Robert Guy Newton (1 June 1905 – 25 March 1956) was an English stage and screen actor from Dorset.
He's mostly remembered for his iconic performance as Long John Silver in the 1950 Disney live-action film of Treasure Island (as well as the sequels and spin-offs it inspired), to the point where Newton's southwest England dialect has basically become the stereotypical "pirate accent" in popular culture. Some of his other notable roles were as Bill Sykes in David Lean's 1948 film of Oliver Twist and as the eccentric, drunken struggling artist Lukey in Carol Reed's Odd Man Out.
Newton's acting career began in his late teens with various small roles in theatre. During the course of these early stage performances, Newton befriended Laurence Olivier, with whom he later appeared in several films. Newton was often cast in the plays of George Bernard Shaw, and later went on to appear in two film adaptations of Shaw's plays.
His acting work was interrupted by his service in the Royal Navy during World War II, after which he returned to stage and screen with some of his most memorable performances.
Newton struggled with severe alcoholism and other health problems during the later part of his life, and died at age 50 in 1956 following a heart attack.
Robert Newton films with TV Tropes pages:
- Fire Over England (1937)
- Jamaica Inn (1939)
- Gaslight (1940)
- 21 Days (1940)
- Major Barbara (1941)
- Henry V (1944)
- This Happy Breed (1944)
- Odd Man Out (1947)
- Oliver Twist (1948)
- Treasure Island (1950)
- Les Misérables (1952)
- Androcles and the Lion (1952)
- Blackbeard The Pirate (1952)
- The Desert Rats (1953)
- Long John Silver (1954)
- Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
His works provide examples of the following tropes:
- Large Ham: Newton could really chew the scenery, whether as a leading actor playing larger than life characters like Lohn John Silver in Treasure Island (1950) or in supporting roles such as the Starving Artist Lukey in Odd Man Out.
- Talk Like a Pirate: Thanks to his portrayal of Long John Silver, Newton's southwest England accent became the trope-setter for what pirates "ought to" sound like. Newton also played Blackbeard in Blackbeard the Pirate.
