Anthony Newley

British entertainer Anthony Newley began as a child star, passing for 10 or 11 even as the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist (1948), when in fact he was already of driving and shaving age. As a young leading man, Newley learned the ins and outs of self-promotion, chiefly the ability to convince the populace that he could do anything well. In 1959, he became a pop recording star thanks to his singing appearance in Idle on Parade, but this was only the beginning. Stop the World, I Want to Get Off was cowritten by Newley and Leslie Bricusse, but to the world at large Anthony Newley, who also starred in the play, was the whole show. This 1961 London-to-Broadway musical was a superbly written piece and a success. Newley followed up this production with another stage collaboration with Bricusse, 1965's The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd, this time sharing the spotlight (but not without a struggle) with veteran Cyril Ritchard. Few people can remember the plotlines of either of Newley's musical plays, but such song standards as "What Kind of Fool Am I," "Gonna Build a Mountain," "Look at That Face" and "Where Would You Be?" have become audition standards. Newley's overwhelming stage presence didn't translate that well to films, with Dr. Doolittle being the most obvious example of this (it is said that Newley and co-star Samantha Eggar kidded around on the set so much that Rex "Dr. Doolittle" Harrison had to resoundingly insist upon professional decorum). Since Doolittle, Newley has been content to merely write songs for other people's movies, occasionally stepping before the camera in such pictures as Mr. Quilp (1975) and It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (1976). And in 1969, Anthony Newley directed his then-wife Joan Collins in Can Hieronymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness, a woebegone attempt at "hip" which gained fame only through the embarrassed co-starring stints from Milton Berle and George Jessel, and the fact that many American newspapers refused (probably at the request of studio publicity flacks) to mention the film's slightly licentious title in their movie listings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

• Also Credited As:
  Anthony George Newley
• Born:
  September 24, 1931 in London, England, United Kingdom
• Died:
  April 14, 1999.
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Composer, Director, Playwright, Singer, Office boy at an insurance company

Family

• Daughter: Shelby Newley. mother, Dareth Newley
• Daughter: Tara Newley. mother, Joan Collins
• Father: George Anthony Newley.
• Mother: Frances Grace Newley. born c. 1902; survived him
• Son: Alexander Newley. born c. 1965; mother, Joan Collins
• Son: Christopher Newley. mother, Dareth Newley

Significant Others

• Companion: Gina Frantini. was with Newley at his death

Milestones

• 1946 Film acting debut in title role of The Adventures of Dusty Bates
• 1948 Breakthrough screen role as the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist , directed by David Lean
• 1956 First Americn film, Above Us the Waves
• 1961 Breakthrough stage production, the musical Stop the World, I Want to Get Off ; co-wrote book and score with Leslie Bricusse; also directed and starred; opened in London; transferred to Broadway in 1962
• 1964 Had second stage success as songwriter and star of The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd
• 1964 With Bricusse, wrote the theme to the James Bond film Goldfinger
• 1967 Co-starred in the film musical Doctor Dolittle ; song score written by Bricusse
• 1969 Feature directorial debut, Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? ; also produced and scripted; then-wife Joan Collins co-starred
• 1971 Hosted own ABC variety special The Anthony Newley Show
• 1971 Second feature as director, Summertree
• 1971 With Bricusse, wrote songs for the children s musical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , including Candy Man ; received sole Academy Award nomination
• 1972 Wrote and starred in the British stage production The Good Old Bad Old Days
• 1975 Wrote the songs and starred in film musical Mr. Quilp , based on the Charles Dickens novel The Old Curiosity Shop
• 1983 Co-starred in the ABC miniseries Malibu
• 1983 Had title role in ill-fated stage musical biography Chaplin ; also co-wrote book
• 1985 Underwent treatment for renal cancer
• 1987 Final feature, The Garbage Pail Kids Movie
• 1990 Wrote, directed and starred in the stage musical Once upon a Song (produced at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Florida)
• 1992 Was featured with former wife Joan Collins in Collins Meets Coward (A&E)
• 1994 Appeared in the British TV series Anna Lee
• 1998 Cast as Toddy in the tour of the stage musical Victor/Victoria ; withdrew after becoming ill with recurrence of cancer