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{{short description|English actor, comedian, musician (1935–2002)}}
{{Short description|English actor, comedian and musician (1935–2002)}}
{{distinguish|Dudey Moore}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2010}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}

{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Dudley Moore
| name = Dudley Moore
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
| honorific_suffix = [[CBE]]
| image = Dudley Moore (cropped).jpg
| image = Dudley Moore (cropped).jpg
| image_size = 225px
| caption = Moore at the 1991 [[Emmy Awards]]
| caption = Moore at the [[43rd Primetime Emmy Awards|43rd Emmy Awards]], 25 August 1991
| birth_name = Dudley Stuart John Moore
| birth_name = Dudley Stuart John Moore
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|4|19|df=y}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|4|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Charing Cross]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Westminster]], [[County of London]], England
| birth_place = [[Charing Cross]], [[London]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2002|3|27|1935|4|19|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2002|3|27|1935|4|19|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Plainfield, New Jersey|Plainfield]], [[Union County|Union County]], [[New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Plainfield, New Jersey]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Hillside Cemetery (Scotch Plains, New Jersey)|Hillside Cemetery]], [[Scotch Plains, New Jersey|Scotch Plains]], [[Union County, New Jersey]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Hillside Cemetery (Scotch Plains, New Jersey)|Hillside Cemetery]], [[Scotch Plains, New Jersey]], U.S.
| spouse = {{hlist|{{marriage|[[Suzy Kendall]] |1968|1972|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|[[Tuesday Weld]]|1975|1980|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Brogan Lane|1988|1991|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Nicole Rothschild|1994|1998|end=divorced}}}}
| spouse = {{hlist|{{marriage|[[Suzy Kendall]] |1968|1972|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|[[Tuesday Weld]]|1975|1980|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Brogan Lane|1988|1991|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Nicole Rothschild|1994|1998|end=divorced}}}}
| alma_mater = [[Magdalen College, Oxford]]
| alma_mater = [[Magdalen College, Oxford]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|comedian|musician|composer}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|comedian|musician|composer}}
| years_active = 1961–1999<ref name="Ovation for ailing Dudley">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/527810.stm |title=Ovation for ailing Dudley |work=BBC News |date=19 November 1999 |access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref>
| years_active = 1961–1998
| children = 2
| children = 2
}}
}}


'''Dudley Stuart John Moore''' [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] (19 April 1935{{spaced ndash}}27 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British [[satire boom]] of the 1960s. He was one of the four writer-performers in the comedy revue ''[[Beyond the Fringe]]'' from 1960 that created a boom in satiric comedy. With a member of that team, [[Peter Cook]], Moore collaborated on the BBC television series ''[[Not Only... But Also]]''. As a popular double act, Moore's buffoonery contrasted with Cook's deadpan monologues.<ref name="double act">{{cite news |title=Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, The 25 best comedy duos|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/the-25-best-comedy-duos/peter-cook-and-dudley-moore/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/the-25-best-comedy-duos/peter-cook-and-dudley-moore/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=22 July 2021 |newspaper=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They jointly received the 1966 [[British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance]] and worked together on other projects until the mid-1970s, by which time Moore had settled in Los Angeles to concentrate on his film acting.
'''Dudley Stuart John Moore''' [[CBE]] (19 April 1935{{spaced ndash}}27 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. He first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British [[satire boom]] of the 1960s. He was one of the four writer-performers in the comedy revue ''[[Beyond the Fringe]]'' from 1960 that created a boom in satiric comedy. With a member of that team, [[Peter Cook]], Moore collaborated on the BBC television series ''[[Not Only... But Also]]''. In their popular double act, Moore's buffoonery contrasted with Cook's deadpan monologues.<ref name="double act">{{cite news |title=Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, The 25 best comedy duos|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/the-25-best-comedy-duos/peter-cook-and-dudley-moore/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comedy/comedians/the-25-best-comedy-duos/peter-cook-and-dudley-moore/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=22 July 2021 |newspaper=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They jointly received the 1966 [[British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance]] and worked together on other projects until the mid-1970s, by which time Moore had settled in [[Los Angeles]], California, to concentrate on his film acting.


Moore's career as a comedy film actor was marked by hit films, particularly ''[[Bedazzled (1967 film)|Bedazzled]]'' (1967), set in [[Swinging Sixties|Swinging Sixties London]] (in which he co-starred with Cook) and Hollywood productions ''[[Foul Play (1978 film)|Foul Play]]'' (1978), ''[[10 (1979 film)|10]]'' (1979) and ''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]'' (1981). For ''Arthur'', Moore was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] and won a [[Golden Globe Award]]. He received a second Golden Globe for his performance in ''[[Micki & Maude]]'' (1984). Moore was awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1987 and was made a CBE by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 16 November 2001 in what was his last public appearance.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dudley Moore |url=https://walkoffame.com/dudley-moore/ |access-date=28 October 2022 |agency=Walk of Fame}}</ref><ref name="Last"/>
Moore's career as a comedy film actor was marked by hit films, particularly ''[[Bedazzled (1967 film)|Bedazzled]]'' (1967), set in [[Swinging Sixties|Swinging Sixties London]] (in which he co-starred with Cook) and Hollywood productions ''[[Foul Play (1978 film)|Foul Play]]'' (1978), ''[[10 (1979 film)|10]]'' (1979) and ''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]'' (1981). For ''Arthur'', Moore was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] and won a [[Golden Globe Award]]. He received a second Golden Globe for his performance in ''[[Micki & Maude]]'' (1984). Moore was awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1987 and was made a CBE by Queen [[Elizabeth II]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 16 November 2001 in what was his last public appearance.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dudley Moore |url=https://walkoffame.com/dudley-moore/ |access-date=28 October 2022 |agency=Walk of Fame}}</ref><ref name="Last"/>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Moore was born at the original [[Charing Cross Hospital]] in [[central London]], the son of Ada Francis (née Hughes), a secretary, and John Moore, a railway electrician from Glasgow.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1389041/Dudley-Moore.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1389041/Dudley-Moore.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Obituaries: Dudley Moore |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=22 March 2002 |access-date=23 April 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Moore was born at the original [[Charing Cross Hospital]] in [[central London]], the son of Ada Francis (née Hughes), a secretary, and John Moore, a railway electrician from [[Glasgow]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1389041/Dudley-Moore.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1389041/Dudley-Moore.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Obituaries: Dudley Moore |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=22 March 2002 |access-date=23 April 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
He had an older sister, Barbara.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Low|first=Valentine|date=12 April 2012|title=Dudley receives his CBE|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/dudley-receives-his-cbe-6335675.html|access-date=12 February 2022|website=www.standard.co.uk|language=en}}</ref> Moore was brought up in the [[Becontree]] estate in [[Dagenham]], [[Essex]]. He was short at {{convert|5|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}} and had [[club feet]] that required extensive hospital treatment. This made him the butt of jokes from other children. His right foot responded well to corrective treatment by the time he was six, but his left foot was permanently twisted and his left leg below the knee was withered. He remained self-conscious about this throughout his life.
He had an older sister, Barbara.<ref>{{cite web|last=Low|first=Valentine|date=12 April 2012|title=Dudley receives his CBE|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/dudley-receives-his-cbe-6335675.html|access-date=12 February 2022|website=www.standard.co.uk}}</ref> Moore was brought up in the [[Becontree]] estate in [[Dagenham]], [[Essex]]. He was short at {{convert|5|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}} and had [[club feet]] that required extensive hospital treatment. This made him the butt of jokes from other children. His right foot responded well to corrective treatment by the time he was six, but his left foot was permanently twisted and his left leg below the knee was withered. He remained self-conscious about this throughout his life.


Moore became a chorister at the age of six. At age 11 he earned a scholarship to the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama|Guildhall School of Music]], where he took up harpsichord, organ, violin, musical theory and composition.<ref name=official>{{cite web |url=http://dudleymoore.com/about/bio.htm |title=The Official Site of Dudley Moore: Biography |publisher=The Estate of Dudley Moore - DudleyMoore.com |access-date=24 April 2016 |archive-date=15 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915154357/http://dudleymoore.com/about/bio.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> He rapidly developed into a highly talented pianist and organist and was playing the organ at local church weddings by the age of 14. He attended [[The Sydney Russell School|Dagenham County High School]] where he received dedicated musical tuition from Peter Cork (1926–2012), who helped him towards his Oxford music scholarship. ([[Norma Winstone]] was another student of Cork's at Dagenham).<ref>Plowright, Piers. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/peter-cork-music-teacher-dudley-moore-and-composer-television-and-radio-8231520.html Peter Cork obituary] in ''The Independent'', 30 October 2012</ref> Cork was also a composer. Moore kept in touch until the mid-1990s and his letters to Cork were published in 2006.<ref name =cork>Cork, Peter (ed.). ''Letter From Dudley'' (2006)</ref>
Moore became a chorister at the age of six. When he was 11 years old, he earned a scholarship to the [[Guildhall School of Music]], where he took up harpsichord, organ, violin, musical theory and composition.<ref name=official>{{cite web |url=http://dudleymoore.com/about/bio.htm |title=The Official Site of Dudley Moore: Biography |publisher=The Estate of Dudley Moore - DudleyMoore.com |access-date=24 April 2016 |archive-date=15 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915154357/http://dudleymoore.com/about/bio.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> He rapidly developed into a highly talented pianist and organist and was playing the organ at local church weddings by the age of 14. He attended [[Dagenham County High School]] where he received dedicated musical tuition from Peter Cork (1926–2012), who helped him towards his Oxford music scholarship. ([[Norma Winstone]] was another student of Cork's at Dagenham).<ref>Plowright, Piers. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/peter-cork-music-teacher-dudley-moore-and-composer-television-and-radio-8231520.html Peter Cork obituary] in ''The Independent'', 30 October 2012</ref> Cork was also a composer. Moore kept in touch until the mid-1990s and his letters to Cork were published in 2006.<ref name =cork>Cork, Peter (ed.). ''Letter From Dudley'' (2006)</ref>


