Hugh Williams
Encyclopedia
Hugh Williams was an English
actor
and dramatist of Welsh
descent.
, who became a major film star in the British Cinema of the 1930s. In 1930 he toured America in the cast of the R.C. Sheriff play Journey's End
and appeared in his first movie Charley's Aunt
during a spell in Hollywood. He then returned to Britain and became a mainstay of the British film industry. He made 57 film appearances as an actor between 1930 and 1967. He collaborated with his second wife on several plays, such as The Grass is Greener. He died from throat cancer
, aged 65.
He was married twice:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and dramatist of Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
descent.
Personal life
Born as Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams, his nickname was "Tam". He was a popular film and stage actorActor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, who became a major film star in the British Cinema of the 1930s. In 1930 he toured America in the cast of the R.C. Sheriff play Journey's End
Journey's End
Journey's End is a 1928 drama, the seventh of English playwright R. C. Sherriff. It was first performed at the Apollo Theatre in London by the Incorporated Stage Society on 9 December 1928, starring a young Laurence Olivier, and soon moved to other West End theatres for a two-year run...
and appeared in his first movie Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt (1930 film)
Charley's Aunt is a 1930 American comedy film directed by Al Christie and starring Charles Ruggles, June Collyer and Hugh Williams. It was an adaptation of the play Charlie's Aunt by Brandon Thomas...
during a spell in Hollywood. He then returned to Britain and became a mainstay of the British film industry. He made 57 film appearances as an actor between 1930 and 1967. He collaborated with his second wife on several plays, such as The Grass is Greener. He died from throat cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
, aged 65.
He was married twice:
- Gwynne Whitby (1925–1940) (two children)
- Margaret VynerMargaret VynerMargaret Vyner was an Australian-born film actress who appeared in British films. She was married to the film director Hugh Williams.-Selected filmography:* Sensation * Sailing Along * This Man Is Dangerous...
(1940–1969) (three children):- Hugo WilliamsHugo WilliamsHugo Williams is a British poet, journalist and travel writer. His full name is Hugh Mordaunt Vyner Williams He is the son of actor Hugh Williams and the model and actress Margaret Vyner, who co-wrote some upper-middle-class comedies in the late 1950s...
, poet - Simon WilliamsSimon Williams (actor)Simon Williams is an English actor known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Frequently playing upper-class roles, he is also known for playing Dr...
, actor who married Belinda CarrollBelinda CarrollBelinda Carroll is a British stage and television actress.-Background and early career:Carroll's parents were John F. Carroll, a flying instructor with the Royal Air Force, and actress Hazel Bainbridge...
and Lucy FlemingLucy FlemingLucy Fleming is a British actress.She is the daughter of the actress Celia Johnson and writer Peter Fleming, as well as the niece of James Bond author Ian Fleming... - Polly Williams, actress who married Nigel HaversNigel HaversNigel Allan Havers is an English actor. He is probably best known for his BAFTA-nominated role as Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film Chariots of Fire, and for his role as Dr. Tom Latimer in the British TV comedy series Don't Wait Up...
; and his grandchildren included:- Kate Dunn, actress
- Amy Williams, actress
- Tam Williams, actor
- Hugo Williams
Acting credits
- Charley's AuntCharley's Aunt (1930 film)Charley's Aunt is a 1930 American comedy film directed by Al Christie and starring Charles Ruggles, June Collyer and Hugh Williams. It was an adaptation of the play Charlie's Aunt by Brandon Thomas...
(1930)...Charlie Wykeham - Night in MontmartreNight in MontmartreNight in Montmartre is a British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Horace Hodges, Franklin Dyall, Hugh Williams, Reginald Purdell and Austin Trevor. It was based on play by Miles Malleson.-External links:*...
(1931)...Philip Borell - A Gentleman of ParisA Gentleman of Paris (1931 film)A Gentleman of Paris is a 1931 crime drama film directed by Sinclair Hill, based on the story "His Honour, the Judge" by Niranjan Pal.- Cast :* Arthur Wontner as Judge Le Fevre* Vanda Gréville as Paulette Gerrard* Hugh Williams as Gaston Gerrard...
