Robert Newton

The voice of Captain McAllister in The Simpsons (1989) is based on his portrayal of Long John Silver.

Was declared bankrupt in his absence on September 24th 1954 at the London Bankruptcy Buildings. He owed a total of £46,300 to the Inland Revenue in unpaid taxes and approximately £700 to other creditors. He was at the time filming in Australia. (The Times, September 25th 1954).

His portrayal of Long John Silver and of Blackbeard The Pirate - 1952 - Color (1952) created a persona that was so indelible that his vocal intonations created the paradigm for scores of people who want to "Talk Like a Pirate.

Robert Newton was one of the great character actors -- and great characters -- of the British cinema, best remembered today for playing Long John Silver in Treasure Island (1950) and its sequel in 1954.

Was voted one of the top ten British money-making stars in the Motion Picture Herald-Fame Poll from 1947 to 1951.

" The performance overshadows Newton's legacy, which is based on many first-rate performances in such movies as This Happy Breed (1944), Odd Man Out (1947) and Oliver Twist (1948), where his Bill Sykes is truly chilling.

Was assistant stage manager and painted scenery at the Birmingham Repertory Company as a teenager. He made his debut there in a production of "Captain Brassbound's Conversion" (1920). Became a stage star after Noel Coward cast him in the popular musical revue "Bitter Sweet" which ran for over a year at Her Majesty's Theatre. Later, Coward had Newton take over from Laurence Olivier in his classic play "Private Lives" in New York.

Newton's father was an artist and his mother a writer. The family had founded an art supply company, Winsor and Newton, in 1832, with J.M.W. Turner and Queen Victoria as regular customers. Today the company is international in scope with 65% of its business overseas.