Moore won an [[organ scholar]]ship to [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], where he was tutored by the composer [[Bernard Rose (musician)|Bernard Rose]].<ref name=official/><ref name="rose">{{cite news | title=Bernard Rose (Obituary) | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-bernard-rose-1312755.html | work=The Independent | date=3 December 1996 | access-date=28 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822093958/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-bernard-rose-1312755.html |archive-date=22 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> While studying music and composition there, he also performed with [[Alan Bennett]] in ''[[The Oxford Revue]]''. During his university years, Moore developed a love of [[jazz]] music and became an accomplished jazz pianist and composer. He began working with musicians such as [[John Dankworth]] and [[Cleo Laine]]. In 1960 he left Dankworth's band to work on ''Beyond the Fringe''.
Moore won an [[organ scholar]]ship to [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], where he was tutored by the composer [[Bernard Rose (musician)|Bernard Rose]].<ref name=official/><ref name="rose">{{cite news | title=Bernard Rose (Obituary) | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-bernard-rose-1312755.html |first=Roderic|last=Dunnett| newspaper=The Independent | date=3 December 1996 | access-date=28 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822093958/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-bernard-rose-1312755.html |archive-date=22 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> While studying music and composition there, he also performed with [[Alan Bennett]] in ''[[The Oxford Revue]]''. During his university years, Moore developed a love of [[jazz]] music and became an accomplished jazz pianist and composer. He began working with musicians such as [[John Dankworth]] and [[Cleo Laine]]. In 1960, Moore left Dankworth's band to work on ''Beyond the Fringe''.


==Career==
==Career==
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[[File:Peter Cook Dudley Moore Kraft Music Hall1.jpg|thumb|left|Moore (right) with [[Peter Cook]] in 1969. Their success was based on the contrast between Moore's buffoonery and Cook's [[deadpan]] monologues.<ref name="double act"/>]]
[[File:Peter Cook Dudley Moore Kraft Music Hall1.jpg|thumb|left|Moore (right) with [[Peter Cook]] in 1969. Their success was based on the contrast between Moore's buffoonery and Cook's [[deadpan]] monologues.<ref name="double act"/>]]
In the 1970s, the relationship between Moore and Cook became increasingly strained as the latter's alcoholism began affecting his work. In 1971, however, Cook and Moore took sketches from ''Not Only....But Also'' and ''Goodbye Again'', together with new material, to create the stage revue ''Behind the Fridge''. This show toured Australia and New Zealand in 1971 and ran in London's west end between 1972 and 1973 before transferring to New York City in 1973, re-titled ''Good Evening''.<ref>Peter Cook: A Biography, Harry Thompson, Hodder and Stoughton, 1997, Chapter 12</ref> Cook frequently appeared on and off stage inebriated. Nonetheless, the show proved very popular and it won [[Tony Award|Tony]] and [[Grammy Award]]s.
In the 1970s, the relationship between Moore and Cook became increasingly strained as the latter's [[alcoholism]] began affecting his work. In 1971, however, Cook and Moore took sketches from ''Not Only....But Also'' and ''Goodbye Again'', together with new material, to create the stage revue ''Behind the Fridge''. This show toured Australia and New Zealand in 1971 and ran in London's west end between 1972 and 1973 before transferring to New York City in 1973, re-titled ''Good Evening''.<ref>Peter Cook: A Biography, Harry Thompson, Hodder and Stoughton, 1997, Chapter 12</ref> Cook frequently appeared inebriated, on and off stage. Nonetheless, the show proved very popular and it won [[Tony Award|Tony]] and [[Grammy Award]]s.


When the Broadway run of ''Good Evening'' ended, Moore stayed on in the U.S. to pursue his film acting ambitions in Hollywood, but the pair reunited to host ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' on 24 January 1976 during SNL's first season. They performed a number of their classic stage routines, including "[[One Leg Too Few]]" and "Frog and Peach", among others, in addition to participating in some skits with the show's ensemble.
When the Broadway run of ''Good Evening'' ended, Moore stayed on in the U.S. to pursue his film acting ambitions in Hollywood, but the pair reunited to host ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' on 24 January 1976 during SNL's first season. They performed a number of their classic stage routines, including "[[One Leg Too Few]]" and "Frog and Peach", among others, in addition to participating in some skits with the show's ensemble.


It was during the Broadway run of ''Good Evening'' that Cook persuaded Moore to take the humour of Pete and Dud further on [[gramophone record|long-playing records]] as [[Derek and Clive]]. [[Chris Blackwell]] circulated [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] copies to friends in the music business and the popularity of the recording convinced Cook to release it commercially as ''[[Derek and Clive (Live)]]'' (1976). Two further "Derek and Clive" albums, ''[[Derek and Clive Come Again]]'' (1977) and ''[[Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam]]'' (1978), were later released. The latter was also filmed for a documentary, ''[[Derek and Clive Get the Horn]]''. In the film it is clear tensions between the two men were at a breaking point, with Moore at one point walking out of the recording room singing, 'Breaking up is so easy to do.' In 2009, it came to light that, at the time, three separate British police forces had wanted them to be prosecuted under obscenity laws for their "Derek and Clive" comedy recordings.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
It was during the Broadway run of ''Good Evening'' that Cook persuaded Moore to take the humour of Pete and Dud further on [[gramophone record|long-playing records]] as [[Derek and Clive]]. [[Chris Blackwell]] circulated [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] copies to friends in the music business and the popularity of the recording convinced Cook to release it commercially as ''[[Derek and Clive (Live)]]'' (1976). Two further "Derek and Clive" albums, ''[[Derek and Clive Come Again]]'' (1977) and ''[[Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam]]'' (1978), were later released. The latter was also filmed for a documentary, ''[[Derek and Clive Get the Horn]]''. In the film it is clear tensions between the two men were at a breaking point, with Moore at one point walking out of the recording room singing, 'Breaking up is so easy to do.' In 2009, it came to light that, at the time, there were attempts to have them prosecuted under obscenity laws for their "Derek and Clive" comedy recordings. <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/mar/16/peter-cook-dudley-moore-dpp|title=Ban them! How Pete and Dud fell foul of the law yet still escaped prosecution|first=Alan|last=Travis|date=16 March 2009|accessdate=10 December 2024|work=The Guardian}}</ref>


The last significant appearance for the partnership was in 1978's ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'', where Moore played [[Dr. Watson]] to Cook's [[Sherlock Holmes]], as well as three other roles: in drag; as a one-legged man; and at the start and end of the film as a flamboyant and mischievous pianist. He also wrote the film's score. Co-star [[Terry-Thomas]] described it as "the most outrageous film I ever appeared in&nbsp;... there was no magic&nbsp;... it was bad!".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thomas |first1=Terry|last2=Daum|first2=Terry|title=Terry-Thomas Tells Tales: An Autobiography |date=1990|publisher=Robson Books|isbn=9780860516620|page=117|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fjQeAAAAMAAJ|access-date=1 March 2017}}</ref> The film was not a success, either critically or financially.
The last significant appearance for the partnership was in 1978's ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'', where Moore played [[Dr. Watson]] to Cook's [[Sherlock Holmes]], as well as three other roles: in drag; as a one-legged man; and at the start and end of the film as a flamboyant and mischievous pianist. He also wrote the film's score. Co-star [[Terry-Thomas]] described it as "the most outrageous film I ever appeared in&nbsp;... there was no magic&nbsp;... it was bad!".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thomas |first1=Terry|last2=Daum|first2=Terry|title=Terry-Thomas Tells Tales: An Autobiography |date=1990|publisher=Robson Books|isbn=9780860516620|page=117|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fjQeAAAAMAAJ|access-date=1 March 2017}}</ref> The film was not a success, either critically or financially.
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Moore and Cook eventually reunited for the annual American benefit for the homeless, ''[[Comic Relief USA|Comic Relief]]'', in 1987, and again in 1989 for a British audience at the [[Amnesty International]] benefit ''[[The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball]]''.
Moore and Cook eventually reunited for the annual American benefit for the homeless, ''[[Comic Relief USA|Comic Relief]]'', in 1987, and again in 1989 for a British audience at the [[Amnesty International]] benefit ''[[The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball]]''.


