1905-06-01 Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, UK
Robert Newton was one of the great character actors -- and great characters -- of the British cinema, best remembered today for playing Long John Silver in Treasure Island (1950) and its sequel in 1954. His portrayal of Long John Silver and of Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952) created a persona that was so indelible that his vocal intonations created the paradigm for scores of people who want to "Talk Like a Pirate." The performance overshadows Newton's legacy, which is based on many first-rate performances in such movies as This Happy Breed (1944), Odd Man Out (1947) and Oliver Twist (1948), where his Bill Sykes is truly chilling. Oliver Reed, who played Sykes in the Oscar-winning movie musical Oliver! (1968) was influenced by Newton.
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The Epic That Never Was | Cassius, Captain of Caligula's guard (archive footage; uncredited) | 1969-09-19 |
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Around the World in Eighty Days | Mr. Fix | 1956-10-17 |
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Long John Silver | Long John Silver | 1954-12-16 |
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The Beachcomber | Ted Wilson | 1954-08-10 |
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The High and the Mighty | Gustave Pardee | 1954-07-03 |
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The Desert Rats | Tom Bartlett | 1953-05-20 |
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Blackbeard, the Pirate | Blackbeard | 1952-12-24 |
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Androcles and the Lion | Ferrovius | 1952-12-01 |
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Les Miserables | Etienne Javert | 1952-08-14 |
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Soldiers Three | Pvt. Bill Sykes | 1951-04-01 |
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Tom Brown's Schooldays | Thomas Arnold | 1951-04-17 |
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Waterfront | Peter McCabe | 1950-07-26 |
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Treasure Island | Long John Silver | 1950-07-19 |
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Obsession | Dr. Clive Riordan | 1949-08-03 |
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Oliver Twist | Bill Sykes | 1948-06-28 |
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Snowbound | Derek Engles | 1948-03-23 |
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Kiss the Blood Off My Hands | Harry Carter | 1948-10-30 |
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Temptation Harbour | Bert Mallinson | 1947-02-27 |
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Odd Man Out | Lukey | 1947-01-30 |
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Night Boat to Dublin | Capt. David Grant | 1946-01-08 |
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The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fifth with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France | Ancient Pistol | 1944-11-24 |
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This Happy Breed | Frank Gibbons | 1944-05-28 |
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Hatter's Castle | James Brodie | 1942-02-02 |
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They Flew Alone | Jim Mollison | 1942-06-29 |
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Major Barbara | Bill Walker | 1941-05-14 |
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Channel Incident | Tanner | 1940-04-28 |
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Gaslight | Ullswater | 1940-08-31 |
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21 Days Together | Tolly | 1940-01-07 |
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Busman's Honeymoon | Frank Crutchley | 1940-07-22 |
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Dead Men Are Dangerous | Aylmer Franklyn | 1939-02-01 |
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Hell's Cargo | Cmdr. Tomasou | 1939-12-16 |
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Poison Pen | Sam Hurrin | 1939-07-03 |
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Jamaica Inn | James "Jem" Trehearne | 1939-05-11 |
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Vessel of Wrath | The Controleur | 1938-03-04 |
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Dark Journey | Officer of U-Boat | 1937-07-02 |
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The Green Cockatoo | Dave Connor | 1937-12-01 |
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The Squeaker | Larry Graeme | 1937-11-11 |
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Fire Over England | Don Pedro | 1937-03-05 |
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Farewell Again | Jim Carter | 1937-01-05 |
