A MESSAGE FOR THE VERTICALLY CHALLENGED
Dudley Moore proved that a man’s height means very little in the scheme of things. See if you agree.
I could never figure out whether the movies tried to portray life as it exists or tried to influence it going forward. Perhaps it’s a little of both. In either case, back in the day it was quite rare to see a very short actor play a romantic lead in a movie or even be thought of that way in real life. By very short, I’m talking 5’ 2 ½”, which was Dudley Moore’s height.
So, Dudley Moore (1935-2003) was clearly the exception. He was a British actor, comedian, composer, and musician who although well known in England, didn’t become famous in America until the breakout hit in which he played a romantic leading man. That movie was Blake Edwards’s 10, with Bo Derek.
Once again, it’s difficult to resist the fascinating little parts of a person’s life but in real life Dudley Moore had no trouble attracting very beautiful women either. Moore was married four times, among those to Tuesday Weld. He also dated Susan Anton, who was 5’11”, which meant she was 8 ½” taller than him.
Dudley Moore’s most famous role, however, was in Arthur, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He won a Golden Globe Award for that same role. His second Golden Globe came for his performance in Micki & Maude (1984). He received all the trappings of stardom with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was made a Commander of the Order of The British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2001. That was his last public appearance.
You probably didn’t know that Moore was also classically trained on the piano and loved jazz. He was even a jazz composer. Then, after a lingering degenerative brain disorder, he died of pneumonia and was reported saying just before his passing, “I can hear the music all around me.” We knew so little about him—but now we’ll know more!
“Greetings from the British part of Heaven; you know I’m kidding.
“I loved the life you remember as Dudley Moore’s. I’m most proud of one thing most of you would totally overlook about my lifetime. I elevated men who were vertically challenged. Yes, I made short men significant! I gave them credibility and allowed people to look up to them, for once! I did that both in my personal and professional life.
“As you noted in your notes about me, I was linked to a woman who was 8 ½” taller than I was—and we had a wonderful love affair. On the screen, I was also the leading man in the movie 10, so being cast opposite Bo Derek wasn’t a bad role, either!
“Thus, the insight I have to leave with your readers is this. Anyone is as tall as their self-love, self-confidence and self-esteem allow them to be. A weak, insecure man who is 6’4” is still a wimpy little thing compared to a man who is 5’6” or, in my case 5’2 ½” who has an enormous confidence lurking inside.
“So, anyone insecure about their height should remember that lifts in their shoes, walking around on their tippy toes, or jumping a lot won’t take care of their issue. Working on their insides will. Self-reflection, developing self-love and learning to see themselves half full instead of half empty is the ticket!
“Strange, isn’t it? That the purpose for someone’s life is never what they might believe it to be—or even be what others perceive it to be. Only in reflection from the other side, once we pass, can we truly understand the big picture. Who would have thought mine had everything to do with the height I was given and my belief that something others might perceive as an obstacle or stand in the way of someone’s goals or success—might not be, at all.
“Aha! A toast to possibilities! Dudley”
The image of Dudley Moore toasting with a champaign glass immediately came to mind. Perhaps he was.