Another Press Release on Dudley

[Guest guest]

This one talks a bit more about PSP at the end.

Hugs,

Pam

--

http://my.aol.com/news/news_story.psp?type=1&cat=0100&id=0203271723453062

Actor Dudley Dies at 66

The Associated Press

Mar 27 2002 5:23PM

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Dudley , the cuddly little Englishman who pined

for Bo in ``10'' and portrayed a lovably forlorn drunk in ``Arthur,''

died Wednesday of complications from a rare and incurable brain disorder. He

was 66.

The comic actor died at a friend's home in Plainfield of pneumonia stemming

from progressive supranuclear palsy, which is similar to Parkinson's disease

and affects one of every 100,000 people. He was diagnosed with the disease

in 1999.

Before breaking into the movies, the 5-foot-2 1/2-inch classically trained

pianist found success in comedy revues in London and on Broadway as part of

a legendary British troupe that also included the surrealist comic talent

Cook.

In the 1979 hit movie ``10,'' he played a musician determined to marry a

perfect woman, embodied by . His film career peaked in 1981 with the

smash ``Arthur,'' in which he played a rich drunk who falls for Liza

Minnelli. He was nominated for a best actor . Co-star Gielgud, who

played Arthur's valet, won the supporting actor .

``He had a little-boy-lost quality about him, which women loved, and there

was always something slightly forlorn about Dudley, even when he was being

funny,'' said Parkinson, a British talk-show host. ``He was a lovely

man.''

's other films included ``Foul Play,'' 1978; ``Lovesick,'' 1983;

``Unfaithfully Yours,'' 1984; and ``Best Defense,'' 1984.

In a statement, Minnelli said: ``I am deeply saddened by the death of my

dear friend, Dudley . He was a unique individual that was

multitalented. He could make the world laugh and brought joy to millions. I

will miss him dearly.''

There was more than a touch of autobiography in ``10.'' But the happy ending

eluded him in real life. Four marriages ended in divorce.

He confessed to being driven by feelings of inferiority because of his

working-class origins in Dagenham, East London, and because of his height.

He also spoke of the pain of being rejected by his mother because he was

born with a deformed left foot.

Comedians, he said in an interview in 1980, are often driven by such

feelings. ``I guess if I'd been able to hit somebody in the nose, I wouldn't

have been a comic,'' he said.

It was music that gave his entrance to public performance, first as a

chorister and organist in his church, then in 1960 as a young Oxford

graduate recruited for the four-man comedy revue ``Beyond the Fringe.''

``Fringe,'' which played two years in London and then moved to Broadway, was

perhaps the greatest assembly of young comic talent in Britain in the 20th

century. was teamed with Cook; Alan , later a successful

playwright; and , the opera producer and medical doctor.

's whimsical sense of humor fitted oddly with the more savage satirical

style of his partners. ``Apart from his musical contributions to the show,''

Cook wrote in 1974, ``Dudley's suggestions were treated with benign contempt

by the rest of us.''

and Cook formed a fast friendship and later teamed on television as

Dud and Pete on ``Not Only ... but Also,'' a sketch comedy series. They also

plumbed the depths of taste and decency in a series of recordings as ``

and Clive.''

Cook and both made their screen debuts in ``The Wrong Box'' in 1966.

and Cook teamed again in 1971 for a comedy revue titled ``Beyond the

Fridge,'' which was a success in London and a smash two years later on

Broadway, retitled ``Good Evening.'' The pair won a special Tony Award for

their ``unique contribution to the theater of comedy.''

Big screen success came after settled in Southern California and met

director Blake in a therapy group. When Segal walked out of

' production of ``10,'' the director turned to and he was soon

a Hollywood star.

``He was such a wonderful spirit,'' recalled Wednesday. ``He could

make you laugh hysterically with his jokes and make you cry with his music.

He was so gifted.''

While his comedy brought him the most attention, he was a talented pianist,

with degrees in music and composition from Oxford. In 1992, he performed

with the New World Symphony in Miami and other orchestras.

One of the goals of the concerts, he said, was ``to break the bubble of

pomposity that can emerge. I think it's one thing that keeps people away

from serious music.''

``I can't imagine not having music in my life, playing for myself or for

other people. If I was asked, `Which would you give up?' I'd have to say

acting,'' he said in 1988.

married Suzy Kendall in 1958, Tuesday Weld in 1975, Brogan Lane in

1988 and Rothschild in 1994. He had a son, , by his second

marriage and a son, , by his fourth.

was diagnosed with PSP after suffering balance problems and other

symptoms.

Ellen Katz, executive director of the Society for Progressive Supranuclear

Palsy, said the disorder would have affected his movement, balance, vision,

speech and swallowing, while leaving his mind clear.

Even as fought the symptoms, he raised nearly $100,000 for two PSP

research funds, said Katz, who met several times.

``He came forward with a diagnosis right away because he wanted to help

other people who have the disease and aren't diagnosed,'' she said. ``It's

such a tragic loss for us to lose someone like him, and to such a cruel

disease.''