Moore was deeply affected by the death of Cook in 1995, and for weeks would regularly telephone Cook's home in London, just to hear his friend's voice on the telephone answering machine. Moore attended Cook's memorial service in London and, at the time, many people who knew him noted that Moore was behaving strangely and attributed it to grief or drinking. In November 1995, Moore teamed up with friend and humorist [[Martin Lewis (humorist)|Martin Lewis]] in organising a two-day salute to Cook in Los Angeles that Moore co-hosted with Lewis.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
Moore was deeply affected by the death of Cook in 1995, and for weeks would regularly telephone Cook's home in London, just to hear his friend's voice on the telephone answering machine. Moore attended Cook's memorial service in London and, at the time, many people who knew him noted that Moore was behaving strangely and attributed it to grief or drinking. In November 1995, Moore teamed up with friend and humorist [[Martin Lewis (humorist)|Martin Lewis]] in organising a two-day salute to Cook in Los Angeles that Moore co-hosted with Lewis.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}


In December 2004 the [[Channel 4]] television station in the United Kingdom broadcast ''[[Not Only But Always]]'', a TV film dramatising the relationship between Moore and Cook, although the principal focus of the production was on Cook. Around the same time, the relationship between the two was also the subject of a stage play called ''[[Pete and Dud: Come Again]]'' by Chris Bartlett and [[Nick Awde]]. For this production Moore is the main subject. Set in a chat-show studio in the 1980s, it focuses on Moore's comic and personal relationship with Cook and the directions their careers took after the split of the partnership.
In December 2004 the [[Channel 4]] television station in the United Kingdom broadcast ''[[Not Only But Always]]'', a TV film dramatising the relationship between Moore and Cook, although most of the attention of the production was directed towards Cook. Around the same time, the relationship between the two was also the subject of a stage play called ''[[Pete and Dud: Come Again]]'' by Chris Bartlett and [[Nick Awde]]. For this production Moore is the main subject. Set in a [[chat-show]] studio in the 1980s, it concerns Moore's comic and personal relationship with Cook and the directions their careers took after the split of the partnership.


===Music===
===Music===
During the 1960s he formed the Dudley Moore Trio, with drummer [[Chris Karan]] and bassist Pete McGurk. Following McGurk's suicide in June 1968, Peter Morgan joined the group as his replacement.<ref>Chilton. John., 2004, ''Who's Who of British Jazz'', London: Continuum, p.240 {{ISBN|9780826472342}}</ref>
During the 1960s Moore formed the Dudley Moore Trio, with drummer [[Chris Karan]] and bassist Pete McGurk. Following McGurk's suicide in June 1968, Peter Morgan joined the group as his replacement.<ref>Chilton. John., 2004, ''Who's Who of British Jazz'', London: Continuum, p.240 {{ISBN|9780826472342}}</ref>


Moore's admitted principal musical influences were [[Oscar Peterson]] and [[Erroll Garner]]. In an interview he recalled the day he finally mastered Garner's unique left-hand strum and was so excited that he walked around for several days with his left hand constantly playing that cadence. His early recordings included "[[My Blue Heaven (song)|My Blue Heaven]]", "Lysie Does It", "Poova Nova", "Take Your Time", "[[(Back Home Again in) Indiana|Indiana]]", "Sooz Blooz", "[[Baubles, Bangles & Beads]]", "Sad One for George" and "[[Autumn Leaves (1945 song)|Autumn Leaves]]". The trio performed regularly on British television, made numerous recordings and had a long-running residency at Peter Cook's London nightclub, the [[The Establishment (club)|Establishment]]. Amongst other albums, they recorded ''[[The Dudley Moore Trio]]'', ''Dudley Moore plays The Theme from Beyond the Fringe and All That Jazz'', ''The World of Dudley Moore'', ''The Other Side Of Dudley Moore'' and ''Genuine Dud''.
Moore's admitted principal musical influences were [[Oscar Peterson]] and [[Erroll Garner]]. In an interview he recalled the day he finally mastered Garner's unique left-hand strum and was so excited that he walked around for several days with his left hand constantly playing that cadence. His early recordings included "[[My Blue Heaven (song)|My Blue Heaven]]", "Lysie Does It", "Poova Nova", "Take Your Time", "[[(Back Home Again in) Indiana|Indiana]]", "Sooz Blooz", "[[Baubles, Bangles & Beads]]", "Sad One for George" and "[[Autumn Leaves (1945 song)|Autumn Leaves]]". The trio performed regularly on British television, made numerous recordings and had a long-running residency at Peter Cook's London nightclub, the [[The Establishment (club)|Establishment]]. Amongst other albums, they recorded ''[[The Dudley Moore Trio]]'', ''Dudley Moore plays The Theme from Beyond the Fringe and All That Jazz'', ''The World of Dudley Moore'', ''The Other Side Of Dudley Moore'' and ''Genuine Dud''.


Moore was a close friend of record producer [[Christopher Gunning|Chris Gunning]] and played piano (uncredited) on the 1969 single "Broken Hearted Pirates" which Gunning produced for [[Simon Dupree and the Big Sound]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/24/r2-sounds-of-the-60s.html |title=Sounds Of The 60s |publisher=bbc.co.uk |date=8 June 2013 |access-date=23 April 2016}}</ref> In 1976 he played piano on [[Larry Norman]]'s album ''[[In Another Land (album)|In Another Land]]'', in particular on the song ''The Sun Began to Rain''. In 1981 he recorded ''Smilin' Through'' with Cleo Laine.
Moore was a close friend of record producer [[Chris Gunning]] and played piano (uncredited) on the 1969 single "Broken Hearted Pirates" which Gunning produced for [[Simon Dupree and the Big Sound]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/24/r2-sounds-of-the-60s.html |title=Sounds Of The 60s |publisher=bbc.co.uk |date=8 June 2013 |access-date=23 April 2016}}</ref> In 1976 he played piano on [[Larry Norman]]'s album ''[[In Another Land (album)|In Another Land]]'', in particular on the song ''The Sun Began to Rain''. In 1981 he recorded ''Smilin' Through'' with Cleo Laine.


He composed the soundtracks for the films ''[[Bedazzled (1967 film)|Bedazzled]]'' (1967), ''[[30 is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia]]'' (1968), ''[[Inadmissible Evidence (film)|Inadmissible Evidence]]'' (1968), ''[[Staircase (film)|Staircase]]'' (1969), ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'' (1978) and ''[[Six Weeks]]'' (1982), among others.
He composed the soundtracks for the films ''[[Bedazzled (1967 film)|Bedazzled]]'' (1967), ''[[30 is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia]]'' (1968), ''[[Inadmissible Evidence (film)|Inadmissible Evidence]]'' (1968), ''[[Staircase (film)|Staircase]]'' (1969), ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'' (1978) and ''[[Six Weeks]]'' (1982), among others.
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Moore was the subject of the British ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'', for a second time, in March 1987 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at his Venice Beach restaurant;<ref>{{cite news |date=11 March 1987 |title= The Big Cover-Up |work=Daily Mirror |page=17}}</ref> he had previously been honoured by the programme in December 1972.
Moore was the subject of the British ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'', for a second time, in March 1987 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at his Venice Beach restaurant;<ref>{{cite news |date=11 March 1987 |title= The Big Cover-Up |work=Daily Mirror |page=17}}</ref> he had previously been honoured by the programme in December 1972.


In addition to acting, Moore continued to work as a composer and pianist, writing scores for a number of films and giving piano concerts, which were highlighted by his popular parodies of classical favourites. He appeared as Ko-Ko in Jonathan Miller's production of ''[[The Mikado]]'' in [[Los Angeles]] in March 1988. He appeared on [[Kenny G]]'s music video "Against Doctor's Orders" from the album [[Silhouette (album)|Silhouette]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Kenny G - Against Doctor's Orders |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA8sdyzxqJk |language=en |access-date=18 November 2022}}</ref>
In addition to acting, Moore continued to work as a composer and pianist, writing scores for a number of films and giving piano concerts, among the highlights of which were his popular parodies of classical favourites. He appeared as Ko-Ko in Jonathan Miller's production of ''[[The Mikado]]'' in [[Los Angeles]] in March 1988. He appeared on [[Kenny G]]'s music video "Against Doctor's Orders" from the album [[Silhouette (album)|Silhouette]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Kenny G Against Doctor's Orders | date=25 October 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA8sdyzxqJk |access-date=18 November 2022}}</ref>


In 1991 he released the album ''Songs Without Words'' and in 1992 ''Live From an Aircraft Hangar'', recorded at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]].
In 1991 he released the album ''Songs Without Words'' and in 1992 ''Live From an Aircraft Hangar'', recorded at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]].


He collaborated with the conductor [[Georg Solti|Sir Georg Solti]] in 1991 to create a Channel 4 television series, ''Orchestra!'', which was designed to introduce audiences to the symphony orchestra. He later worked with the American conductor [[Michael Tilson Thomas]] on a similar television series, ''Concerto!'' (1993), likewise designed to introduce audiences to classical music concertos.
He collaborated with the conductor [[Sir Georg Solti]] in 1991 to create a Channel 4 television series, ''Orchestra!'', which was designed to introduce audiences to the symphony orchestra. He later worked with the American conductor [[Michael Tilson Thomas]] on a similar television series, ''Concerto!'' (1993), likewise designed to introduce audiences to classical music concertos.


Moore appeared in two series for [[CBS]], ''[[Dudley (TV series)|Dudley]]'' (1993) and ''[[Daddy's Girls (1994 TV series)|Daddy's Girls]]'' (1994); however, both were cancelled before the end of their run.
Moore appeared in two series for [[CBS]], ''[[Dudley (TV series)|Dudley]]'' (1993) and ''[[Daddy's Girls (1994 TV series)|Daddy's Girls]]'' (1994); however, both were cancelled before the end of their run.


