Dudley Moore

Dudley Stuart John Moore (London, United Kingdom, April 19, 1935-Plainfield, New Jersey, United States, March 27, 2002), was an English actor and musician. He achieved fame with comedy films such as 10, the perfect woman and Arthur, the golden bachelor (Spain) or Arturo the seductive millionaire (Latin America).

Biography

Since he was a child, he showed an interest in music and at the age of eight he began to study the piano. A few years later, Moore attended organ and violin classes at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music. Later he received a scholarship to study at the University of Oxford, and it was there that Moore modified his artistic trajectory. He preferred theatrical interpretation and began to act on the stages of the university. Despite this, and once he obtained his diploma, he earned a living for two years playing in jazz ensembles, touring various cities around the world.

In 1960 Moore teamed up with three actors and together they attended the Edinburgh Festival, where they set up a small stage and performed a comic play. They were so successful that they next performed in London, and later in New York, at a Broadway theatre. For this work they won a special Tony award, the equivalent of the Oscars in the American theater. Moore continued to be attached to one of the three partners, with whom he did theater, record recordings and also movies, as well as television.

When his partner decided to retire in 1978, Moore settled in Los Angeles. There she took part in various film comedies, some of which were extremely successful, such as 10, the perfect woman , with Bo Derek, by Blake Edwards. Having become Hollywood's most esteemed comedic actor, Moore had another great success in 1981 with Arthur, the Golden Bachelor, with Liza Minnelli, a film that earned him an Oscar nomination for best leading actor. Possibly Micki and Maude, is his last successful film, since it was a Golden Globe winner as a comedy film. From then on he took part in a few more films, but they were not as successful as the previous ones. Producers and directors gave him roles that were caricatures of his previous portrayals or for which Moore was not the right actor. Even so, his popularity was maintained thanks to the memory of his great comedies. In the following years he appeared mostly in movies and miniseries for television.

Throughout his film career Moore did not give up music and frequently played in famous orchestras. When the success of his films declined, he devoted himself to this facet with greater enthusiasm. One of his achievements was a television series about the musical performance he did with the great conductor Georg Solti. As this series came to a close, Moore began to notice symptoms of illness. He was diagnosed with ischemic heart disease and underwent a quadruple bypass in 1998. Following the operation, he suffered several minor cerebrovascular accidents. The following year he was diagnosed with a severe and disabling brain disease, progressive supranuclear palsy. Moore tried to accept this wrong with his usual sense of humor. He stated that what he regretted the most was not being able to play music. Three years later he died of pneumonia, a complication often associated with his brain disease, in Plainfield, New Jersey.

Moore was married and divorced four times, with marriages lasting no more than five years. One of his wives was actress Suzy Kendall. He had two children, from two different wives.

Filmography

• Citlali (1998)
• The Mighty Kong (1998)
• A Weekend in the Country (1996)
• The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson (1995)
• Oscar's Orchestra (1994, television series)
• Parallel Lives (1994)
• Daddy's Girls (1994, television series)
• Dudley (1993, television series)
• Really Wild Animals (1993)

Moore with actor Peter Cook in 1974.

• Blame It on the Bellboy (1992)
• Crazy People (1990)
• Chatrán (1989)
• Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988)
• Like Father Like Son (1987)
• Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
• Micki and Maude (1984)
• Best Defense (1984)
• Unfaith Yourfullys (1984)
• Romantic Comedy (1983)
• Lovesick (1983)
• Six Weeks (1982)
• Arthur (1981)
• Wholly Moses! (1980)
• Derek and Clive Get the Horn (1979)
• 10, the perfect woman (1979)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
• Foul Play (1978)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)
• The Bed Sitting Room (1969)
• Monte Carlo or Bust (1969)
• 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968)
• Bedazzled (1967)
• The Wrong Box (1966)

Awards and nominations

Oscar Awards