1931-1999
Anthony Newley
1931-1999
Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. Born September 24, 1931 in Hackney, London, Newley’s journey left a mark on the world of entertainment.
Newley began his entertainment industry career at the age of 14 when he left regular school. He applied and was accepted into the Italia Conti stage school. He even won the title role in the film The Adventures of Dusty Bates a few weeks later. In 1957, he starred in six major films. Then he started his singing career with the 1959 film Idle on Parade. The film showcased four original Newley songs that went on to become Billboard hits.
Then in 1961, songwriter Leslie Bricusse proposed a collaboration with Newley. This project resulted in Stop the World - I Want to Get Off, which was directed by and starred Mewley. The show was very successful spanning a Broadway run of 556 performances and resulting in several hit singles, including “What Kind of Fool Am I?” and “Once In A Lifetime.” The pair continued to write scores, creating the score to the James Bond film Goldfinger, and The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd
Anthony Newley bw
The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd featured several hit songs including “A Wonderful Day Like Today,” “This Dream,” “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)?”, “The Joker,” and the most famous of them all “Feeling Good.” In 2023, “Feeling Good” has been covered many times by artists like Michael Bublé, Muse, Avicii and more. But the version that started it all was Nina Simone’s version.
Another hit the team wrote was “The Candy Man” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This song, recorded by Sammy Davis Jr., was a top ten hit song and Willy Wonka was a top five-grossing film in 1971.
In the early 70s, Newley stayed active as a Las Vegas resort performer, talk show guest, and game show panelist. But his career started to struggle as he took risks that led to his Hollywood downfall. In the 1980s, he was working to achieve a comeback in his career. In 1986, he ran a successful American tour of Stop The World and continued to be featured in other works like Irwin Allen’s television adaptation of Alice in Wonderland (1985).
In 1985, Newley was diagnosed with renal cell cancer and had surgery to have one kidney removed. Afterwards, he continued to work. He recorded songs from Fiddler on the Roof and Scrooge. In 1997, the cancer returned and spread to his lungs and liver. At the time of his passing, he was working on a musical of Shakespeare’s Richard III.
