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Dudley Moore (April 19, 1935 – March 27,
2002), was a United Kingdom|British musician,
actor and comedian who was enormously popular in
his home country for many years but relatively
unknown in the USA until he made the film 10
(movie)|10 with Bo Derek. 

He came from a working-class background in
Dagenham and was notably short, at 5 foot 2 1/2
inches (1.59 m). He was born with a deformed left
foot (club foot) which required extensive hospital
treatment and made him the butt of jokes by other
children. Seeking refuge from his problems, he
became a choirboy at the age of six and took up
piano and violin. He rapidly developed into a
talented pianist and organist and was playing the
organ at church weddings by age 14.

While studying music at University of
Oxford|Oxford University (Magdalen College,
Oxford|Magdalen College, where he was an organ
scholar), Moore was noticed by Alan Bennett and he
recommended him to the producer putting together
Beyond the Fringe, a comedy revue which many see
as a forerunner to Monty Python's Flying Circus. 
Beyond the Fringe was at the forefront of the
1960s Satire Boom.  After enormous success in
Britain, it transferred to the USA, where it was
also a hit.

After following the Establishment Club to New
York, Moore returned to the UK and was offered his
own series on the BBC. Not Only... But Also was
commissioned as a vehicle for Moore, but when he
invited Peter Cook on as a guest their double
act|comedy partnership was so notable that it
became a 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 fashioned a series of character one-offs,
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 by using a tape recorder to tape an
adlibbed 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" - the programmes often went out live,
and Cook would deliberately make him laugh in
order to get an even bigger reaction from the
studio audience. Regrettably, many of the
videotapes of these seminal TV shows were later
erased by the BBC, although some of the
soundtracks (which were issued on record) have
survived.

During his university years Moore became
passionately interested in jazz and soon became an
accomplished jazz pianist and composer. In the
Sixties he formed the acclaimed Dudley Moore Trio,
which performed regularly on British TV, made
numerous recordings, and had a long-running
residency at Peter Cook's Establishment Club.

They co-starred in the film Bedazzled (1967
movie)|Bedazzled (1967) with Eleanor Bron, and
also had tours called Behind the Fridge and "Good
Evening".  However, their three albums of the late
1970s as Derek and Clive, were widely condemned
for their use of obscene language. Shortly
following the last of these, Ad Nauseum, Moore
made a break with Cook, whose alcoholism was
affecting his work, to concentrate on his film
career. Ironically, when Moore began to manifest
the symptoms of the disease that eventually killed
him, it was at first suspected that he too had a
drinking problem.

In the 1970s, Moore moved to Hollywood, where he
appeared in Foul Play (1978) with Goldie Hawn and
Chevy Chase.  The following year saw his breakout
role in Blake Edwards's 10 (movie)|10, which he
followed up with the movie Arthur (1981), an even
bigger hit.  His subsequent films, including an
Arthur sequel and an The Mighty Kong|animated
adaptation of King Kong, were inconsistent in
terms of both critical and commercial reception. 
In later years Cook would wind-up Moore by
claiming he preferred "Arthur 2" to "Arthur".

In addition to acting, Moore continued to work as
a composer and pianist, composing scores for
numerous films and giving piano concerts, which
were highlighted by his popular parodies of
classical favourites.

He was married (and divorced) four times, and had
children from his marriages to Tuesday Weld and
Nicole Rothschild.  In March 1994, he was arrested
for beating up Nicole Rothschild during a fight
backstage at the Academy Awards.

Moore was deeply affected by the death of Peter
Cook in 1995, and for weeks would regularly
telephone Cook's home in London just to get the
answer phone and hear his friend's voice. Moore
attended Cook's memorial service and at the time
many people who knew him noted that Moore was
behaving strangely and attributed it to grief,
drinking or some form of New Age Cult. In
September 1999, Moore announced he was suffering
from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, for which
there is no treatment.  On March 27, 2002 he
eventually succumbed to pneumonia which was a side
effect of PSP.

In June 2001, Moore was created a Order of the
British Empire|Commander of the British Empire
(CBE). It was an act of personal bravery that he
went to Buckingham Palace to collect his honour as
many people were shocked by his deterioration.

In December 2004, the Channel 4 television network
in the UK broadcast Not Only But Always, a
television movie dramatising the relationship
between Moore and Cook, although the focus of the
production was on Cook. The role of Moore was
played by Aidan McArdle.

UK chart singles - Goodbye-ee (1965) Peter Cook
and Dudley Moore

==Further Reading==

Further information about Dudley Moore can be
found in the book:

*From Fringe to Flying Circus - 'Celebrating a
Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980' - Roger
Wilmut, Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980.

