Dudley Moore, star of '10' and 'Arthur,' dies

TRENTON, N.J. -- Dudley Moore, the cuddly little Englishman who pined for Bo Derek 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 Peter Cook.

In the 1979 hit movie "10," he played a musician determined to marry a perfect woman, embodied by Derek. 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 Oscar. Co-star John Gielgud, who played Arthur's valet, won the supporting actor Oscar.

"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 Michael Parkinson, a British talk-show host. "He was a lovely man."

Moore'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 Moore. 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 Moore 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. Moore was teamed with Cook; Alan Bennett, later a successful playwright; and Jonathan Miller, the opera producer and medical doctor.

Moore'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."

Moore 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 "Derek and Clive."

Cook and Moore both made their screen debuts in "The Wrong Box" in 1966.

Moore 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 Moore settled in Southern California and met director Blake Edwards in a therapy group. When George Segal walked out of Edwards' production of "10," the director turned to Moore and he was soon a Hollywood star.

"He was such a wonderful spirit," Derek 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.

Moore married Suzy Kendall in 1958, Tuesday Weld in 1975, Brogan Lane in 1988 and Nicole Rothschild in 1994. He had a son, Patrick, by his second marriage and a son, Nicholas, by his fourth.

Moore 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 Moore fought the symptoms, he raised nearly $100,000 for two PSP research funds, said Katz, who met Moore 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."