Reluctant star Ron Moody best remembered as Fagin

Ron Moody, who will forever be associated with the role of Fagin in Oliver!, was on his way to becoming a sociologist when he fell into acting.

The Londoner, who died yesterday, aged 91, got his first taste of showbusiness aged 16 when he worked as a clerk at Elstree Studios.

He had spent the Second World War in the RAF before studying at the London School of Economics.