(1931)...Gaston Gerrard - Down Our StreetDown Our Street (1932 film)-Plot:This drama, set during the Depression, sees the character Charlie Stubbs trying to escape his poverty by becoming a criminal. When this course of action fails he cleans up his act and becomes a cab driver for the woman he loves, Annie Collins...
(1932)...Charlie Stubbs - InsultInsult (film)Insult is a 1932 British drama film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Elizabeth Allan, John Gielgud and Hugh Williams. It is an adaptation of a play by Jean Fabricus...
(1932)...Captain Ramon Nadir - In a Monastery Garden (1932)...Paul Ferrier
- After Dark (1932)...Richard Morton
- White FaceWhite FaceWhite Face is a 1932 British crime film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Hugh Williams, Gordon Harker and Renee Gadd. A Doctor becomes a blackmailer and a jewel thief in order to raise funds for a hospital in East London but is uncovered by an ambitious reporter. It was based on a play by...
(1932)...Michael Seeley - Rome ExpressRome ExpressRome Express is a British film directed by Walter Forde and written by Sidney Gilliat and Clifford Grey. -Cast:*Esther Ralston - Asta Marvelle*Conrad Veidt - Zurta*Harold Huth - George Grant*Frank Vosper - M...
(1932)...Tony - Sorrell and SonSorrell and SonSorrell and Son is a silent film released on December 2, 1927 and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director in the 1st Academy Awards the following year...
(1933)...Kit Sorrell as an Adult - The JewelThe JewelThe Jewel is a 1933 British crime film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Hugh Williams, Frances Drake and Jack Hawkins. A family heirloom is stolen, and the family attempt to recover it.-Cast:* Hugh Williams ... Frank Hallam...
(1933)...Frank Hallam - The Acting Business (1933)...Hugh...aka This Acting Business
- Bitter SweetBitter Sweet (1933 film)Bitter Sweet is a musical romance film directed by Herbert Wilcox and released by United Artists in 1933. It was the first film adaptation of Noel Coward's 1929 operetta Bitter Sweet. It starred Anna Neagle and Fernand Gravey, with Ivy St. Helier reviving her stage role as Manon.It tells the story...
(1933)...Vincent - Elinor Norton (1934)...Tony Norton
- All Men Are Enemies (1934)...Tony Clarendon
- Outcast Lady (1934)...Gerald March...aka A Woman of the WorldA Woman of the WorldA Woman of the World is a 1925 silent drama starring Pola Negri. It was directed by Mal St. Clair, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by their parent company Paramount Pictures.-Synopsis:...
- Lieut. Daring R.N. (1935)...Lt. Bob Daring...aka Lieutenant Daring R.N.Lieutenant Daring R.N.Lieutenant Daring R.N. is a 1935 British adventure film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Hugh Williams, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Frederick Lloyd.-Cast:* Hugh Williams - Lieutenant Bob Daring* Geraldine Fitzgerald - -Joan Fayre...
- David CopperfieldPersonal History, Adventures, Experience, and Observation of David Copperfield the YoungerThe Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger is a 1935 American film based upon the Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield...
(1935)...Steerforth - Let's Live Tonight (1935)...Brian Kerry
- The Happy FamilyThe Happy Family (1936 film)The Happy Family is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Hugh Williams, Leonora Corbett and Max Adrian. It was based on the play French Salad by Max Cotto...
(1936)...Victor Hutt - The Last JourneyThe Last JourneyThe Last Journey is a 1936 British B-movie. The movie was directed by Bernard Vorhaus.-Synopsis:A train driver on his last journey before retirement thinks his fireman is having an affair with his wife. The driver intends to kill himself and his passengers by crashing the train...
(1936)...Gerald Winter - The Amateur GentlemanThe Amateur Gentleman (1936 film)The Amateur Gentleman is a 1936 British drama film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Elissa Landi, Gordon Harker and Margaret Lockwood, with music by Richard Addinsell. It is based on the 1913 novel The Amateur Gentleman by Jeffrey Farnol...
