Oliver! (film) in the United States, and Oliver Reed, who played Bill Sikes, had just begun to make a name for himself. Producer John Woolf suggested Oliver Reed for the role to the director Reed, without knowing that the two were in fact related. Ron Moody, who was also well known in Britain but not the US, recreated his London stage performance, after Peter Sellers, Dick Van Dyke and Peter O'Toole reportedly turned down the role. Elizabeth Taylor turned down the role of Nancy as well. Julie Andrews was also considered. Director Reed also had Shirley Bassey in mind, but his choice
Alex Sykes Alex Sykes Alex Sykes (born 2 April 1974) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He also played internationally for the England Futsal side. He was most recently the assistant manager at Redditch United. Sykes was a product of the youth setups at both Hereford United and Mansfield Town. He had originally begun his career with Westfields who received a club record fee of £4,000 from Mansfield for his services in 1992. He made his senior debut for Mansfield in a Football League match against Walsall, scoring on his debut. He turned down