Polyphemus
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Personal Info

Gender

Male

Birthday

1905-06-01 (119 years old)

Place of Birth

Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, UK

Robert Newton

Biography:

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.

Known For

Acting

1969

The Epic That Never Was as Cassius, Captain of Caligula's guard (archive footage; uncredited)

1957

The Adventures Of Long John Silver as Capt. Long John Silver

1956

1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Peter J. Goodfellow

1954

Long John Silver as Long John Silver
The High and the Mighty as Gustave Pardee
The Beachcomber as Ted Wilson
Climax! as Keith Dorrant

1953

The Desert Rats as Tom Bartlett

1952

Les Miserables as Etienne Javert

1951

Tom Brown's Schooldays as Thomas Arnold
Soldiers Three as Pvt. Bill Sykes
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars as John Lindsey, the Baker

1950

Treasure Island as Long John Silver
Waterfront as Peter McCabe
Lux Video Theatre as Mr. Fishkettle
Lux Video Theatre as Philip Marshall

1949

Obsession as Dr. Clive Riordan

1948

Oliver Twist as Bill Sykes
Snowbound as Derek Engles

1947

Odd Man Out as Lukey
Temptation Harbour as Bert Mallinson

1946

Night Boat to Dublin as Capt. David Grant

1944

This Happy Breed as Frank Gibbons
Henry V as Ancient Pistol

1942

Hatter's Castle as James Brodie
They Flew Alone as Jim Mollison

1941

Major Barbara as Bill Walker

1940

Busman's Honeymoon as Frank Crutchley
Gaslight as Ullswater

1939

Jamaica Inn as James "Jem" Trehearne
Dead Men Are Dangerous as Aylmer Franklyn
Poison Pen as Sam Hurrin
Hell's Cargo as Cmdr. Tomasou

1938

Vessel of Wrath as The Controleur

1937

Fire Over England as Don Pedro
The Green Cockatoo as Dave Connor
The Squeaker as Larry Graeme
Farewell Again as Jim Carter
Dark Journey as Officer of U-Boat