DailyKenn.com — Dudley Moore is born in 1935 at Charing Cross Hospital in central London. His parents, Ada Francis, a secretary, and John Moore, a railway electrician from Glasgow, raise him along with his older sister, Barbara.
Born with a condition known as clubfoot, Moore's right foot straightens out over time, but his left remains affected. His small stature and foot deformity make him a target for bullying in school. Despite these challenges, Moore is a child prodigy in music, excelling at the organ and piano. He attends Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studies music, although jazz remains his true passion. After college, he moves to London, aiming for a career in entertainment. His big break comes with Beyond the Fringe, where he meets comedian Peter Cook, forming a legendary partnership that lasts through the 1960s and 70s. They create the TV show Not Only... But Also, with memorable characters like Pete and Dud.
Throughout his career, Moore balances his comedy with a love for music. He forms his own jazz trio and performs in numerous concerts. His collaboration with Cook continues in films like The Wrong Box (1966) and Bedazzled (1967). In the mid-1970s, he releases comedy albums with Cook, but also maintains his musical performances.
Moore marries four times, with his most notable marriages to actresses Suzie Kendall and Tuesday Weld. He has two sons—one with Weld in 1976 and another with Nicole Rothschild in 1995. After marrying Weld in 1975, he relocates to California, setting his sights on Hollywood. His first significant role is in Foul Play (1978), starring alongside Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. His career skyrockets with the 1979 film 10 and the 1981 hit Arthur, in which his performance earns him an Oscar nomination.
In the 1980s, Moore stars in various films, including Six Weeks (1982) with Mary Tyler Moore and Lovesick (1983). However, not all his films succeed; Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) is a notable flop, and his sequel Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988) fails to capture the success of the original. As his film career declines, Moore turns to TV, but his shows Dudley (1993) and Daddy’s Girls (1994) are short-lived.
Despite setbacks, Moore continues performing music, though his health begins to deteriorate in the 1990s. After heart bypass surgery in 1997, his cognitive decline leads people to mistakenly think he is struggling with substance abuse. In reality, he suffers from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), which leads to pneumonia and, ultimately, his death in 2002 at the age of 66. At the end of his life, Moore is cared for by his longtime friend Rena Fruchter in Plainfield, New Jersey. He dies with Fruchter by his side, reportedly saying, "I can hear the music all around me." Moore is buried at Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, near where he had lived.
In 2001, Moore is honored as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), accepting the award in a wheelchair from Prince Charles.
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