Oscar nominated actor Ron Moody, best known for a career of playing Fagin in the musical “Oliver!,” died on Thursday, June 11 at the age of 91.
Moody was the original Fagin in Lionel Bart's West End production of “Oliver!,” which premiered in 1960. He was able to play the pick-pocketing grifter in Carol Reed's 1968 film adaptation, which won the Best Picture Oscar, earned Moody his lone Oscar nomination and also earned him a Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture Actor – Musical/Comedy.
Over the years, Moody returned to various productions of “Oliver!” to great acclaim, even picking up a Tony nomination for a 1984 Broadway revival.
Moody famously turned down the opportunity to replace Patrick Troughton as the third Doctor, but he did appear in a “Doctor Who” audio play in 2005.
His other credits include “EastEnders” and performances as Merlin in both “Unidentified Flying Oddball” and “A Kid in King Arthur's Court.”
I leave you with a pair of classic Ron Moody performances from “Oliver!” The second song is my personal favorite…
“Pick a Pocket”
“Reviewing the Situation”