(1936)...Ronald - Her Last AffaireHer Last AffaireHer Last Affaire is a 1936 British drama film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Viola Keats, Cecil Parker and Googie Withers. The wife of a politician is found dead at a country inn. It was based on the play S.O.S. by Walter Ellis....
(1936)...Alan Heriot - The Man Behind the MaskThe Man Behind the MaskThe Man Behind the Mask is a 1936 British mystery film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Jane Baxter, Ronald Ward, Maurice Schwartz, George Merritt, Henry Oscar and Peter Gawthorne...
(1936)...Nick Barclay...aka Behind the Mask (UK: reissue title) - The WindmillThe Windmill (film)The Windmill is a 1937 British drama film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Hugh Williams, Glen Alyn and Henry Mollison. During the First World War, the German adopted daughter of a Belgian innkeeper tries to balance her loyalty to her father, who is a spy for the Germans, and her love for a...
(1937)...Peter Ellington - Side Street Angel (1937)...Peter
- The Perfect CrimeThe Perfect Crime (1937 film)The Perfect Crime is a 1937 British crime film directed by and starring Ralph Ince. It also featured Hugh Williams, Glen Alyn, Iris Hoey and Philip Ray....
(1937)...Charles Brown - Gypsy (1937)...Brazil
- Brief EcstasyBrief EcstasyBrief Ecstasy is a 1937 British drama film directed by Edmond T. Gréville and starring Paul Lukas, Hugh Williams, Linden Travers and Marie Ney.-Cast:* Paul Lukas - Professor Paul Bernardy* Hugh Williams - Jim Wyndham...
(1937)...Jim Wyndham...aka Dangerous Secrets - PremierePremiere (film)Premiere is a 1938 British mystery film directed by Walter Summers and starring John Lodge, Judy Kelly, Joan Marion, Hugh Williams and Edward Chapman...
(1938)...Rene Nissen...aka One Night in Paris - The Dark StairwayThe Dark StairwayThe Dark Stairway is a 1938 British crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Hugh Williams, Chili Bouchier and Garry Marsh.The film was a quota quickie production, based on the 1931 novel From This Dark Stairway by Mignon G. Eberhart...
(1938)...Dr. Thurlow - Bank HolidayBank Holiday (film)Bank Holiday is a 1938 British drama film directed by Carol Reed and starring John Lodge, Margaret Lockwood, Hugh Williams and Kathleen Harrison...
(1938)...Geoffrey...aka Three on a Weekend (USA) - His Lordship Goes to PressHis Lordship Goes to PressHis Lordship Goes to Press is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring June Clyde, Hugh Williams, Louise Hampton and Leslie Perrins. An American reporter goes to work on a farm for an assignment, where a case of mistaken identity ensues...
(1939)...Lord Bill Wilmer - Wuthering HeightsWuthering Heights (1939 film)Wuthering Heights is a 1939 American black-and-white film directed by William Wyler and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. It is based on the novel, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The film depicts only sixteen of the novel's thirty-four chapters, eliminating the second generation of characters. The...
(1939)...Hindley EarnshawHindley EarnshawHindley Earnshaw is a fictional character in Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights. The brother of Catherine Earnshaw, father of Hareton Earnshaw, and sworn enemy of Heathcliff, he descends into a life of drunkenness, degradation, and misery after his wife Frances dies in childbirth, enabling... - Dead Men Tell No TalesDead Men Tell No TalesDead Men Tell No Tales is a 1938 British thriller film directed by David MacDonald and starring Emlyn Williams, Sara Seegar and Hugh Williams. It is based on the 1935 novel The Norwich Victims by Francis Beeding.-Plot:...
(1939)...Detective Inspector Martin - Inspector HornleighInspector Hornleigh (film)Inspector Hornleigh is a 1938 British detective film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Alastair Sim, Miki Hood, Peter Gawthorne and Wally Patch....
(1939)...Bill Gordon, Ann's Brother - The Dark Eyes of London (1939)...Det. Insp. Larry Holt... AKA The Human Monster
- Ships with WingsShips with WingsShips with Wings is a 1941 British war film directed by Sergei Nolbandov and starring John Clements, Leslie Banks and Jane Baxter. During the Second World War the British fleet air arm fight the Germans in Greece.-Release:...