Moore had been interviewed for ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 1987 by the music critic Rena Fruchter, herself an accomplished pianist, and the two became close friends. By 1995 Moore's film career was on the wane and he was having trouble remembering his lines, a problem he had never previously encountered. It was for this reason he was sacked from [[Barbra Streisand]]'s film ''[[The Mirror Has Two Faces]]''.<ref name="Deat">{{cite news |title=Tributes flood in for Moore |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1898076.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=25 August 2011|date=28 March 2002}}</ref> However, his difficulties were, in fact, due to the onset of the medical condition that eventually led to his death. Opting to concentrate on the piano, he enlisted Fruchter as an artistic partner. They performed as a duo in the US and [[Australia]]. However, his disease soon started to make itself apparent there as well, as his fingers would not always do what he wanted them to do. Further symptoms such as slurred speech and loss of balance were misinterpreted by the public and the media as a sign of drunkenness. Moore himself was at a loss to explain this. He moved into Fruchter's family home in [[New Jersey]] and stayed there for five years; however, this placed a great strain both on her marriage and her friendship with Moore, and she later set him up in the house next door.
Moore had been interviewed for the ''[[New York Times]]'' in 1987 by the music critic Rena Fruchter, herself an accomplished pianist, and the two became close friends. By 1995 Moore's film career was on the wane and he was having trouble remembering his lines, a problem he had never previously encountered. It was for this reason he was sacked from [[Barbra Streisand]]'s film ''[[The Mirror Has Two Faces]]''.<ref name="Deat">{{cite news |title=Tributes flood in for Moore |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1898076.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=25 August 2011|date=28 March 2002}}</ref> However, his difficulties were, in fact, due to the onset of the medical condition that eventually led to his death. Opting to concentrate on the piano, he enlisted Fruchter as an artistic partner. They performed as a duo in the US and [[Australia]]. However, his disease soon started to make itself apparent there as well, as his fingers would not always do what he wanted them to do. Further symptoms such as slurred speech and loss of balance were misinterpreted by the public and the media as a sign of drunkenness. Moore himself was at a loss to explain this. He moved into Fruchter's family home in [[New Jersey]] and stayed there for five years; however, this placed a great strain both on her marriage and her friendship with Moore, and she later set him up in the house next door.


== Restaurant ==
== Restaurant ==
[[Tony Bill]] and Dudley Moore founded a restaurant in 1983 (closed in November 2000), [[72 Market Street Oyster Bar and Grill]], in [[Venice, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://veniceupdate.com/2017/03/19/tony-bill-addresses-snap-protestors-regarding-snapchat/|title=» Tony Bill Addresses Snap Protestors Regarding Snapchat |website=Veniceupdate.com|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="People_Oyster">{{cite news |title=Dudley Moore and Tony Bill Star at 72 Market Street, and the Customers Eat It Up |url=https://people.com/archive/dudley-moore-and-tony-bill-star-at-72-market-street-and-the-customers-eat-it-up-vol-22-no-12/ |website=People.com |date=17 September 1984}}</ref>
[[Tony Bill]] and Dudley Moore founded a restaurant in 1983 (closed in November 2000), [[72 Market Street Oyster Bar and Grill]], in [[Venice, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://veniceupdate.com/2017/03/19/tony-bill-addresses-snap-protestors-regarding-snapchat/|title=» Tony Bill Addresses Snap Protestors Regarding Snapchat |website=Veniceupdate.com|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="People_Oyster">{{cite news |title=Dudley Moore and Tony Bill Star at 72 Market Street, and the Customers Eat It Up |url=https://people.com/archive/dudley-moore-and-tony-bill-star-at-72-market-street-and-the-customers-eat-it-up-vol-22-no-12/ |website=People.com |date=17 September 1984}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Moore was married and divorced four times: to actresses [[Suzy Kendall]] (15 June 1968 – 15 September 1972); [[Tuesday Weld]] (20 September 1975 – 18 July 1980), with whom he had a son, Patrick, on 26 February 1976; Brogan Lane (21 February 1988 – 1991);<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/e186f1e2a8a954de521cca3c3583ce3a|title=Dudley Moore Marries Actress-Model Brogan Lane|website=AP NEWS|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref> and Nicole Rothschild (16 April 1994 – 1998), with whom he had a son, Nicholas, on 28 June 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/1995/6/30/19179868/dudley-s-always-had-a-lot-now-he-has-a-little-moore|title=DUDLEY'S ALWAYS HAD A LOT; NOW HE HAS A LITTLE MOORE|date=30 June 1995|website=[[Deseret News]]|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref><ref name=wives-times>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-wives-and-times-of-cuddly-dudley-1337512.html |title=The wives and times of cuddly Dudley |author=Daniel Jeffreys |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=17 June 1996 |access-date=23 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3634457/Dad-was-messed-up-but-I-forgive-him.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3634457/Dad-was-messed-up-but-I-forgive-him.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Dad was messed up, but I forgive him|first=Caroline|last=Goodhart|date=6 January 2005|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/dudley-moore-and-nicole-rothschild-wedding|title=Dudley Moore And Nicole Rothschild Wedding Stock Pictures, Royalty-free Photos & Images - Getty Images|website=www.gettyimages.com|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref>
Moore was married and divorced four times: to actresses [[Suzy Kendall]] (15 June 1968 – 15 September 1972); [[Tuesday Weld]] (20 September 1975 – 18 July 1980), with whom he had a son, Patrick, on 26 February 1976; Brogan Lane (21 February 1988 – 1991);<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/e186f1e2a8a954de521cca3c3583ce3a|title=Dudley Moore Marries Actress-Model Brogan Lane|website=AP NEWS|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref> and Nicole Rothschild (16 April 1994 – 1998), with whom he had a son, Nicholas, on 28 June 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/1995/6/30/19179868/dudley-s-always-had-a-lot-now-he-has-a-little-moore|title=DUDLEY'S ALWAYS HAD A LOT; NOW HE HAS A LITTLE MOORE|date=30 June 1995|website=[[Deseret News]]|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref><ref name=wives-times>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-wives-and-times-of-cuddly-dudley-1337512.html |title=The wives and times of cuddly Dudley |first=Daniel |last=Jeffreys |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=17 June 1996 |access-date=23 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3634457/Dad-was-messed-up-but-I-forgive-him.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3634457/Dad-was-messed-up-but-I-forgive-him.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Dad was messed up, but I forgive him|first=Caroline|last=Goodhart|date=6 January 2005|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/dudley-moore-and-nicole-rothschild-wedding|title=Dudley Moore And Nicole Rothschild Wedding Stock Pictures, Royalty-free Photos & Images Getty Images|website=www.gettyimages.com|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref>


In 1994, Moore was arrested and charged with domestic assault after allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, Nicole Rothschild.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-wives-and-times-of-cuddly-dudley-1337512.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407220300/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-wives-and-times-of-cuddly-dudley-1337512.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 April 2014|title=The wives and times of cuddly Dudley|date=17 June 1996|website=The Independent|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref>
Moore dated [[Susan Anton]] in the early 1980s, with a lot of talk being made of their height difference: Moore was {{convert|5|ft|2+1/2|in|m}} and Anton was {{convert|5|ft|11|in|m}}.

In 1994, Moore was arrested and charged with domestic assault after allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, Nicole Rothschild.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-wives-and-times-of-cuddly-dudley-1337512.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407220300/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-wives-and-times-of-cuddly-dudley-1337512.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 April 2014|title=The wives and times of cuddly Dudley|date=17 June 1996|website=The Independent|access-date=6 May 2020}}</ref>


He maintained good relationships with Kendall, Weld, and Lane. However, he expressly prohibited Rothschild from attending his funeral since, at the time his illness became apparent, he was going through a difficult divorce with her while at the same time sharing a Los Angeles house with her and her previous husband.<ref name=wives-times/>
He maintained good relationships with Kendall, Weld, and Lane. However, he expressly prohibited Rothschild from attending his funeral since, at the time his illness became apparent, he was going through a difficult divorce with her while at the same time sharing a Los Angeles house with her and her previous husband.<ref name=wives-times/>


==Illness and death==
==Illness and death==
In April 1997, after spending five days in a New York hospital, Moore was informed that he had calcium deposits in the [[basal ganglia]] of his brain and irreversible frontal lobe damage. He underwent quadruple [[coronary artery bypass surgery]] in London and also suffered four strokes.<ref name=disease>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/461376.stm | title=Dudley Moore has rare brain disease |work=BBC News |date=30 September 1999 |access-date=29 March 2010}}</ref>
In April 1997, after spending five days in a New York hospital, Moore was informed that he had calcium deposits in the [[basal ganglia]] of his brain and irreversible frontal lobe damage. He underwent quadruple [[coronary artery bypass surgery]] in London and also suffered four strokes.<ref name=disease>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/461376.stm | title=Dudley Moore has rare brain disease |work=BBC News |date=30 September 1999 |access-date=29 March 2010}}</ref>


