Robert Newton

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Robert Newton
Robert Newton in Treasure Island
Born	1 June 1905 Shaftsbury, Dorset, England
Died	25 March 1956 Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California
Notable roles	Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist Long John Silver in Treasure Island Mr. Fix in Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)

This article is about the actor. For the athlete see Robert Newton (athlete).

Robert Newton (June 1, 1905 – March 25, 1956) was an English actor. He was born in Shaftesbury, in Dorset, England, and died in Los Angeles, California, USA, from a heart attack.

Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the most popular actors amongst the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially among British boys; he was cited as a role model by actor Oliver Reed and drummer Keith Moon. Reed played the role of Bill Sikes on film, a role previously played by Newton.

Newton's film career includes several notable villains, among them Bill Sikes in David Lean's 1948 film version of Oliver Twist, Javert in the 1952 Les Misérables, and Inspector Fix in his last film, Around the World in Eighty Days (1956).

Newton appeared in major roles in two films based on the novella The Vessel of Wrath, by W. Somerset Maugham. He played the Dutch contrôleur in the 1938 version (released in the U.S. as The Beachcomber), and the lead role of Edward "Ginger Ted" Wilson in The Beachcomber (1954). He starred as the Scottish hatter, James Brodie, in Hatter's Castle, a 1941 film based on the novel by A.J. Cronin. He also played Ancient Pistol in Laurence Olivier's 1944 film of Henry V. He was also seen as the abusive Bill Walker in the 1941 film of George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara.

He is most famous for playing the feverish-eyed Long John Silver in the Walt Disney Pictures movie Treasure Island (1950), as well as in a later, unrelated film of the same literary property, Return to Treasure Island (1954; sometimes also known simply as Long John Silver), and even a 13-episode TV series. His Disney portrayal has provided the template for most screen portrayals of pirates since; Newton has even become the "patron saint" of the annual International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19).

Newton went on to play Bristol's other famous pirate, Blackbeard, in the film Blackbeard the Pirate, but was never able to shake the legacy of Long John Silver.

On stage, he appeared in a number of plays by Noel Coward.

His film career was somewhat erratic due to his chronic alcoholism, which led to his early death from a heart attack at the age of 50. After some court battle, Newton's 5 year old son was taken into custody by his half sister, aunt and uncle. He was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.