama)|Other Lives]]'', playing the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]]. He made several appearances in BBC TVs long running variety show, ''[[The Good Old Days (British TV series)|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.<ref>{{cite book
|last= Moody
|first= Ron
|title= The Devil You Don't
|date= 9 April 1980
|publisher= Robson Books
|isbn=0860511014}}
</ref>

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 was a guest star in an episode of ITV's long running police drama ''[[The Bill]]'' in 2004 along with actress Molly Sugden and appeared in [[BBC1]]'s ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' (aired on 30 January 2010) as a Scottish patient who had served with the [[Black Watch]] during the [[Second World War]].<ref name="BBC"/> 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 "[[You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two|Pick a Pocket or Two]]" number with the cast.<ref name="BBC"/>

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.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jun/11/ron-moody| title = Ron Moody obituary | work = [[The Guardian]] | date = 11 June 2015 | access-date = 14 June 2015 | first = Dennis | last = Barker}}</ref> <!--hide unreferenced claims Moody's son, Daniel, was the visual effects assistant on the film ''[[The Wolfman (2010 film)|The Wolfman]]'' (2010). After graduating from the [[University of York]] with a BA in 'Film, Theatre and Television', Daniel worked as a visual effects assistant on the film ''[[47 Ronin (2013 film)|47 Ronin]]'' (2013). Jonathan, his second youngest child, is studying Mathematical Physics at the [[University of Nottingham]].-->

==Death==
Moody died of natural causes while in a London hospital on 11 June 2015, aged 91.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-ln-oscar-nominee-ron-moody-dead-20150611-story.html|title=Actor Ron Moody dies at 91; earned Oscar nomination for role as Fagin in 'Oliver!'|date=11 June 2015|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Singh|first1=Anita|title=Ron Moody, Fagin actor, dies at 91|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11667284/Ron-Moody-Fagin-actor-dies-at-91.html|access-date=11 June 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=11 June 2015}}</ref>

==Partial filmography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Davy (film)|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 film)|Summer Holiday]]'' (1963) – Orlando
* ''[[The Mouse on the Moon]]'' (1963) – Prime Minister Rupert Mountjoy
* ''[[Ladies Who Do]]'' (1963) – Police Inspector
* ''[[Murder Most Foul (film)|Murder Most Foul]]'' (1964) – H. Driffold Cosgood
* ''[[Every Day's a Holiday (1965 film)|Every Day's a Holiday]]'' (1964) – Professor Bastinado
* ''[[San Ferry Ann]]'' (1965) – German
* ''[[The Sandwich Man (1966 film)|The Sandwich Man]]'' (1966) – Rowing Coach
* ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'' (1968) – Fagin
* ''[[David Copperfield (1969 film)|David Copperfield]]'' (1969, TV Movie) – Uriah Heep
* ''[[The Twelve Chairs (1970 film)|The Twelve Chairs]]'' (1970) – Vorobyaninov
* ''[[Flight of the Doves]]'' (1971) – Hawk Dove
* ''[[The Edwardians (miniseries)|The Edwardians]]'' (1972–1973, TV miniseries) – [[Robert Baden-Powell]]<ref>{{cite work|title=Trevor Griffiths: Politics, Drama, History|page= 105|author=Stanton B. Garner|year=1999|publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]]}}</ref>
* ''[[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 film)|Dominique]]'' (1978) – Dr. Rogers
* ''[[The Word (novel)#TV miniseries|The Word]]'' (1978, TV Mini-Series) – LeBrun
* ''[[Unidentified Flying Oddball]]'', aka ''The Spaceman and King Arthur'' (1979) – Merlin
* ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]'' (1980, TV Episode) – Richard Pratt
* ''[[Nobody's Perfect (American TV series)|Nobody's Perfect]]'' (1980, TV Series) – Inspector Roger Hart 
* ''[[Into the Labyrinth (TV series)|Into the Labyrinth]]'' (1981, TV Series) – Rothgo
* ''[[BBC Television Shakespeare|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 (film)|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 (TV series)|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 film)|Revelation]]'' (2001) – Sir Isaac Newton
* ''[[Paradise Grove]]'' (2003) – Izzie Goldberg
* ''Lost Dogs'' (2005) – Maurice Todd
* ''Moussaka & Chips'' (2005) – Officer David Tomlinson
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

* {{AFI person | 134659-Ron-Moody }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121015163429/http://ronmoody.co.uk/ Ron Moody's Official Charitable Website]
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
* {{Screenonline name|id=471537|name=Ron Moody}}
*[https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/ron-moody] Interview British Entertainment History Project
{{GoldenGlobeAwardBestActorMotionPictureMusicalComedy 1961–1980}}
{{Authority control}}

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