Ronald Lewis
Encyclopedia
Ronald Lewis was a Welsh actor, best known for his appearances in British films of the 1950s and 1960s.
Lewis was born in Port Talbot
and made his first screen appearance in 1953. From then on, he averaged one or two films a year until the mid-60s, including classics like The Wind Cannot Read
(1958) and Billy Budd
(1962). As the British film industry declined and he grew older, he made the transition to television but with limited success.
He committed suicide by taking a drug overdose. In Twice Round the Daffodils
(1962), Lewis appeared alongside Kenneth Williams
, often believed to have also committed suicide. The Kenneth Williams Diaries entry for 12 January 1982 records Williams' reaction to Lewis' death: "The paper says Ronald Lewis has taken an overdose! He was declared bankrupt last year! Obviously nobody offered him work & he was driven to despair. I remember Ronnie... and that drinking session at the White Horse all those years ago... he was a kind boy & people used him. He was 53."
Lewis was born in Port Talbot
Port Talbot
Port Talbot is a town in Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It had a population of 35,633 in 2001.-History:Port Talbot grew out of the original small port and market town of Aberafan , which belonged to the medieval Lords of Afan. The area of the parish of Margam lying on the west bank of the lower Afan...
and made his first screen appearance in 1953. From then on, he averaged one or two films a year until the mid-60s, including classics like The Wind Cannot Read
The Wind Cannot Read
The Wind Cannot Read is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis and John Fraser...
(1958) and Billy Budd
Billy Budd (film)
Billy Budd is a 1962 film produced, directed, and co-written by Peter Ustinov. Adapted from the stage play version of Herman Melville's short novel Billy Budd, it starred Terence Stamp as Billy Budd, Robert Ryan as John Claggart, and Ustinov as Captain Vere...
(1962). As the British film industry declined and he grew older, he made the transition to television but with limited success.
He committed suicide by taking a drug overdose. In Twice Round the Daffodils
Twice Round the Daffodils
Twice Round the Daffodils is a 1962 British comedy drama film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Juliet Mills, Donald Sinden, Donald Houston, Kenneth Williams, Ronald Lewis, Andrew Ray, Joan Sims and Jill Ireland. A new group of patients arrive at a hospital to be treated for tuberculosis where...
(1962), Lewis appeared alongside Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
, often believed to have also committed suicide. The Kenneth Williams Diaries entry for 12 January 1982 records Williams' reaction to Lewis' death: "The paper says Ronald Lewis has taken an overdose! He was declared bankrupt last year! Obviously nobody offered him work & he was driven to despair. I remember Ronnie... and that drinking session at the White Horse all those years ago... he was a kind boy & people used him. He was 53."
Selected filmography
- Paul and MichellePaul and MichellePaul & Michelle is a 1974 drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. It is sequel to the 1971 film Friends by the same director and lead actors.-Synopsis:...
(1974) - FriendsFriends (1971 film)Friends is a 1971 film directed by Lewis Gilbert and written by Gilbert, Vernon Harris and Jack Russell. The soundtrack by Elton John and Bernie Taupin was released as the Friends album. The film was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best English-Language Foreign Film at the 1972 Golden Globe...
(1971) - The Brigand of KandaharThe Brigand of KandaharThe Brigand of Kandahar is a 1965 British action film directed by John Gilling and starring Ronald Lewis, Oliver Reed and Duncan Lamont. A mixed-race British officer is thrown out of his regiment when he is accused of cowardice in action. He then joins some tribesmen rebelling against the British...
(1965) - Siege of the SaxonsSiege of the SaxonsSiege of the Saxons is a 1963 British film directed by Nathan H. Juran and released by Columbia Pictures. It is a historical epic, set in the time of King Arthur....
(1963) - Nurse on WheelsNurse on WheelsNurse on Wheels is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Gerald Thomas, and starring Juliet Mills, Ronald Lewis, and Joan Sims.Nurse on Wheels shares its cast and production team with the Carry On films, but the film is not an official member of the Carry On series.-Cast:* Juliet Mills as Joanna...
(1963) - Billy BuddBilly Budd (film)Billy Budd is a 1962 film produced, directed, and co-written by Peter Ustinov. Adapted from the stage play version of Herman Melville's short novel Billy Budd, it starred Terence Stamp as Billy Budd, Robert Ryan as John Claggart, and Ustinov as Captain Vere...
(1962) - JigsawJigsaw (1962 film)Jigsaw is a 1962 British crime drama film written and directed by Val Guest and starring Jack Warner and Ronald Lewis.-Plot:After a murder is committed in Brighton, two detectives comb the South Coast of England for the killer.-Cast:...
