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1-13 of 13
- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Equipped with a crooked, leering smirk and devilish gleam in his eye, actor Ron Moody will be most assuredly remembered for one signature role, despite the fact that the talented comedian had much, much more to offer. Carol Channing may have had her Dolly Levi and Yul Brynner his King of Siam, but Moody would become the most delightfully mischievous, engagingly musical villain of all time.
The son of a plasterer born in London in 1924, Ron never gave much of a look at pursuing the acting field until age 29. Prior to that he had entertained thoughts of becoming an economist or sociologist (trained at the London School of Economics). But, changing his destiny on the way, he became a top stand-up and improv revue artist in England (from 1952), making an inauspicious film bow in 1957 in an unbilled bit. It was the British musical stage that offered him his first taste of stardom with the London company of Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" in 1959. Although it was not a great success, however, it did lead to the role of a lifetime the following year as Fagin, the loveable, rapscallious pickpocket in the musical version of "Oliver Twist" simply entitled Oliver!.
Moody later bandied about in other roguish roles too in such TV series as The Avengers (1961) and in the comedies The Mouse on the Moon (1963) and Murder Most Foul (1964), both starring Margaret Rutherford. But in 1968, Ron was given the opportunity to transfer his Dickensian stage thief to film. Oliver! (1968) allowed him to steal a well-deserved Golden Globe trophy and Oscar nomination in the process, not to mention Hollywood interest. Although he never again matched the success of Oliver! (1968), Moody's portrayal of Uriah Heep in a TV version of Charles Dickens's David Copperfield (1970) became another a great success. Other offbeat cinematic roles, both dramatic and sharply comic, included such films as The Twelve Chairs (1970), Flight of the Doves (1971), Legend of the Werewolf (1975), Dogpound Shuffle (1975), Unidentified Flying Oddball (1979) (aka: Unidentified Flying Oddball, as Merlin), Wrong Is Right (1982), Where Is Parsifal? (1984), Emily's Ghost (1992), A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995) (as Merlin), The 3 Kings (2000), Revelation (2001), Paradise Grove (2003) and Lost Dogs (2005).
Despite his fine work elsewhere, the role of Fagin would be Moody's long-lasting claim to fame. He reprised the part at a 1985 in a Royal Variety Performance at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, before Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Throughout his TV career, Moody's presence and/or voice graced several children's series including the adaptations of Into the Labyrinth (1981) and The Telebugs (1986), and he was occasionally on TV here in the U.S., including 80s episodes of "Hart to Hart," "Highway to Heaven" and "Murder, She Wrote."
The endearing Ron Moody died at age 91 in London.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
"The American Dream" has been one of the most popular and colorful professional wrestlers in history. Rhodes began wrestling in the 1960s and gained a reputation as a fast-talking, hard-rocking wrestler. He teamed early in his career with fellow Texan, the late Dick Murdoch, and, for more than 20 years, they wreaked havoc in on- and off-again tag team appearances. Rhodes, always a tough brawler with a few "scientific" moves, finally won his first NWA World heavyweight championship by beating "Handsome" Harley Race in 1979. Although his first title reign would last less than a week, Rhodes managed to capture the NWA title on two more occasions. Today, Rhodes runs a small promotion called "Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling" and continues to wrestle. His son, Dustin Rhodes, appears as "Golddust" on Spike TV's WWE Raw (1993) series.- Blagoja Spirkovski-Dzumerko was born on 6 February 1946 in Prilep, Macedonia, Yugoslavia. He was an actor, known for Before the Rain (1994), Happy New Year (1986) and Na nas nacin (1985). He died on 11 June 2015 in Prilep, Macedonia.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Saxophonist and composer, educated at the School of Jazz in Lenox, Massachusetts. He worked in a Fort Worth carnival, and toured with groups. A leader in progressive jazz, he appeared in many concerts and made many recordings. He retired for two years to study, and then resumed his professional career in 1965. His other instruments include violin and trumpet. Joining ASCAP in 1963, his instrumental compositions include "Lonely Woman", "Sadness", "Ramblin'", and "Turnaround".- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jim Ed Brown was born on 1 April 1934 in Sparkman, Arkansas, USA. He was an actor, known for I Believe in Unicorns (2014), Temple Grandin (2010) and Opry Video Classics: Duets (2007). He was married to Becky Sue Perry. He died on 11 June 2015 in Franklin, Tennessee, USA.- Annette Merar was born on 15 December 1943. She was married to Phil Spector. She died on 11 June 2015 in San Diego, California, USA.
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Vittorio De Angelis was born on 20 September 1962 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He was an actor, known for Friends (1994) and The Little Mermaid DVD Read-Along (2002). He died on 11 June 2015 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.- Music Department
Laura Ahlbeck was born in September 1957 in Columbus, Ohio, USA. Laura is known for The Opposite of Sex (1998) and American Experience (1987). Laura was married to Richard Ranti. Laura died on 11 June 2015 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA.- Wayne Heller was born on 15 January 1957. He was an actor, known for M.T. Graves Presents (1967), The Skipper Chuck Show (1958) and Bozo the Clown (1966). He was married to Judy. He died on 11 June 2015 in New Symara Beach, Florida, USA.
- Ralf Sommerlad was born on 5 August 1952 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He died on 11 June 2015 in Frankfurt am Main, Hessen, Germany.
- Costume Designer
- Actor
- Make-Up Department
Ladislav Branc was born on 4 September 1927 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a costume designer and actor, known for Svatá hrísnice (1970), Telegramiáda (1986) and Zapomenutý cert (1964). He died on 11 June 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Jack King was born on 12 February 1931 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was married to Evelyn. He died on 11 June 2015 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
János Vészi was born on 26 October 1953 in Budapest, Hungary. He was a producer and director, known for Mundstock úr (1976), Adásunkat megszakítjuk (2006) and A csoda vége (1984). He died on 11 June 2015.