R.I.P. Ron Moody

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Uri
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Re: R.I.P. Ron Moody

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Heksagon wrote:Moody was born Ronald Moodnick in Tottenham, north London, on 8 January 1924, the son of Jewish immigrants. His father anglicised the family name to Moody several years later.
I’m guessing it happened around the time WW2 started – there’s a similar story in my family – a distant cousin of mine was born in England to Polish-Jewish immigrants, and his father changed their family name from Haltrecht (my grandfather’s name too) to Hall because he believed it would protect them once the Nazis invade Britain.

And now, a cinematic twist. I recently met this architectural model maker whose surname is the extremely non Jewish/Hebrew Darnell. I told him the only other person I know of who had this name was an obscure Hollywood starlet he’s probably never heard of, Linda Darnell. His face lit up and he said I was the first person ever to be aware of this connection – as it turned out, his father was in the British army during the war, and his unit was captured by the Germans, and since he had a very distinctively Jewish name, and since this name had the initial D, he altered it for that of his favorite movie star, and since he believed it had saved his life, he officially adopted it after the war. It turned out that other than the fact she was very beautiful, this guy knew nothing about the original Darnell, so I told him a bit about her, meaning, of course, her horrible demise. It seemed like, emotionally, he was informed about something sad which happened to one of his ancestors, which, in a strange way, I guess she somehow was.
Heksagon
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R.I.P. Ron Moody

Post by Heksagon »

Oscar-nominated actor Ron Moody dies

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-33094914

Actor Ron Moody, who played Fagin in the hit film version of Oliver!, has died aged 91, his family says. The British character actor was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance in the 1968 Charles Dickens adaptation.He appeared in EastEnders as Edwin Caldecott, an old nemesis of Jim Branning, and played wizard Merlin in Disney's A Kid in King Arthur's Court.

His widow Therese said he would be "greatly missed"." He brought joy to his family and to the hearts of many and will be greatly missed. He was singing until the end," she said. Moody was born Ronald Moodnick in Tottenham, north London, on 8 January 1924, the son of Jewish immigrants. His father anglicised the family name to Moody several years later.

He had originally planned to be an economist and did not take up acting seriously until his late 20s. His big break came in the 1960s when he was given the part of Fagin, the leader of a band of juvenile rogues and pickpockets, in Oliver!, the musical version of Dickens's Oliver Twist. "Fate destined me to play Fagin. It was the part of a lifetime," he said.

The actor first played the part in the stage production of Lionel Bart's musical in both the West End and on Broadway, before making the movie. Speaking about the making of the film to The Guardian in 2012, Moody said he never expected to reprise his role because there had been "backstage hostilities" on the stage production. But he said, "that summer of 1967 was one of the happiest times of my life".

"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," he added. "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! - which in retrospect was a mistake." The actor said his biggest regret was turning down an opportunity to become one of the incarnations of The Doctor in Doctor Who.

But his lengthy career saw him play Captain Hook five times, Uriah Heep in David Copperfield, and the title role in Sherlock Holmes - the musical.His other films included Murder Most Foul, Legend of the Werewolf and The Spaceman.

He is survived by his widow and six children.
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