On 30 September 1999, Moore announced that he was suffering from the terminal degenerative brain disorder [[progressive supranuclear palsy]] (PSP), a [[Parkinson-plus syndrome]],<ref name=disease />
On 30 September 1999, Moore announced that he was suffering from the terminal degenerative brain disorder [[progressive supranuclear palsy]] (PSP), a [[Parkinson-plus syndrome]],<ref name=disease />
some of the early symptoms being so similar to intoxication that he had been reported as being drunk,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=112573&page=1 | title=Fatigued Dudley Moore Says End Is Near |work=ABC News |date=4 December 2000 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=The star says early symptoms of the illness led many to believe he was drunk. 'People started saying I was drunk on stage. It was dreadful,' he says.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1054068.stm | title='Dudley Moore talks of his "mystery disease" |work=BBC News |date=4 December 2000 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=People started saying I was drunk on stage... it was dreadful.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=101251&page=1 | title=Dudley Moore Dead at 66 |work=ABC News |date=27 March 2002 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=Sadly, Moore said that many friends and fans mistook him for his Arthur character when his illness first caused his speech to slur.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walters |first=Barbara |url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123930&page=1 | title='20/20': Dudley Moore Battles Brain Disease |work=ABC News |date=27 March 2002 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=WALTERS: What do you most want people to know? / MOORE: I want them to know that I'm not intoxicated. / WALTERS: You're not drunk. / MOORE: No. And I just want them to know that I am going through this disease as well as I can.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rupani-Smith |first=Sylvia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/well/live/after-a-fall-then-another-a-devastating-diagnosis.html | title=The Falls Were Bad. The Diagnosis Was Worse. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 October 2016 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=The actor Dudley Moore, of the movie 'Arthur,' had the disease. Many people presumed he was drunk when they’d see him staggering, but he was actually losing his balance, often, because of the condition.}}</ref> and that the illness had been diagnosed earlier in the year.<ref name=disease/> The disease eventually required him to use a wheelchair.
some of the early symptoms being so similar to intoxication that he had been reported as being drunk,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=112573&page=1 | title=Fatigued Dudley Moore Says End Is Near |work=ABC News |date=4 December 2000 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=The star says early symptoms of the illness led many to believe he was drunk. 'People started saying I was drunk on stage. It was dreadful,' he says.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1054068.stm | title='Dudley Moore talks of his "mystery disease" |work=BBC News |date=4 December 2000 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=People started saying I was drunk on stage... it was dreadful.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=101251&page=1 | title=Dudley Moore Dead at 66 |work=ABC News |date=27 March 2002 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=Sadly, Moore said that many friends and fans mistook him for his Arthur character when his illness first caused his speech to slur.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Walters |first=Barbara |url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123930&page=1 | title='20/20': Dudley Moore Battles Brain Disease |work=ABC News |date=27 March 2002 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=WALTERS: What do you most want people to know? / MOORE: I want them to know that I'm not intoxicated. / WALTERS: You're not drunk. / MOORE: No. And I just want them to know that I am going through this disease as well as I can.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Rupani-Smith |first=Sylvia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/well/live/after-a-fall-then-another-a-devastating-diagnosis.html | title=The Falls Were Bad. The Diagnosis Was Worse. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 October 2016 |access-date=30 September 2023 |quote=The actor Dudley Moore, of the movie 'Arthur,' had the disease. Many people presumed he was drunk when they'd see him staggering, but he was actually losing his balance, often, because of the condition.}}</ref> and that the illness had been diagnosed earlier in the year.<ref name=disease/> In November 1999, Moore made his first public appearance since disclosing his illness, reading poetry, alongside [[Julie Andrews]], at a benefit concert in [[Philadelphia]] for the charity ''Music for All Seasons''. At first Moore struggled, but soon he settled in and began to joke and ad-lib. He then received a standing ovation, for what was to be his last performance.<ref name="Ovation for ailing Dudley"/> His disease would quickly progress, eventually requiring him to use a wheelchair.


Moore died on the morning of 27 March 2002<ref name=la/> as a result of [[pneumonia]], secondary to immobility caused by his PSP, in [[Plainfield, New Jersey]], at the age of 66. Rena Fruchter was holding his hand when he died; she reported his final words were "I can hear the music all around me."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6H8vBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT248 |title=There's Been A Life! |isbn=9781845029685 |access-date=24 April 2016|last1=Norton |first1=Alex |date=17 November 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lists.monstersandcritics.com/popculture/people/famous-last-words/ |title=Famous last words |work=Julian James, Monster lists - Lists.MonstersAndCritics.com |access-date=24 April 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612111046/http://lists.monstersandcritics.com/popculture/people/famous-last-words/ |archive-date=12 June 2016 }}</ref> Moore was interred at [[Hillside Cemetery (Scotch Plains, New Jersey)|Hillside Cemetery]] in [[Scotch Plains, New Jersey]]. Fruchter later wrote a memoir of their relationship titled ''Dudley Moore'' ([[Ebury Press]], 2004).
Moore died on the morning of 27 March 2002<ref name=la/> as a result of [[pneumonia]], secondary to immobility caused by his PSP, in [[Plainfield, New Jersey]], at the age of 66. Rena Fruchter was holding his hand when he died; she reported his final words were "I can hear the music all around me."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6H8vBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT248 |title=There's Been A Life! |isbn=9781845029685 |access-date=24 April 2016|last1=Norton |first1=Alex |date=17 November 2014 |publisher=Black & White }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lists.monstersandcritics.com/popculture/people/famous-last-words/ |title=Famous last words |work=Julian James, Monster lists - Lists.MonstersAndCritics.com |access-date=24 April 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612111046/http://lists.monstersandcritics.com/popculture/people/famous-last-words/ |archive-date=12 June 2016 }}</ref> Moore was interred at [[Hillside Cemetery (Scotch Plains, New Jersey)|Hillside Cemetery]] in [[Scotch Plains, New Jersey]]. Fruchter later wrote a memoir of their relationship titled ''Dudley Moore'' ([[Ebury Press]], 2004).


==Honours and awards==
==Honours and awards==
In 1981, Moore won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in ''Arthur'', for which he was also Oscar-nominated. In November 2001, Moore was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of The British Empire]] (CBE). Despite his deteriorating condition, he attended the ceremony at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 16 November to collect his honour in a wheelchair.<ref name="Deat" /> It was his last public appearance.<ref name="Last">{{cite web |title=CNN.com - Actor Dudley Moore dies at 66 - March 28, 2002 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/27/death.dudley/index.html |website=www.cnn.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020607151612/https://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/27/death.dudley/index.html |archive-date=7 June 2002}}</ref>
In 1981, Moore won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in ''Arthur'', for which he was also Oscar-nominated. In November 2001, Moore was appointed a [[Order of the British Empire|Commander of the Order of The British Empire]] (CBE). Despite his deteriorating condition, he attended the ceremony at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 16 November to collect his honour in a wheelchair.<ref name="Deat" /> It was his last public appearance.<ref name="Last">{{cite web |title=CNN.com Actor Dudley Moore dies at 66 March 28, 2002 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/27/death.dudley/index.html |website=www.cnn.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020607151612/https://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/27/death.dudley/index.html |archive-date=7 June 2002}}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
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|-
|-
| ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]''
| ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]''
| [[Dr. Watson|Doctor Watson]] / Mrs. Ada Holmes / Mr. Spiggot / Piano Player
| [[Doctor Watson]] / Mrs. Ada Holmes / Mr. Spiggot / Piano Player
| rowspan="12" |
| rowspan="12" |
|-
|-
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| Episode: "Those Wedding Bell Blues"
| Episode: "Those Wedding Bell Blues"
|-
|-
! scope="row" | 1976
! rowspan="2" scope="row" | 1976
| ''[[Saturday Night Live|NBC's Saturday Night]]''
| Co-host
| 1 episode
|-
| ''[[Pleasure at Her Majesty's]]''
| ''[[Pleasure at Her Majesty's]]''
| Narrator
| Narrator
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===UK chart singles===
===UK chart singles===
* "Goodbye-ee", 1965, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore
* "Goodbye-ee" b/w "Not Only But Also", 1965, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore / The Dudley Moore Trio ([[Decca Records]] (UK) F.12158)
* "The Ballad of Spotty Muldoon", 1965, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
* "The Ballad of Spotty Muldoon", 1965, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| first= David
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* ''Not Only Peter Cook But Also Dudley Moore'' (1965)
* ''Not Only Peter Cook But Also Dudley Moore'' (1965)
* ''Once Moore with Cook'' (1966)
* ''Once Moore with Cook'' (1966)
* ''Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Cordially Invite You to Go to Hell!'' (1967)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Peter-Cook-And-Dudley-Moore-Cordially-Invite-You-To-Go-To-Hell/release/2300393|title=Peter Cook And Dudley Moore* - Cordially Invite You To Go To Hell|website=Discogs.com|access-date=8 August 2020}}</ref>
* ''Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Cordially Invite You to Go to Hell!'' (1967)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Peter-Cook-And-Dudley-Moore-Cordially-Invite-You-To-Go-To-Hell/release/2300393|title=Peter Cook And Dudley Moore* Cordially Invite You To Go To Hell|website=Discogs.com|access-date=8 August 2020}}</ref>
* ''Goodbye Again'' (1968)
* ''Goodbye Again'' (1968)
* ''Not Only But Also'' (1971)
* ''Not Only But Also'' (1971)
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* [[Roger Wilmut]], ''From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980'', Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980
* [[Roger Wilmut]], ''From Fringe to Flying Circus: Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960–1980'', Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980
* {{Cite book| author=Alexander Games| title=Pete & Dud: An Illustrated Biography| publisher=Andre Deutsch| year=1999 | isbn= 0-233-99642-7}}
* {{cite book| first=Alexander |last=Games| title=Pete & Dud: An Illustrated Biography| publisher=Andre Deutsch| year=1999 | isbn= 0-233-99642-7}}
* {{Cite book| author=Peter Cook and Dudley Moore| title=Dud and Pete The Dagenham Dialogues| publisher=Methuen| year=2003| isbn=978-0-413-77347-0}}
* {{cite book| first=Peter |last=Cook |first2=Dudley |last2=Moore| title=Dud and Pete The Dagenham Dialogues| publisher=Methuen| year=2003| isbn=978-0-413-77347-0}}
* {{Cite book| author=[[Chris Bartlett (writer)|Chris Bartlett]] and [[Nick Awde]] | title=[[Pete and Dud: Come Again]] | publisher=Methuen Drama | year=2006 | isbn=0-413-77602-6 }}
* {{cite book| authorlink=Chris Bartlett (writer)|first=Chris |last=Bartlett |author2-link=Nick Awde |first2=Nick |last2=Awde | title=[[Pete and Dud: Come Again]] | publisher=Methuen Drama | year=2006 | isbn=0-413-77602-6 }}
* ''Dudley Moore: An Intimate Portrait'', Rena Fruchter, Ebury Press, 2004, {{ISBN|978-0-0918-9757-4}}.
* {{cite book |title=Dudley Moore: An Intimate Portrait |first=Rena |last=Fruchter |publisher=Ebury Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-0918-9757-4}}
* Julian Upton, ''Fallen Stars'', Headpress, 2004.
* {{cite book|first=Julian |last=Upton |title=Fallen Stars |publisher=Headpress |year=2004}}
* {{cite book | author=William Cook | title=One Leg Too Few: The Adventures of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore | publisher=Arrow | year=2014 | isbn=978-0099559924 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/onelegtoofewadve0000cook }}
* {{cite book | first=William |last=Cook | title=One Leg Too Few: The Adventures of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore | publisher=Arrow | year=2014 | isbn=978-0099559924 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/onelegtoofewadve0000cook }}


