RON MOODY as Fagin.

Born: 1924, London, England.

A major link with the original stage production that electrified London is provided by Ron Moody, who created the role of Fagin to universal acclaim, and now repeats it on the screen. Elevated to stardom by his success , Moody could have made a career of being Fagin, but he choose not to. After playing the part for a year, he decided he'd have a fling at writing-his first love. It was the good fortune of the film 'Oliver!' that Ron was ready to return to acting when the time for casting came. That original performance was by now legendary, and though fine actors had succeeded Moody in London and on Broadway, it was felt that none through the years was his superior. Besides, thanks to the lapse of time, he could approach the role with a new freshness. He was the producers' first choice.

OLIVER REED as Bill Sikes.

Born: 1938, London, England.

The 'villain-you-love-to-hate' role of Bill Sikes cries for an actor with the look and manor of menace; these Oliver Reed had in abundance. In addition, he has the celebrity of sudden stardom produced by two important films that flashed across the screens of the world in the recent wave emanating from England, 'The Jokers' and 'I'll Never Forget What's 'is Name.' Reed was already a young veteran when John Woolf picked him to play the complex and inherently evil character of Sikes. 'The Girl Getters' was the first picture to bring him sharply to critical attention, although to television audiences he was by then a well-known figure. Woolf had no great difficulty in convincing director Reed he had made the right choice: Carol Reed happened to be Oliver Reed's uncle.

SHANI WALLIS as Nancy.

Born: 1938, London England.

'Transatlantic' is a word that has come into wide use in recent years because it fits so precisely performers like Shani Wallis, who's either an English girl living in America or a new American suddenly called back to London for her first motion picture staring role. Depends on your point of view. But whatever that point of view, Shani is equally at home in the swank Empire Room of New York's Waldorf Astoria; as headliner on the Ed Sullivan television show; starring in a Las Vegas show...or on stage in her native London. There she first won fame as 'the British Ethel Merman' in 'Call Me Madam' and 'the British Judy Garland' (as critic Kenneth Tynan dubbed her in the London Times). Other glittering credits: 'Bells Are Ringing' and 'Wonderful Town.'

HARRY SECOMBE as Mr Bumble.

Born:1921, Swansea, Wales.

Broadway had a taste of the distinctive personality of Harry Secombe when he played the title role in 'Pickwick,' also a Dickens musical, but England knows of him far, far better, in all his outstanding variety of his talents. Harry actually bridges the generation gap by being a big music hall star as England has ever known, whilst at the same time scaling the very heights in the then newest medium, TV. 'Secombe and Friends' inevitably garners the year's highest viewer rating each time this Varity series made one of its  infrequent appearances. Of course Harry may be best remembered as 'Neddie Seagoon' in the classic 'Goon Show' along with the great 'Peter Sellers, 'Spike Milligan', and Michael Bentine.

MARK LESTER as Oliver.

Born: 1958, Oxford, England.

Two thousand young hopefuls applied for the title role in 'Oliver!' and 250 of them were actually auditioned by producer John Woolf and director Carol Reed before making their choice. Nine-year-old Mark Lester won the role with his angel face and air of 'veteran' he'd had amazing experience for one so young (he was then all of 8 years old). The son of an actor and actress, he had already appeared on screen in Tuffaunt's 'Fahrenheit 451' and as one of the children in Jack Clayton's 'Our Mothers House.' It was Clayton who suggested him for 'Oliver! Born in Oxford Mark took the great responsibilities of his key role in stride, and devoted the rest of his waking hours to school, plus (time allowing) boating, swimming, and football. Mark went on and became a very popular child star in the early seventies. He starred alongside some of Hollywood's greatest legends including, Carlton Heston, Kirk Douglas and Shelley Winters. 

JACK WILD as Dodger.

Born: 1952, Lancashire, England.

The same kind of cocky self-assurance and bubbling over of showmanly gifts that marked the Mickey Rooney and George M. Cohan of other years today describes Jack Wild. Jack and his brother Arthur were members of Fagin's gang in the later days of the musical's long London run, and Jack eventually moved up to the next-important Fagin boy role of Charlie Bates, but he hadn't grown enough to play the Dodger on stage. Now he has his big chance of stardom: Anthony Newly played Dodger in the earlier non-musical film 'Oliver Twist,' and David Jones of 'The Monkees' scored in it in 'Oliver!' on Broadway. Jack made the musical film role his very own, and gave the world a truly memorable, and entertaining performance...

For more info and full cast and crew listings please visit IMDb

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