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(JTA) \u2014 Ron Moody, a British Jewish actor best known for playing a character historically considered an anti-Semitic stereotype, has died at 91.<\/p>\n
Moody, who played the Jewish criminal Fagin in the stage and film versions of \u201cOliver,\u201d an adaptation of Charles Dickens\u2019 \u201cOliver Twist,\u201d died on Thursday.<\/p>\n
His film portrayal of Fagin garnered an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe award as best actor.<\/p>\n
Moody, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, went on to a regular role in the BBC show \u201cEastEnders\u201d and several other major TV programs, including \u201cStarsky and Hutch.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New York Times, which described Moody as a \u201cspindly, long-faced man with a prominent nose,\u201d wrote in his obituary that Moody \u201csteered clear of stereotype\u201d in depicting the character Dickens termed a \u201cmerry old Jew.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a 2010 interview with The Jewish Chronicle of London, Moody said, “I couldn’t possibly have played the role if it was seen as anti-Semitic. I knew in my Jewish bones he was a funny character who would get laughs because I played him anarchistically.”<\/p>\n
The Chronicle reported that being Jewish was \u201ca cornerstone\u201d of Moody\u2019s life. The actor kept kosher \u201cmost of his life\u201d and was a member of the New North London Synagogue. He married at age 60 after his then-fiancee, Therese Blackbourn, converted to Judaism. Blackbourn and the couple\u2019s six children survive him.<\/p>\n
In a 2005 interview with the Times, Moody reflected on being typecast for \u201cFagin-type roles,\u201d but said, \u201cI\u2019ve no regrets. You take responsibility for your actions. You don\u2019t kvetch. Playing Fagin in the play and film was a small miracle.”<\/p>\n
Moody, whose original last name was Moodnick, grew up in London and served in the Royal Air Force during World War II.<\/p>\n