Dudley Moore

DUDLEY MOORE d2002. English actor, comedian, composer and musician. He first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond The Fringe during the early 1960s and then became famous as half of the highly popular television double-act Pete & Dud and Derek & Clive with Peter Cook. His fame as a comedic film actor was later heightened in the 70s and 80s by success in hit Hollywood movies 10 with Bo Derek and Arthur. In Arthur, he starred as the eponymous Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire, on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress, but ends up falling for a common working-class girl from Queens (Liza Minelli). It was the first and only film directed by Steve Gordon who died in 1982 of a heart attack aged just 44. Arthur earned nearly $96 million domestically, making it the fourth highest grossing film of 1981. Dudley received an Oscar nomination for his role. He was frequently referred to in the media as "Cuddly Dudley" or "The Sex Thimble", a reference to his short stature and reputation as a "ladies' man". In later life he suffered with poor health and died of pneumonia aged 66 in 2002.