==External links==
*imdb name|id=0001545|name=Dudley Moore









 

	Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Dudley Moore (April 19, 1935 – March 27,
2002), was a United Kingdom|British musician,
actor and comedian who was enormously popular in
his home country for many years but relatively
unknown in the USA until he made the film 10
(movie)|10 with Bo Derek. 

He came from a working-class background in
Dagenham and was notably short, at 5 foot 2 1/2
inches (1.59 m). He was born with a deformed left
foot (club foot) which required extensive hospital
treatment and made him the butt of jokes by other
children. Seeking refuge from his problems, he
became a choirboy at the age of six and took up
piano and violin. He rapidly developed into a
talented pianist and organist and was playing the
organ at church weddings by age 14.

While studying music at University of
Oxford|Oxford University (Magdalen College,
Oxford|Magdalen College, where he was an organ
scholar), Moore was noticed by Alan Bennett and he
recommended him to the producer putting together
Beyond the Fringe, a comedy revue which many see
as a forerunner to Monty Python's Flying Circus. 
Beyond the Fringe was at the forefront of the
1960s Satire Boom.  After enormous success in
Britain, it transferred to the USA, where it was
also a hit.

After following the Establishment Club to New
York, Moore returned to the UK and was offered his
own series on the BBC. Not Only... But Also was
commissioned as a vehicle for Moore, but when he
invited Peter Cook on as a guest their double
act|comedy partnership was so notable that it
became a 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 fashioned a series of character one-offs,
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 by using a tape recorder to tape an
adlibbed 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" - the programmes often went out live,
and Cook would deliberately make him laugh in
order to get an even bigger reaction from the
studio audience. Regrettably, many of the
videotapes of these seminal TV shows were later
erased by the BBC, although some of the
soundtracks (which were issued on record) have
survived.

During his university years Moore became
passionately interested in jazz and soon became an
accomplished jazz pianist and composer. In the
Sixties he formed the acclaimed Dudley Moore Trio,
which performed regularly on British TV, made
numerous recordings, and had a long-running
residency at Peter Cook's Establishment Club.

They co-starred in the film Bedazzled (1967
movie)|Bedazzled (1967) with Eleanor Bron, and
also had tours called Behind the Fridge and "Good
Evening".  However, their three albums of the late
1970s as Derek and Clive, were widely condemned
for their use of obscene language. Shortly
following the last of these, Ad Nauseum, Moore
made a break with Cook, whose alcoholism was
affecting his work, to concentrate on his film
career. Ironically, when Moore began to manifest
the symptoms of the disease that eventually killed
him, it was at first suspected that he too had a
drinking problem.

In the 1970s, Moore moved to Hollywood, where he
appeared in Foul Play (1978) with Goldie Hawn and
Chevy Chase.  The following year saw his breakout
role in Blake Edwards's 10 (movie)|10, which he
followed up with the movie Arthur (1981), an even
bigger hit.  His subsequent films, including an
Arthur sequel and an The Mighty Kong|animated
adaptation of King Kong, were inconsistent in
terms of both critical and commercial reception. 
In later years Cook would wind-up Moore by
claiming he preferred "Arthur 2" to "Arthur".

In addition to acting, Moore continued to work as
a composer and pianist, composing scores for
numerous films and giving piano concerts, which
were highlighted by his popular parodies of
classical favourites.

He was married (and divorced) four times, and had
children from his marriages to Tuesday Weld and
Nicole Rothschild.  In March 1994, he was arrested
for beating up Nicole Rothschild during a fight
backstage at the Academy Awards.

Moore was deeply affected by the death of Peter
Cook in 1995, and for weeks would regularly
telephone Cook's home in London just to get the
answer phone and hear his friend's voice. Moore
attended Cook's memorial service and at the time
many people who knew him noted that Moore was
behaving strangely and attributed it to grief,
drinking or some form of New Age Cult. In
September 1999, Moore announced he was suffering
from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, for which
there is no treatment.  On March 27, 2002 he
eventually succumbed to pneumonia which was a side
effect of PSP.

In June 2001, Moore was created a Order of the
British Empire|Commander of the British Empire
(CBE). It was an act of personal bravery that he
went to Buckingham Palace to collect his honour as
many people were shocked by his deterioration.

In December 2004, the Channel 4 television network
in the UK broadcast Not Only But Always, a
television movie dramatising the relationship
between Moore and Cook, although the focus of the
production was on Cook. The role of Moore was
played by Aidan McArdle.

==UK chart singles==
Goodbye-ee (1965) Peter Cook and Dudley Moore

==Further reading==

Further information about Dudley Moore can be
found in the book:

*From Fringe to Flying Circus - 'Celebrating a
Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980' - Roger
Wilmut, Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980.

==External links==
*imdb name|id=0001545|name=Dudley Moore