==External links==
==External links==
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[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century classical musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century English classical musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century British pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century English pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century English musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
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[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]

Revision as of 01:59, 13 December 2024

Dudley Moore
Moore at the 1991 Emmy Awards
Born
Dudley Stuart John Moore

(1935-04-19)19 April 1935
Died27 March 2002(2002-03-27) (aged 66)
Resting placeHillside Cemetery, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • musician
  • composer
Years active1961–1999[1]
Spouse
  • (m. 1968; div. 1972)

    (m. 1975; div. 1980)

    Brogan Lane
    (m. 1988; div. 1991)

    Nicole Rothschild
    (m. 1994; div. 1998)
Children2

Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 1935 – 27 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. He first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writer-performers in the comedy revue Beyond the Fringe from 1960 that created a boom in satiric comedy. With a member of that team, Peter Cook, Moore collaborated on the BBC television series Not Only... But Also. In their popular double act, Moore's buffoonery contrasted with Cook's deadpan monologues.[2] They jointly received the 1966 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance and worked together on other projects until the mid-1970s, by which time Moore had settled in Los Angeles, California, to concentrate on his film acting.

Moore's career as a comedy film actor was marked by hit films, particularly Bedazzled (1967), set in Swinging Sixties London (in which he co-starred with Cook) and Hollywood productions Foul Play (1978), 10 (1979) and Arthur (1981). For Arthur, Moore was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won a Golden Globe Award. He received a second Golden Globe for his performance in Micki & Maude (1984). Moore was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1987 and was made a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 16 November 2001 in what was his last public appearance.[3][4]

Early life

Moore was born at the original Charing Cross Hospital in central London, the son of Ada Francis (née Hughes), a secretary, and John Moore, a railway electrician from Glasgow.[5] He had an older sister, Barbara.[6] Moore was brought up in the Becontree estate in Dagenham, Essex. He was short at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) and had club feet that required extensive hospital treatment. This made him the butt of jokes from other children. His right foot responded well to corrective treatment by the time he was six, but his left foot was permanently twisted and his left leg below the knee was withered. He remained self-conscious about this throughout his life.

Moore became a chorister at the age of six. When he was 11 years old, he earned a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music, where he took up harpsichord, organ, violin, musical theory and composition.[7] He rapidly developed into a highly talented pianist and organist and was playing the organ at local church weddings by the age of 14. He attended Dagenham County High School where he received dedicated musical tuition from Peter Cork (1926–2012), who helped him towards his Oxford music scholarship. (Norma Winstone was another student of Cork's at Dagenham).[8] Cork was also a composer. Moore kept in touch until the mid-1990s and his letters to Cork were published in 2006.[9]

Moore won an organ scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was tutored by the composer Bernard Rose.[7][10] While studying music and composition there, he also performed with Alan Bennett in The Oxford Revue. During his university years, Moore developed a love of jazz music and became an accomplished jazz pianist and composer. He began working with musicians such as John Dankworth and Cleo Laine. In 1960, Moore left Dankworth's band to work on Beyond the Fringe.

Career

Beyond the Fringe

Moore (left) in Beyond the Fringe, c. 1963. Creating a boom in satirical comedy, thousands of shows were played on both sides of the Atlantic.[11]

John Bassett, a graduate of Wadham College, Oxford recommended Moore, his jazz bandmate and a rising cabaret talent, to producer Robert Ponsonby, who was putting together a comedy revue entitled Beyond the Fringe. Bassett also chose Jonathan Miller. Moore then recommended Alan Bennett, who in turn suggested Peter Cook.

Beyond the Fringe was at the forefront of the 1960s UK satire boom, although the show's original runs in Edinburgh and the provinces in 1960 had had a lukewarm response. When the revue transferred to the Fortune Theatre in London, in a revised production by Donald Albery and William Donaldson, it became a sensation, thanks in some part to a favourable review by Kenneth Tynan.[12] There were also a number of musical items in the show, using Dudley Moore's music, most famously an arrangement of the Colonel Bogey March in the style of Beethoven, which Moore appears unable to bring to an end.

In 1962 the show transferred to the John Golden Theatre in New York, with its original cast. President John F. Kennedy attended a performance on 10 February 1963. The show continued in New York until 1964.

Partnership with Peter Cook

When Moore returned to the UK he was offered his own series on the BBC, Not Only... But Also (1965, 1966, 1970). It was commissioned specifically as a vehicle for Moore, but when he invited Peter Cook on as a guest, their comedy partnership was so notable that it became a permanent fixture of the series. Cook and Moore are most remembered for their sketches as two working-class men, Pete and Dud, in macs and cloth caps, commenting on politics and the arts, but they also fashioned a series of one-off characters, usually with Moore in the role of interviewer to one of Cook's upper-class eccentrics.

The pair developed an unorthodox method for scripting the material, using a tape recorder to tape an ad-libbed routine that they would then have transcribed and edited. This would not leave enough time to fully rehearse the script, so they often had a set of cue cards. Moore was famous for "corpsing" so, as the programmes often went out live, Cook would deliberately make him laugh in order to get an even bigger reaction from the studio audience. The BBC wiped much of the series, though some of the soundtracks (which were issued on LP record) have survived. In 1968 Cook and Moore briefly switched to ATV for four one-hour programmes entitled Goodbye Again; however, they were not as critically well-received as the BBC shows.

On film, Moore and Cook appeared in the 1966 British comedy film The Wrong Box, before co-writing and co-starring in Bedazzled (1967) with Eleanor Bron.[13] Set in Swinging London of the 1960s, Bedazzled was directed by Stanley Donen. The pair closed the decade with appearances in the ensemble caper film Monte Carlo or Bust and Richard Lester's The Bed Sitting Room, based on the play by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus. In 1968 and 1969 Moore embarked on two solo comedy ventures, firstly in the film 30 is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia and secondly, on stage, for an Anglicised adaptation of Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam at the Globe Theatre in London's West End.

Moore (right) with Peter Cook in 1969. Their success was based on the contrast between Moore's buffoonery and Cook's deadpan monologues.[2]

In the 1970s, the relationship between Moore and Cook became increasingly strained as the latter's alcoholism began affecting his work. In 1971, however, Cook and Moore took sketches from Not Only....But Also and Goodbye Again, together with new material, to create the stage revue Behind the Fridge. This show toured Australia and New Zealand in 1971 and ran in London's west end between 1972 and 1973 before transferring to New York City in 1973, re-titled Good Evening.[14] Cook frequently appeared inebriated, on and off stage. Nonetheless, the show proved very popular and it won Tony and Grammy Awards.

When the Broadway run of Good Evening ended, Moore stayed on in the U.S. to pursue his film acting ambitions in Hollywood, but the pair reunited to host Saturday Night Live on 24 January 1976 during SNL's first season. They performed a number of their classic stage routines, including "One Leg Too Few" and "Frog and Peach", among others, in addition to participating in some skits with the show's ensemble.

It was during the Broadway run of Good Evening that Cook persuaded Moore to take the humour of Pete and Dud further on long-playing records as Derek and Clive. Chris Blackwell circulated bootleg copies to friends in the music business and the popularity of the recording convinced Cook to release it commercially as Derek and Clive (Live) (1976). Two further "Derek and Clive" albums, Derek and Clive Come Again (1977) and Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam (1978), were later released. The latter was also filmed for a documentary, Derek and Clive Get the Horn. In the film it is clear tensions between the two men were at a breaking point, with Moore at one point walking out of the recording room singing, 'Breaking up is so easy to do.' In 2009, it came to light that, at the time, there were attempts to have them prosecuted under obscenity laws for their "Derek and Clive" comedy recordings. [15]

The last significant appearance for the partnership was in 1978's The Hound of the Baskervilles, where Moore played Dr. Watson to Cook's Sherlock Holmes, as well as three other roles: in drag; as a one-legged man; and at the start and end of the film as a flamboyant and mischievous pianist. He also wrote the film's score. Co-star Terry-Thomas described it as "the most outrageous film I ever appeared in ... there was no magic ... it was bad!".[16] The film was not a success, either critically or financially.

Moore and Cook eventually reunited for the annual American benefit for the homeless, Comic Relief, in 1987, and again in 1989 for a British audience at the Amnesty International benefit The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball.

