Victor Spinetti

Victor Spinetti was born on Sep 02, 1929 in UK. Victor Spinetti's big-screen debut came with Behind the Mask directed by Brian Desmond Hurst in 1958, strarring Minor Role (uncredited). Victor Spinetti is known for Bottom directed by Ed Bye, Adrian Edmondson stars as Eddie and Rik Mayall as Richie. The upcoming new tvshow Victor Spinetti plays is In the Beginning - Season 1 which will be released on Nov 12, 2000.

Comic eccentric and gifted raconteur Victor Spinetti was born in Wales on September 2, 1929, the son of Giuseppe Spinetti and Lily (Watson) Spinetti. Educated at Monmouth School, he was initially interested in a teaching degree but turned to acting instead and studied for the stage at the College of Music and Drama in the capital city of Cardiff.A familiar stage presence in London's West End, his roles included "Expresso Bongo" with Paul Scofield and Leonard Bernstein's "Candide". He also spent six years with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. Becoming noticed in some of his more important theater pieces such as "The Hostage," "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'be," "Henry IV, Parts I & II" and "Every Man in His Humour," Victor's triumphant West End performance in the musical "Oh! What a Lovely War" led to the Broadway stage and both "supporting actor" Tony and Theatre World awards.In the late 1960s, Victor co-starred in "The Odd Couple" with Jack Klugman when it toured London. A noted performer with the Royal Shakespeare Company, he proved equally adept in theatre musicals, providing delicious villainy as Fagin in "Oliver!" and Captain Hook in "Peter Pan". A theatre director of both legit and musical plays as well, Victor's one man show "A Very Private Diary" played all over the world. At age 70+, Victor remained active under the theatre lights playing Baron Bomburst in the musical version of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" in 2003, and Baron Zeta in the operetta "The Merry Widow" in 2004.Making his film debut with an uncredited bit in the British Behind the Mask (1958), Victor was featured in such films as Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) and The Gentle Terror (1963) before becoming a vital part of the cult "Beatlemania" phenomenon adding to the insanity in three of The Beatles' cinematic vehicles: Quatre garçons dans le vent (1964), Au secours ! (1965) and their hour-long Magical Mystery Tour (1967). While he could be quite dramatic when called upon, it was his comedic character diversions that showed up in such 1960's and 70's films as The Wild Affair (1965), the Burton/Taylor take on La mégère apprivoisée (1967) (as Hortensio), La bande à César (1968), Le carrousel fantastique (1969), Commencez la révolution sans nous (1970), offbeat leads in both the comedy A Promise of Bed (1969) and the crimer Échec à la maffia (1970), another Taylor/Burton effort Under Milk Wood (1971), Digby: The Biggest Dog in the World (1973), Le petit prince (1974), Le retour de la panthère rose (1975), Meeting Resistance (2007), Le voyage des damnés (1976), 13 femmes pour Casanova (1977) and Hardcore (1977).A TV favorite in England, he starred or co-starred in the comedy series Two in Clover (1969) opposite "Carry On" star Sidney James and Take My Wife... (1979). He focused more and more on the small screen into the 1980's with guest spots on such series as "Time of Your Life," "Sweet Sixteen," "Kelly Monteith" and "Bad Boyes," and a third regular TV series role in the comedy An Actor's Life for Me (1991) playing the inept agent of a struggling actor.An excellent conversationalist and storyteller who briefly extended his talents into writing, Victor's later acting credits included the films Under the Cherry Moon (1986), Les frères Krays (1990) and Julie and the Cadillacs (1999), the TV movies L'Amour en héritage (1984), Journal d'Anne Frank (1988) (as Van Daan), Les Aventures du jeune Indiana Jones: L'Attaque des hommes faucons (1995) and as a voiceover actor (the animated TV series (SuperTed (1983) and The Further Adventures of SuperTed (1989)).Last seen in a couple of short films in 2006, Victor died on June 18, 2012, age 82, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the year before. He survived (by 15 years) his longtime partner, actor Graham Curnow, who died in 1997.