(1962) - Twice Round the DaffodilsTwice Round the DaffodilsTwice Round the Daffodils is a 1962 British comedy drama film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Juliet Mills, Donald Sinden, Donald Houston, Kenneth Williams, Ronald Lewis, Andrew Ray, Joan Sims and Jill Ireland. A new group of patients arrive at a hospital to be treated for tuberculosis where...
(1962) - Mr. SardonicusMr. SardonicusMr. Sardonicus is a 1961 horror film produced and directed by William Castle. It tells the story of Sardonicus, a man whose face becomes frozen in a horrifying grin while robbing his father's grave to obtain a winning lottery ticket. He tries to force a doctor to cure him, but eventually dies when...
(1961) - Taste of FearTaste of FearTaste of Fear is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Seth Holt, shot in black-and-white by Douglas Slocombe, and released by Hammer Films...
(1961) - The Full TreatmentThe Full TreatmentThe Full Treatment is a 1960 British mystery film directed by Val Guest and starring Claude Dauphin, Diane Cilento and Ronald Lewis. A racing driver, involved in a bad accident, goes to the Cote D'Azur to recuperate. While there he becomes increasingly prone to violence, and draws a Harley Street...
(1960) - Conspiracy of HeartsConspiracy of HeartsConspiracy of Hearts is a 1960 British film. It stars Lilli Palmer, Sylvia Syms and Albert Lieven. Its plot involves Italian nuns smuggling Jewish children out of an internment camp near their convent to save them from the Holocaust. It was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Film Promoting...
(1960) - Bachelor of Hearts (1958)
- The Wind Cannot ReadThe Wind Cannot ReadThe Wind Cannot Read is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis and John Fraser...
(1958) - Robbery Under ArmsRobbery Under Arms (1957 film)Robbery Under Arms is a 1957 British crime film directed by Jack Lee and starring Peter Finch, Ronald Lewis, Laurence Naismith and Jill Ireland. It is based on the Australian novel Robbery Under Arms by Thomas Alexander Browne...
(1957) - The Secret PlaceThe Secret Place (film)The Secret Place is a 1957 British film directed by Henry Hathaway. It stars Belinda Lee and Ronald Lewis.-Cast:* Belinda Lee as Molly Wilson* Ronald Lewis as Gerry Carter* Michael Brooke as Freddie Haywood* Michael Gwynn as Steve Warring...
(1957) - A Hill in KoreaA Hill in KoreaA Hill in Korea is a 1956 British war film based on Max Catto's 1953 novel of the same name. The original name was Hell in Korea, but was changed for distribution reasons, except in the U.S. It was directed by Julian Amyes and the producer was Anthony Squire...
(1956) - Sailor Beware!Sailor Beware! (1956 film)Sailor Beware! is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gordon Parry.-Cast:* Peggy Mount ... Emma Hornett* Shirley Eaton ... Shirley Hornett* Ronald Lewis ... Albert Tufnell* Cyril Smith ... Henry Hornett* Esma Cannon ... Edie Hornett...
(1956) - Helen of TroyHelen of Troy (film)Helen of Troy is a 1956 Warner Bros. epic film, based on Homer's Iliad. It was directed by Robert Wise, from a screenplay by Hugh Gray and John Twist, adapted by Hugh Gray and N. Richard Nash...
(1956) - Storm Over the NileStorm Over the NileStorm Over the Nile is a 1955 film adaptation of the novel The Four Feathers, directed by Terence Young. The film not only extensively used footage of the action scenes from the 1939 film version stretched into CinemaScope, but exactly the same screenplay, almost line-for-line also then directed by...
(1955) - The PrisonerThe Prisoner (1955 film)The Prisoner is a 1955 drama film directed by Peter Glenville and based on the play by Bridget Boland. The film stars Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins.-Cast:* Alec Guinness as The Cardinal* Jack Hawkins as The Interrogator* Wilfrid Lawson as The Jailer...
(1955) - The BeachcomberThe Beachcomber (film)The Beachcomber is a 1954 British comedy-drama film directed by Muriel Box starring Donald Sinden, Glynis Johns, Robert Newton, Paul Rogers, Donald Pleasence and Michael Hordern. The film is based on the story The Vessel of Wrath by W. Somerset Maugham and was adapted by Sydney Box. It was the...
(1954) - The Square RingThe Square RingThe Square Ring is a 1953 British film directed by Basil Dearden and made at Ealing Studios. It stars Jack Warner, Robert Beatty and Bill Owen...
(1953)