Profile of Anthony Newley on Famous Like Me

George Anthony Newley (b. September 24, 1931 in London_Borough_of_Hackney) was a British actor, singer and songwriter.

His first major film role was as the Artful Dodger in David Lean's 1948 Oliver Twist.

Newley had a successful pop music career, with two number ones in 1960: "Why?" and "Do You Mind?" He won the 1963 Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "What Kind of Fool Am I", but was also well-known for "Gonna Build a Mountain" and comic novelty songs such as his version of "Strawberry Fair". With Leslie Bricusse, he wrote the musical Stop the World, I Want to Get Off in which he also performed, earning a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. His other musicals include The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd (1965) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971).

In recognition of his creative skills and body of work, Newley was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He was married to Ann Lynn from 1956 to 1963, but it ended in divorce. He then was married to the actress Joan Collins from 1963 to 1971; the couple had two children, Tara Newley and Sasha Newley. His third wife was former air hostess Dareth Rich, and they also had two children, Christopher and Shelby.

His last feature role was in 1998 when Newley joined the cast of Eastenders in what was to have been a regular part as Vince Watson, but Newley withdrew after a few months when his health began to fail. Anthony Newley died on April 14, 1999, in Jensen Beach, Florida from renal cancer at the age of 67. He was survived by his 4 children, and also his mother, Grace, then in her mid-90s.

The shortlived 1960 ATV series The Strange World of Gurney Slade in which Newley starred continues to have a cult following due to its advanced postmodern premise that the Newley character is trapped inside a television programme. Apart from a repeat of one episode on Channel 4 in the mid-1980s it has not been seen in the UK in recent years. The show's theme tune by Max Harris may be better-known today than the series itself.

Newley's vocal style has been recognised as a major influence on that of David Bowie.

Filmography

• Dusty Bates (1947)
• The Guinea Pig (1948)
• Vice Versa (1948)
• Oliver Twist (1948)
• A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (1949)
• Don't Ever Leave Me (1949)
• Vote for Huggett (1949)
• Highly Dangerous (1950)
• The Little Ballerina (1951)
• Those People Next Door (1952)
• Top of the Form (1953)
• The Blue Peter (1954)
• Up to His Neck (1954)
• Above Us the Waves (1955)
• The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)
• High Flight (1956)
• The Last Man to Hang (1956)
• X the Unknown (1956)
• Port Afrique (1956) .... Pedro
• How to Murder a Rich Uncle (1957)
• Fire Down Below (1957)
• The Good Companions (1957)
• The Man Inside (1958)
• No Time to Die (1958)
• The Heart of a Man (1959)
• The Lady Is a Square (1959)
• Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959)
• The Bandit of Zhobe (1959)
• Idle on Parade (1959)
• In the Nick (1960)
• Let's Get Married (1960)
• Jazz Boat (1960)
• The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963)
• Doctor Dolittle (1967)
• Sweet November (1968)
• Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969)
• The Old Curiosity Shop (1975)
• It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (1975)
• The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987)
• Boris and Natasha (1992)

External link

• Anthony Newley at the Internet Movie Database

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