The diminutive (5-foot-2) Englishman had three distinct phases of his career. First as a jazz musician in England, then as part of a TV comedy team with Peter Cook and finally as a leading man in Hollywood films, such as “Arthur” and “10.”
During his jazz period in the 1960s, Moore played piano in the Dudley Moore Trio, a group that made several recordings and TV appearances. Moore was also a member of the British comedy revue “Beyond the Fringe,” where he met Cook. Moore began to pursue his comedy career full time when he got his first BBC series, “Not Only…But Also,” in 1965. Moore and Cook went on to have a very successful partnership and starred in several movies together, including “Bedazzled.”
In 1979, Moore got his breakout starring role in director Blake Edwards' sex comedy “10” opposite Bo Derek. The film made Moore a superstar in the U.S. and led to his role in “Arthur.” The comedy about a drunken New York playboy was Moore’s biggest hit and earned him an Oscar nomination.
Moore's later years were marred by a nasty divorce from his fourth wife and his announcement in 1999 that he was suffering from the terminal degenerative brain disorder progressive supranuclear palsy. He died on March 27, 2002, in Plainfield, N.J.
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Year | Category | Work | |
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1981 | Best Actor | Arthur | Nomination |
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