He was born on 1 June 1905 in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England. Growing up in a creative family (his mother was a writer and the rest of the family were artists), he made his debut at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre at the age of 15. During his work in this theater, he managed to visit a stage worker, decorator, assistant director and play in more than forty plays. Since the mid-twenties, Newton played in the theaters of London’s West End, and in 1928 he met with actor, screenwriter and playwright
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He was born on 1 June 1905 in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England. Growing up in a creative family (his mother was a writer and the rest of the family were artists), he made his debut at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre at the age of 15. During his work in this theater, he managed to visit a stage worker, decorator, assistant director and play in more than forty plays. Since the mid-twenties, Newton played in the theaters of London’s West End, and in 1928 he met with actor, screenwriter and playwright Noel Coward, who recommended the young actor to replace Laurence Olivier in the Broadway production of “Private Life”. Many years of work in the theater allowed Newton to become an outstanding actor, able to bring subtle dramatic touches even in comic roles. The beginning of his cinematic career can be considered in 1937, when several films with his participation appeared on the screens at once, including “Flame over England” (directed by William K. Howard), in which the best British actors of the time were employed, such as Lawrence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Raymond Massey. At the same time, he starred in the unfinished film “I, Claudius” (Director Denis Kavanagh and Joseph von Stenberg), where the title role was played by the famous Charles Laughton. The greatest fame in the late thirties - early forties he brought the films "Vase of Wrath" (1938, dir. Erich Pommer, in England, went to the box office under the title "The Tramp"), "The Jamaica Tavern" (1939, Alfred Hitchcock) and the comedy "Major Barbara" (1941, Gabriel Pascal). During the Second World War, Newton served in the Navy in the minesweeper team, but nevertheless, occasionally he managed to get a special leave of absence to work in films - his most famous roles during his service in the army were ensign Pistol in the film adaptation of Shakespeare's play Henry V (1944) by Lawrence Olivier and the father of the family in the drama David Lean "This Happy Family" (1944). Despite the fact that Newton was not a star of the first magnitude, after the war he was among the highest paid British actors, which was rare for performers of characteristic roles. In 1948, the actor played the thief Bill Sykes in David Lean's Oliver Twist, which became one of the most memorable images he created on the screen. With this role, he opened up a whole gallery of cartoon villains - a few years later he appeared as the pirate John Silver in the Hollywood film Treasure Island (1950, dir. Byron Haskin), followed by Pirate Blackbeard (1952, dir. Raoul Walsh), Long John Silver (1954, dir. Byron Haskin) and the Australian television series under the same name. At the same time, Newton’s acting talent was much more diverse and not so unambiguous, as acknowledged by many with whom he had worked, including his friend the famous actor David Niven and director David Lin. Unfortunately, a serious obstacle in Newton’s career was alcoholism, which severely undermined his health. Among the films in which the actor played in the last years of his life is Les Miserables (1952 dir.). Lewis Mileston, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, Androcles and the Lion (1952, directed by Chester Erskine and Nicholas Ray, based on a play by Bernard Shaw) and a remake of the 1938 film The Tramp (1954, dir. Muriel Box) . His last film was the adventure comedy directed by Michael Anderson, Around the World in 80 Days (1956), where he appeared as Inspector Fix. A few days after the film was finally completed, Newton died of an acute heart attack. He died on March 25, 1956 in Los Angeles, California.
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