Vittorio Giorgio Andrea Spinetti (2 September 1929 – 18 June 2012) was a Welsh comedy actor, author, poet and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career and is best remembered today for appearing in the three Beatles films in the 1960s, A Hard Day's Night, Help! and Magical Mystery Tour.Born in Cwm, Ebbw Vale, Wales, Spinetti was educated at Monmouth School and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, of which he became a Fellow. After various menial jobs, Spinetti pursued a stage career and was closely associated with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. Among the productions were Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be and Oh! What a Lovely War (1963), which transferred to New York City and for which he won a Tony Award. Spinetti's film career developed simultaneously; his dozens of film appearances would include Zeffirelli's The Taming of the Shrew, Under Milk Wood, The Return of the Pink Panther and Under the Cherry Moon.During his later career, Spinetti acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in such roles as Lord Foppington in The Relapse and the Archbishop in Richard III, at Stratford-upon-Avon; and, in 1990, he appeared in The Krays. In 2008 he appeared in a one-man show, A Very Private Diary, which toured the UK as A Very Private Diary ... Revisited!, recounting his life story. Spinetti was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 and died of the disease in June 2012.He was the older brother of session musician Henry Spinetti.
A lot of actors won't do things beacause they say it is boring when you are always working. A lot of them won't go on tour, a lot won't do pantomime. I think you should do everything. People ask me what they should do about being in this business. I say, learn the three Rs: redundancy, rejection and resting.
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When I started out in life I wanted to teach. I said I want to teach that this planet rises at 7:10 a.m. and it sets at 6:42 p.m., the sun doesn't move. If I can teach that, may be all these little kids growing up would realize we are one thing, there is no north and south, no Scotland, Ireland, Wales, there is one planet and we are all on it and we all have to look after that and look after each other.
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Elder brother of drummer Henry Spinetti, who played at the "Concert for George" tribute to George Harrison.
Hiw award-winning stage work in "Oh! What a Lovely War" was caught by The Beatles in 1963, who came back stage and asked Victor to appear in their movie A Hard Day's Night (1964).
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Toured America promoting his roles in the The Beatles' films when they were released on DVD.
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Won Broadway's 1965 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical) for "Oh, What a Lovely War."
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George Harrison asked him to be in The Beatles' first films because George's mother loved Victor's work and George said to Victor, "Me mum will only go to see them if you're in them".
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