Moore was deeply affected by the death of Cook in 1995, and for weeks would regularly telephone Cook's home in London, just to hear his friend's voice on the telephone answering machine. Moore attended Cook's memorial service in London and, at the time, many people who knew him noted that Moore was behaving strangely and attributed it to grief or drinking. In November 1995, Moore teamed up with friend and humorist Martin Lewis in organising a two-day salute to Cook in Los Angeles that Moore co-hosted with Lewis.[citation needed]

In December 2004 the Channel 4 television station in the United Kingdom broadcast Not Only But Always, a TV film dramatising the relationship between Moore and Cook, although most of the attention of the production was directed towards Cook. Around the same time, the relationship between the two was also the subject of a stage play called Pete and Dud: Come Again by Chris Bartlett and Nick Awde. For this production Moore is the main subject. Set in a chat-show studio in the 1980s, it concerns Moore's comic and personal relationship with Cook and the directions their careers took after the split of the partnership.

Music

During the 1960s Moore formed the Dudley Moore Trio, with drummer Chris Karan and bassist Pete McGurk. Following McGurk's suicide in June 1968, Peter Morgan joined the group as his replacement.[17]

Moore's admitted principal musical influences were Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner. In an interview he recalled the day he finally mastered Garner's unique left-hand strum and was so excited that he walked around for several days with his left hand constantly playing that cadence. His early recordings included "My Blue Heaven", "Lysie Does It", "Poova Nova", "Take Your Time", "Indiana", "Sooz Blooz", "Baubles, Bangles & Beads", "Sad One for George" and "Autumn Leaves". The trio performed regularly on British television, made numerous recordings and had a long-running residency at Peter Cook's London nightclub, the Establishment. Amongst other albums, they recorded The Dudley Moore Trio, Dudley Moore plays The Theme from Beyond the Fringe and All That Jazz, The World of Dudley Moore, The Other Side Of Dudley Moore and Genuine Dud.

Moore was a close friend of record producer Chris Gunning and played piano (uncredited) on the 1969 single "Broken Hearted Pirates" which Gunning produced for Simon Dupree and the Big Sound.[18] In 1976 he played piano on Larry Norman's album In Another Land, in particular on the song The Sun Began to Rain. In 1981 he recorded Smilin' Through with Cleo Laine.

He composed the soundtracks for the films Bedazzled (1967), 30 is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia (1968), Inadmissible Evidence (1968), Staircase (1969), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978) and Six Weeks (1982), among others.

Later career in film, television and music

In the late 1970s Moore moved to Hollywood, where he had a supporting role in the hit film Foul Play (1978) with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. The following year saw his breakout role in Blake Edwards's 10, which became one of the biggest box-office hits of 1979 and gave him an unprecedented status as a romantic leading man. Moore followed up with the comedy film Wholly Moses!, which was not a major success.

In 1981 Moore appeared in the title role of the comedy Arthur, an even bigger hit than 10. Co-starring Liza Minnelli and Sir John Gielgud, it was both commercially and critically successful, Moore receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, while Gielgud won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Arthur's stern but compassionate manservant. Moore lost to Henry Fonda (for On Golden Pond). He did, however, win a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy. In the same year, on British television, Moore was the featured guest subject on An Audience With....

His subsequent films, Six Weeks (1982), Lovesick (1983), Romantic Comedy (1983) and Unfaithfully Yours (1984) were only moderate successes. He won another Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy in 1984, starring in the Blake Edwards directed Micki & Maude, co-starring Amy Irving.

Later films, including Best Defense (1984), Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), Like Father Like Son (1987), Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988), a sequel to the original, Crazy People (1990), Blame It on the Bellboy (1992) and an animated adaptation of King Kong, were inconsistent in terms of both critical and commercial reception. Moore eventually disowned the Arthur sequel, but, in later years, Cook would tease him by claiming he preferred Arthur 2: On the Rocks to Arthur.

In 1986 he once again hosted Saturday Night Live, albeit without Peter Cook this time.

Moore was the subject of the British This Is Your Life, for a second time, in March 1987 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at his Venice Beach restaurant;[19] he had previously been honoured by the programme in December 1972.

In addition to acting, Moore continued to work as a composer and pianist, writing scores for a number of films and giving piano concerts, among the highlights of which were his popular parodies of classical favourites. He appeared as Ko-Ko in Jonathan Miller's production of The Mikado in Los Angeles in March 1988. He appeared on Kenny G's music video "Against Doctor's Orders" from the album Silhouette.[20]

In 1991 he released the album Songs Without Words and in 1992 Live From an Aircraft Hangar, recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall.

He collaborated with the conductor Sir Georg Solti in 1991 to create a Channel 4 television series, Orchestra!, which was designed to introduce audiences to the symphony orchestra. He later worked with the American conductor Michael Tilson Thomas on a similar television series, Concerto! (1993), likewise designed to introduce audiences to classical music concertos.

Moore appeared in two series for CBS, Dudley (1993) and Daddy's Girls (1994); however, both were cancelled before the end of their run.

Moore had been interviewed for the New York Times in 1987 by the music critic Rena Fruchter, herself an accomplished pianist, and the two became close friends. By 1995 Moore's film career was on the wane and he was having trouble remembering his lines, a problem he had never previously encountered. It was for this reason he was sacked from Barbra Streisand's film The Mirror Has Two Faces.[21] However, his difficulties were, in fact, due to the onset of the medical condition that eventually led to his death. Opting to concentrate on the piano, he enlisted Fruchter as an artistic partner. They performed as a duo in the US and Australia. However, his disease soon started to make itself apparent there as well, as his fingers would not always do what he wanted them to do. Further symptoms such as slurred speech and loss of balance were misinterpreted by the public and the media as a sign of drunkenness. Moore himself was at a loss to explain this. He moved into Fruchter's family home in New Jersey and stayed there for five years; however, this placed a great strain both on her marriage and her friendship with Moore, and she later set him up in the house next door.

Restaurant

Tony Bill and Dudley Moore founded a restaurant in 1983 (closed in November 2000), 72 Market Street Oyster Bar and Grill, in Venice, California.[22][23]

Personal life

Moore was married and divorced four times: to actresses Suzy Kendall (15 June 1968 – 15 September 1972); Tuesday Weld (20 September 1975 – 18 July 1980), with whom he had a son, Patrick, on 26 February 1976; Brogan Lane (21 February 1988 – 1991);[24] and Nicole Rothschild (16 April 1994 – 1998), with whom he had a son, Nicholas, on 28 June 1995.[25][26][27][28]

In 1994, Moore was arrested and charged with domestic assault after allegedly assaulting his then-girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, Nicole Rothschild.[29]

He maintained good relationships with Kendall, Weld, and Lane. However, he expressly prohibited Rothschild from attending his funeral since, at the time his illness became apparent, he was going through a difficult divorce with her while at the same time sharing a Los Angeles house with her and her previous husband.[26]

Illness and death

In April 1997, after spending five days in a New York hospital, Moore was informed that he had calcium deposits in the basal ganglia of his brain and irreversible frontal lobe damage. He underwent quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery in London and also suffered four strokes.[30]

On 30 September 1999, Moore announced that he was suffering from the terminal degenerative brain disorder progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a Parkinson-plus syndrome,[30] some of the early symptoms being so similar to intoxication that he had been reported as being drunk,[31][32][33][34][35] and that the illness had been diagnosed earlier in the year.[30] In November 1999, Moore made his first public appearance since disclosing his illness, reading poetry, alongside Julie Andrews, at a benefit concert in Philadelphia for the charity Music for All Seasons. At first Moore struggled, but soon he settled in and began to joke and ad-lib. He then received a standing ovation, for what was to be his last performance.[1] His disease would quickly progress, eventually requiring him to use a wheelchair.

Moore died on the morning of 27 March 2002[13] as a result of pneumonia, secondary to immobility caused by his PSP, in Plainfield, New Jersey, at the age of 66. Rena Fruchter was holding his hand when he died; she reported his final words were "I can hear the music all around me."[36][37] Moore was interred at Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Fruchter later wrote a memoir of their relationship titled Dudley Moore (Ebury Press, 2004).

Honours and awards

In 1981, Moore won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in Arthur, for which he was also Oscar-nominated. In November 2001, Moore was appointed a Commander of the Order of The British Empire (CBE). Despite his deteriorating condition, he attended the ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 16 November to collect his honour in a wheelchair.[21] It was his last public appearance.[4]