(1942)...Wagner, Papa's Pilot - The Day Will DawnThe Day Will DawnThe Day Will Dawn, released in the U.S. as The Avengers, is a 1942 war film set in Norway during World War II. It stars Ralph Richardson, Deborah Kerr, Hugh Williams and Griffith Jones, and was directed by Harold French from a script written by Anatole de Grunwald, Patrick Kirwan and Terence...
(1942)...Colin Metcalfe...aka The Avengers (USA) - One of Our Aircraft Is MissingOne of Our Aircraft is MissingOne of Our Aircraft is Missing is a 1942 British war film, the fourth collaboration between the British writer-director-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and the first film they made under the banner of The Archers...
(1942)...Frank Shelley, Observer/Navigator in B for Bertie - Secret MissionSecret MissionSecret Mission is a 1942 British drama film directed by Harold French and starring Hugh Williams, James Mason, Nancy Price, Carla Lehmann and Roland Culver...
(1942)...Major Peter Garnett - Talk About JacquelineTalk About JacquelineTalk About Jacqueline is a 1942 British comedy film directed by Harold French and Paul L. Stein and starring Hugh Williams, Carla Lehmann and Roland Culver. A woman tries to conceal her questionable past from her new husband.-Cast:...
(1942)...Dr. Michael Thomas - A Girl in a Million (1946)...Tony
- Take My LifeTake My LifeTake My Life is a 1947 British thriller film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Hugh Williams, Greta Gynt and Marius Goring.-Cast:* Hugh Williams as Nicholas Talbot* Greta Gynt as Philippa Shelley* Marius Goring as Sidney Flemming...
(1947)...Nicholas Talbot - An Ideal HusbandAn Ideal Husband (1947 film)An Ideal Husband, also known as Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband, is a 1947 film adaptation of the play by Oscar Wilde. It was made by London Film Productions and distributed by British Lion Films and Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation . It was produced and directed by Alexander Korda from a...
(1947)...Sir Robert Chiltern - Elizabeth of LadymeadElizabeth of LadymeadElizabeth of Ladymead is a 1948 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Hugh Williams, Isabel Jeans and Bernard Lee...
(1948)...John Beresford in 1946 - The Blind GoddessThe Blind Goddess (1948 film)The Blind Goddess is a 1948 British drama film directed by Harold French and starring Eric Portman, Anne Crawford and Hugh Williams. A secretary sets out to his expose his boss, Lord Brasted, for embezzlement...
(1948)...Lord Brasted - The Romantic AgeThe Romantic AgeThe Romantic Age is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Edmond T. Gréville. The screenplay by Peggy Barwell and Edward Dryhurst is based on the French novel Lycee des jeunes filles by Serge Véber....
(1949)...Arnold Dickson...aka Naughty Arlette (USA) - Paper OrchidPaper OrchidPaper Orchid is a 1949 British crime film directed by Roy Ward Baker, with a script written by Val Guest. It featured Hugh Williams, Hy Hazell and Garry Marsh...
(1949)...Frank McSweeney - Gift HorseGift Horse (film)Gift Horse is a 1952 British war film starring Trevor Howard and Richard Attenborough.The film follows the story of the fictional ship HMS Ballantrae and her crew from the time they come together in 1940 until they go on a one-way mission to destroy a German-held dry dock in France.-Synopsis:A...
(1952)...Captain David G. Wilson, Division Commander...aka Glory at Sea (USA) - The Holly and the IvyThe Holly and the Ivy (film)The Holly and the Ivy is a 1952 drama film about an English clergyman whose neglect of his grown offspring, in his zeal to tend to his parishioners, comes to the surface at a Christmas family gathering. It stars Ralph Richardson, Celia Johnson, and Margaret Leighton...
(1952)...Richard Wyndham - Twice Upon a Time (1953)...James Turner
- The FakeThe Fake (1953 film)The Fake is a 1953 British crime film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Coleen Gray and Hugh Williams. An American detective tries to solve the theft of a priceless painting from the Tate Gallery in London.-Cast:...
