▁grew ▁up ▁in ▁Broad st airs , ▁Kent , ▁where ▁he ▁attended ▁the ▁Charles ▁Dick ens ▁Second ary ▁Modern ▁School . ▁His ▁parents ▁were ▁M abel ▁Robinson ▁and ▁American ▁lawyer ▁Carl ▁Cas riel , ▁who ▁had ▁a ▁short - term ▁relationship ▁during ▁World ▁War ▁II . ▁His ▁father ▁was ▁a ▁Lith uan ian ▁Jew . ▁As ▁a ▁child , ▁Robinson ▁was ▁constantly ▁brut ally ▁ab used ▁by ▁his ▁step father ▁Rob ▁( an ▁ex ▁R AF ▁navig ator ▁and ▁a ▁wh oles ale ▁news agent ), ▁who ▁knew ▁the ▁boy ▁wasn ' t ▁his ▁son . ▁He ▁had ▁an ▁elder ▁sister ▁El ly , ▁whom ▁he ▁asked ▁to ▁teach ▁him ▁some ▁French . ▁ ▁Film ▁career ▁ ▁In ▁his ▁youth , ▁Robinson ▁asp ired ▁to ▁be ▁an ▁actor ▁and ▁was ▁admitted ▁to ▁the ▁Central ▁School ▁of ▁Spe ech ▁and ▁D rama ▁in ▁London . ▁His ▁first ▁film ▁role ▁was ▁as ▁Ben vol io ▁in ▁Franco ▁Ze ff ire l li ' s ▁film ▁adaptation ▁of ▁Rome o ▁and ▁Jul iet ▁( 1 9 6 8 ). ▁He ▁then ▁appeared ▁in ▁Ken ▁Russell ' s ▁The ▁Music ▁Lo vers ▁( 1 9 7 0 ), ▁Bar ney ▁Pl att s - M ills ' s ▁Private ▁Road ▁( 1 9 7 1 ) ▁and ▁François ▁Tru ff aut ' s ▁The ▁Story ▁of ▁Ad èle ▁H . ▁( 1 9 7 5 ). ▁After ▁sp ending ▁several ▁years ▁out ▁of ▁work ▁and ▁living ▁on ▁social ▁security ▁pay ments , ▁he ▁became ▁dis en ch