Filmography

Film performances
Year Title Role Notes
1961 The Third Alibi Piano Accompanist Uncredited
1965 Flatland A. Square Voice role
1966 The Wrong Box John Finsbury
1967 Bedazzled Stanley Moon
1968 30 is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia Rupert Street
1969 Monte Carlo or Bust! Lt. Barrington (aka Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies)
The Bed Sitting Room Police Sergeant
1972 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Dormouse
1975 Saturday Night at the Baths Himself – in theater audience uncredited role
1978 Foul Play Stanley Tibbets
The Hound of the Baskervilles Doctor Watson / Mrs. Ada Holmes / Mr. Spiggot / Piano Player
1979 10 George Webber
Derek and Clive Get the Horn Derek
1980 Wholly Moses! Harvey Orchid / Herschel
1981 Arthur Arthur Bach
1982 Six Weeks Patrick Dalton
1983 Lovesick Saul Benjamin
Romantic Comedy Jason Carmichael
1984 Unfaithfully Yours Claude Eastman
Best Defense Wylie Cooper
Micki & Maude Rob Salinger
1985 Santa Claus: The Movie Patch
1986 The Adventures of Milo and Otis Narrator English version, voice
1987 Like Father Like Son Dr. Jack Hammond / Chris Hammond
1988 Arthur 2: On the Rocks Arthur Bach
1990 Crazy People Emory Leeson
1992 Blame It on the Bellboy Melvyn Orton
1993 The Pickle Planet Cleveland Man (uncredited)
1995 The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson Dudley Moore
1998 The Mighty Kong Carl Denham / King Kong (voice) (final film role)
Television shows
Year Title Role Notes
1964 Chronicle Piano Accompanist Episode: "A Trip to the Moon"
1964 Love Story Kuba Episode: "The Girl Opposite"
1965–1970 Not Only... But Also Various characters 22 episodes
1966 Five More Maserati Driver Episode: "Exit 19"
1968 Film Reviews Rupert Street Episode: "Backs British Films"
1968 Goodbye Again various characters 4 episodes
1969 World in Ferment Guest Store Detective Episode: "1.1"
1971 Not Only But Also. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in Australia Various characters Mini series
An Apple a Day Dr. Clive Elwood TV movie
Behind the Fridge Various characters TV movie
1975 When Things Were Rotten Sheik Achmed Episode: "Those Wedding Bell Blues"
1976 NBC's Saturday Night Co-host 1 episode
Pleasure at Her Majesty's Narrator TV movie documentary
1992 Noel's House Party Special Guest Episode: "1.15"
1993 Dudley Dudley Bristol 6 episodes
1993–1996 Really Wild Animals Spin 13 episodes
1994 Parallel Lives Imaginary Friend / President Andrews TV movie
Daddy's Girls Dudley Walker 3 episodes
1995 Oscar's Orchestra Oscar (voice) 38 episodes
1996 A Weekend in the Country Simon Farrell TV movie

Discography

UK chart singles

  • "Goodbye-ee" b/w "Not Only But Also", 1965, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore / The Dudley Moore Trio (Decca Records (UK) F.12158)
  • "The Ballad of Spotty Muldoon", 1965, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore[38]

Jazz discography

  • "Strictly for the Birds" b/w "Duddly Dell", 1961 (Parlophone R 4772) – The Dudley Moore Trio (Derek Hogg, drums; Hugo Boyd, double bass)
  • The Other Side of Dudley Moore, 1965 (Decca LK 4732 Mono) The Dudley Moore Trio (Pete McGurk – double bass, Chris Karan – drums)
  • Genuine Dud, 1966 (Decca LK 4788 Mono) The Dudley Moore Trio (Pete McGurk – double bass, Chris Karan – drums) [reissued as The World of Dudley Moore, vol 2, 1973]
  • From Beyond The Fringe, 1966 (Atlantic RecordsStandard 2 017)
  • The Dudley Moore Trio, 1969 (Decca Records (UK) / London Records (US) PS558)
  • Dudley Moore plays the Theme from Beyond the Fringe and All That Jazz, 1962 (Atlantic 1403)
  • The World of Dudley Moore, (Decca SPA 106)
  • The Music of Dudley Moore, (EMI Australia (Cube Records) TOOFA.14-1/2)
  • Dudley Down Under, (Cube ICS 13)
  • Dudley Moore at the Wavendon Festival, (Black Lion Records BLP 12151)
  • Smilin' ThroughCleo Laine and Dudley Moore, (Finesse Records FW 38091)
  • "Strictly for the Birds" – Cleo Laine and Dudley Moore, (CBS A 2947)
  • The Theme from Beyond The Fringe and All That Jazz, (Collectibles COL 6625)
  • Live from an Aircraft Hangar (Martine Avenue Productions MAPI 8486)
  • Songs Without Words, 1991 (GRP/BMG LC 6713)
  • The First Orchestrations – Dudley Moore and Richard Rodney Bennett, played by John Bassett and his Band, (Harkit Records HRKCD 8054)
  • Jazz Jubilee, (Martine Avenue Productions MAPI 1521)
  • The Dudley Moore Trio at Sydney Town Hall, 2 May 1978 (with Peter Morgan on bass and Chris Karan on drums). Produced by Peter Wall.
  • Today, The Dudley Moore Trio – again with Morgan and Karan (see above) recorded at United Sound, Sydney, in 1971, with some mono tracks added from a 1961 London session. No details.

Comedy discography

  • Beyond The Fringe (West End recording) (1961)
  • Beyond The Fringe (Broadway recording) (1962)
  • Not Only Peter Cook But Also Dudley Moore (1965)
  • Once Moore with Cook (1966)
  • Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Cordially Invite You to Go to Hell! (1967)[39]
  • Goodbye Again (1968)
  • Not Only But Also (1971)
  • Behind the Fridge (1971) AUS No. 35[40]
  • The World of Pete & Dud (1974)
  • Good Evening (1974)
  • Derek and Clive (Live) (1976)
  • Derek and Clive Come Again (1977)
  • Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam (1978)

Bibliography

  • Dudley Moore (1966). Originals. Arranged as Piano Solos Transcribed from the Decca L.P. 'The Other Side of Dudley Moore'. Essex Music.

References

  1. ^ a b "Ovation for ailing Dudley". BBC News. 19 November 1999. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, The 25 best comedy duos". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Dudley Moore". Walk of Fame. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b "CNN.com – Actor Dudley Moore dies at 66 – March 28, 2002". www.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2002.
  5. ^ "Obituaries: Dudley Moore". The Daily Telegraph. 22 March 2002. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  6. ^ Low, Valentine (12 April 2012). "Dudley receives his CBE". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  7. ^ a b "The Official Site of Dudley Moore: Biography". The Estate of Dudley Moore - DudleyMoore.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  8. ^ Plowright, Piers. Peter Cork obituary in The Independent, 30 October 2012
  9. ^ Cork, Peter (ed.). Letter From Dudley (2006)
  10. ^ Dunnett, Roderic (3 December 1996). "Bernard Rose (Obituary)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  11. ^ "The day that sparked the satire boom". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  12. ^ Humphrey Carpenter That Was Satire That Was, pp. 122–23; Tynan's review is extensively quoted.
  13. ^ a b "Hollywood Star Walk: Dudley Moore". Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times - Projects.LATimes.com. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  14. ^ Peter Cook: A Biography, Harry Thompson, Hodder and Stoughton, 1997, Chapter 12
  15. ^ Travis, Alan (16 March 2009). "Ban them! How Pete and Dud fell foul of the law yet still escaped prosecution". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  16. ^ Thomas, Terry; Daum, Terry (1990). Terry-Thomas Tells Tales: An Autobiography. Robson Books. p. 117. ISBN 9780860516620. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  17. ^ Chilton. John., 2004, Who's Who of British Jazz, London: Continuum, p.240 ISBN 9780826472342
  18. ^ "Sounds Of The 60s". bbc.co.uk. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  19. ^ "The Big Cover-Up". Daily Mirror. 11 March 1987. p. 17.
  20. ^ "Kenny G – Against Doctor's Orders". 25 October 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Tributes flood in for Moore". BBC News. 28 March 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  22. ^ "» Tony Bill Addresses Snap Protestors Regarding Snapchat". Veniceupdate.com. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Dudley Moore and Tony Bill Star at 72 Market Street, and the Customers Eat It Up". People.com. 17 September 1984.
  24. ^ "Dudley Moore Marries Actress-Model Brogan Lane". AP NEWS. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  25. ^ "DUDLEY'S ALWAYS HAD A LOT; NOW HE HAS A LITTLE MOORE". Deseret News. 30 June 1995. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  26. ^ a b Jeffreys, Daniel (17 June 1996). "The wives and times of cuddly Dudley". The Independent. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  27. ^ Goodhart, Caroline (6 January 2005). "Dad was messed up, but I forgive him". Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  28. ^ "Dudley Moore And Nicole Rothschild Wedding Stock Pictures, Royalty-free Photos & Images – Getty Images". www.gettyimages.com. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  29. ^ "The wives and times of cuddly Dudley". The Independent. 17 June 1996. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
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  31. ^ "Fatigued Dudley Moore Says End Is Near". ABC News. 4 December 2000. Retrieved 30 September 2023. The star says early symptoms of the illness led many to believe he was drunk. 'People started saying I was drunk on stage. It was dreadful,' he says.
  32. ^ "'Dudley Moore talks of his "mystery disease"". BBC News. 4 December 2000. Retrieved 30 September 2023. People started saying I was drunk on stage... it was dreadful.
  33. ^ "Dudley Moore Dead at 66". ABC News. 27 March 2002. Retrieved 30 September 2023. Sadly, Moore said that many friends and fans mistook him for his Arthur character when his illness first caused his speech to slur.
  34. ^ Walters, Barbara (27 March 2002). "'20/20': Dudley Moore Battles Brain Disease". ABC News. Retrieved 30 September 2023. WALTERS: What do you most want people to know? / MOORE: I want them to know that I'm not intoxicated. / WALTERS: You're not drunk. / MOORE: No. And I just want them to know that I am going through this disease as well as I can.
  35. ^ Rupani-Smith, Sylvia (20 October 2016). "The Falls Were Bad. The Diagnosis Was Worse". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2023. The actor Dudley Moore, of the movie 'Arthur,' had the disease. Many people presumed he was drunk when they'd see him staggering, but he was actually losing his balance, often, because of the condition.
  36. ^ Norton, Alex (17 November 2014). There's Been A Life!. Black & White. ISBN 9781845029685. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  37. ^ "Famous last words". Julian James, Monster lists - Lists.MonstersAndCritics.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  38. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 119. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  39. ^ "Peter Cook And Dudley Moore* – Cordially Invite You To Go To Hell". Discogs.com. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  40. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 73. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

Further reading