(1953)...Sir Richard Aldingham - Star of My NightStar of My NightStar of My Night is a 1954 British romance film directed by Paul Dickson and starring Griffith Jones, Kathleen Byron and Hugh Williams. A jaded sculptor becomes romantically involved with a ballerina who gives him a fresh outlook on life...
(1954)...Arnold Whitman - The IntruderThe Intruder (1953 film)The Intruder is a 1953 British drama film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Jack Hawkins, George Cole, Dennis Price, George Baker and Hugh Williams.-External links:*...
(1953)...Tim Ross - KhartoumKhartoum (film)Khartoum is a 1966 film written by Robert Ardrey and directed by Basil Dearden. It stars Charlton Heston as General Gordon and Laurence Olivier as the Mahdi and is based on Gordon's defence of the Sudanese city of Khartoum from the forces of the Mahdist army during the Siege of Khartoum.Khartoum...
(1966)...Lord Hartington - Doctor FaustusDoctor Faustus (1967 film)Doctor Faustus is a 1967 film adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, written in 1588. The first theatrical film version of a Marlowe play, it starred and was directed by Richard Burton, , who played the title character Faustus...
(1967)...Scholar
Writing credits
- The Grass Is GreenerThe Grass Is GreenerThe Grass Is Greener is a 1960 comedy film featuring an ensemble cast consisting of screen veterans Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons,directed by Stanley Donen...
(1960) (play) (screenplay) - Charlie GirlCharlie GirlCharlie Girl is a musical comedy which premiered in the West End of London at the Adelphi Theatre on December 15, 1965 and played for 2,202 performances, closing on March 27, 1971...
(book) (with Margaret Williams)
Notable television appearances
- "Masterpiece Playhouse" in episode: Richard IIIRichard III (play)Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
(episode # 1.2) (1950) - "The Count of Monte CristoThe Count of Monte CristoThe Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
" playing "MilletMilletThe millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
" in episode: "Flight to Calais" - "Colonel March of Scotland YardColonel March of Scotland YardColonel March of Scotland Yard is a 1950s British television series based on author John Dickson Carr's fictional detective Colonel March from his book The Department of Queer Complaints . Carr was a mystery author who specialised in locked-room whodunnits and other 'impossible' crimes: murder...
" playing "Harold Hartley" in episode: "The Talking Head" (episode # 1.11) (1956) - Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., PresentsDouglas Fairbanks, Jr., PresentsDouglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents, is a 1950s syndicated anthology series hosted and occasionally starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.. The series offered Buster Keaton in his first dramatic role in the episode entitled "The Awakening". British actor Christopher Lee appeared in varied role in thirteen...
as Shayar (sic!) in "Scheherezade" (episode # 5.10) (1956) - "The New Adventures of Charlie ChanThe New Adventures of Charlie ChanThe New Adventures of Charlie Chan was a syndicated television crime drama series made in 1957. The first five episodes were made by Vision Productions in the United States, before production switched to the United Kingdom under ITC Entertainment and Television Programs of America.The series,...
" playing "Inspector Marlowe" in episode: "Dateline Execution" (episode # 1.18) (1957) - "The New Adventures of Charlie ChanThe New Adventures of Charlie ChanThe New Adventures of Charlie Chan was a syndicated television crime drama series made in 1957. The first five episodes were made by Vision Productions in the United States, before production switched to the United Kingdom under ITC Entertainment and Television Programs of America.The series,...
" playing "Inspector Marlowe" in episode: "No Future for Frederick" (episode # 1.23) (1958) - "The New Adventures of Charlie ChanThe New Adventures of Charlie ChanThe New Adventures of Charlie Chan was a syndicated television crime drama series made in 1957. The first five episodes were made by Vision Productions in the United States, before production switched to the United Kingdom under ITC Entertainment and Television Programs of America.The series,...
" playing "Inspector Marlowe" in episode: "Safe Deposit" (episode # 1.24) (1958)