Victor Spinetti
Born: 1933-09-02 in Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, Wales
Died: 2012-06-19
Known For: Acting
Biography
Victor Sinetti (born Vittorio Giorgio Andre Spinetti) was a Welsh comedy actor, author and poet. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films "A Hard Day's Night", "Help!" and "Magical Mystery Tour". Born in Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Wales, Spinetti was educated at Monmouth School and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, of which he became a Fellow. After various menial jobs, Spinetti pursued a stage career and was closely associated with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in London, England. Among the productions were "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be" and "Oh! What a Lovely War" (1963), which transferred to New York City and for which he won a Tony Award. Spinetti's film career developed simultaneously; his dozens of film appearances would include Zeffirelli's "The Taming of the Shrew", "Under Milk Wood", "The Return of the Pink Panther" and "Under the Cherry Moon". During his later career, Spinetti acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in such roles as Lord Foppington in "The Relapse" and the Archbishop in "Richard III", at Stratford-upon-Avon; and, in 1990, he appeared in "The Krays". In 2008 he appeared in a one-man show, "A Very Private Diary", which toured the UK as "A Very Private Diary ... Revisited!", recounting his life story. Spinetti was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 and died of the disease in June 2012.
Filmography
2012
- The Story of Musicals as Self
2008
- The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour Memories as Self - Narrator
2004
2002
2000
- In the Beginning as Happatezoah, Pharaoh's Magician
1999
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Adventures in the Secret Service as Colonel Dupree
- Julie and the Cadillacs as Cyril Wise
- Boobs in the Wood as Triar Fuck
1995
- The Beatles Anthology as Foot (archive footage)
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen as Bragas / Major M
- You Can't Do That! The Making of 'A Hard Day's Night' as Self
- Character Building as (voice)
1993
1991
- Bottom as Maître d'
- Paul Merton: The Series
- An Actor's Life for Me as Desmond Shaw
- The Princess and the Goblin as Glump (voice)
1990
- The Krays as Mr. Lawson
- Romeo.Juliet as Tybalt (voice)
1989
- The Paradise Club as Elliott Rossini
- The Further Adventures of SuperTed
1988
- The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank as Herman Van Daan
1986
- Under the Cherry Moon as The Jaded Three #1
1984
- Mistral's Daughter as Bianchi
1983
- SuperTed as Texas Pete
1979
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as Mr. Tumnus (voice)
- Take My Wife
1978
1977
- Casanova & Co. as The Prefect
- Hardcore as Duncan
1976
- Voyage of the Damned as Dr. Erich Strauss
- Fred Basset
- Emily as Richard Walker
1975
- The Return of the Pink Panther as Hotel Concierge
- Dick Deadeye, or Duty Done as Dick Deadeye (voice)
- The Great McGonagall
1974
- The Little Prince as The Historian
1973
- Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World as Prof. Ribart
- The 500 Pound Jerk as Martin Bloore
1972
- Under Milk Wood as Mog Edwards
1970
- Start the Revolution Without Me as Duke d'Escargot
- Defeat of the Mafia as Charles Agostino
1969
- Two in Clover as Vic Evans
- A Promise of Bed as George
- Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? as Critic Sharpnose
1968
- The Biggest Bundle of Them All as Captain Giglio
1967
- Omnibus as Self
- The Taming of the Shrew as Hortensio
- Magical Mystery Tour as Army Sergeant
1965
- BBC Play of the Month as Hatch
- Help! as Prof. Foot
- The Wild Affair as Quentin
1964
- A Hard Day's Night as T.V. Director
- Becket as French Tailor (uncredited)
- I Think They Call Him John as Narrator (voice)
1963
- Sparrows Can't Sing as Arnold
1962
- The Saint as Commissionaire
- The Merv Griffin Show as Self
- Richard the Lionheart as Pierre
1961
- The Gentle Terror as Joe