Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (6 March 1904 – 7 December 1969) was a British actor and dramatist of Welsh descent.

Early life and career

Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (nicknamed "Tam") was born at Bexhill-on-Sea,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

to Hugh Dafydd Anthony Williams (1869-1905) and Hilda (née Lewis). The Williams family lived at Bedford Park, in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North Londo ...

. His paternal grandfather was Hugh Williams (1796-1874), a Welsh solicitor and

anti-establishment An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...

political activist. He trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

. He was a popular

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and stage actor, who became a major film star in the

British cinema The United Kingdom has had a significant film industry for over a century. While film production reached an all-time high in 1936, the "golden age" of British cinema is usually thought to have occurred in the 1940s, during which the directors D ...

of the 1930s. In 1930 he toured America in the cast of the R.C. Sheriff play ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry c ...

'' and appeared in his first film ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot in ...

'' 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 ''The Grass Is Greener'' is a 1960 British romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Jean Simmons. The screenplay was adapted by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner from the play o ...

'' and the screenplay for the subsequent film. He died from an Aortic aneurysm, aged 65, in London.

Marriages and grandchildren

He was married twice: *Gwynne Whitby (1925–1940) (two children) **Lou Williams **Prue Williams *

Margaret Vyner Margaret Leila Vyner, also known by her married name Margaret Williams (3 December 1914 in Armidale, New South Wales – 30 October 1993 in Reading, England) was an Australian-born model and actress who appeared in British films. She collaborated ...

(1940–1969) (three children): **

Hugo Williams Hugo Williams (born Hugh Anthony Mordaunt Vyner Williams) is an English poet, journalist and travel writer. He received the T. S. Eliot Prize in 1999 and Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2004. Family and early life Williams was born in 1942 in ...

(born 1942), poet ** Simon Williams (born 1946), actor who married

Belinda Carroll Belinda Carroll (born 22 July 1945) is an English stage and television actress. Background and early career Born in Oxfordshire, Carroll's parents were John F. Carroll, a flying instructor with the Royal Air Force, and actress Hazel Bainbridge ...

and Lucy Fleming **Polly Williams (1950-2004), actress who married

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war dram ...

and his grandchildren included: *Kate Dunn, actress *Amy Williams, actress *Tam Williams, actor

Filmography

* ''

'' (1930) as Charlie Wykeham * ''

A Night in Montmartre ''A Night in Montmartre'' (sometimes written as ''Night in Montmartre'') is a 1931 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 ...

'' (1931) as Philip Borell * '' A Gentleman of Paris'' (1931) as Gaston Gerrard * ''

Down Our Street ''Down Our Street'' is a 1932 black and white British film directed by Harry Lachman. 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 actio ...

'' (1932) as Charlie Stubbs * '' Insult'' (1932) as Captain Ramon Nadir * '' In a Monastery Garden'' (1932) as Paul Ferrier * ''

White Face ''White Face'' (also known as ''Edgar Wallace's White Face the Fiend'') is a 1932 British crime film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and starring Hugh Williams, Gordon Harker and Renee Gadd. The film is based on a play by Edgar Wallace. Plot A doc ...

'' (1932) as Michael Seeley * ''

Rome Express ''Rome Express'' is a 1932 British thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Esther Ralston and Conrad Veidt. Based on a story by Clifford Grey, with a screenplay by Sidney Gilliat, the film is a tale about a European express train ...

'' (1932) as Tony * ''

This Acting Business ''This Acting Business'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by John Daumery and starring Hugh Williams, Wendy Barrie and Donald Calthrop. It was made at Teddington Studios as a quota quickie by the British subsidiary of Warner Brothers.Chibn ...

'' (1933) as Hugh * '' After Dark'' (1933) as Richard Morton * '' The Jewel'' (1933) as Frank Hallam * '' Bitter Sweet'' (1933) as Vincent * '' Sorrell and Son'' (1934) as Kit Sorrell as an Adult * '' Elinor Norton'' (1934) as Tony Norton * ''

All Men Are Enemies ''All Men Are Enemies'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and written by Lenore J. Coffee. The film stars Helen Twelvetrees, Mona Barrie, Hugh Williams, Herbert Mundin, Henry Stephenson and Walter Byron. The ...

'' (1934) as Tony Clarendon * ''

Outcast Lady ''Outcast Lady'' is a 1934 sound film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced and distributed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. The film stars Constance Bennett, Herbert Marshall and Mrs. Patrick Campbell. It is a sound version of Michael Arlen's 1924 n ...

'' (1934) as Gerald March * '' Lieutenant Daring R.N.'' (1935) as Lt. Bob Daring * ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'' (1935) as Steerforth * ''

Let's Live Tonight ''Let's Live Tonight'' is a 1935 American musical comedy film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Lilian Harvey, Tullio Carminati and Janet Beecher. The film was made as part of an unsuccessful attempt to establish Harvey, who was a top ...

'' (1935) as Brian Kerry * '' The Happy Family'' (1936) as Victor Hutt * ''

The Last Journey ''The Last Journey'' is a 1936 British drama film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Godfrey Tearle, Hugh Williams and Judy Gunn. Synopsis A train driver (Julien Mitchell) on his last journey before retirement thinks his fireman is having ...

'' (1936) as Gerald Winter * ''

The Amateur Gentleman ''The Amateur Gentleman'' is a novel by Jeffery Farnol, published in 1913. It was made into a silent film in 1920 and again in 1926 and a talking film in 1936 with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. starring as the protagonist, Barnabas Barty. Plot summ ...

'' (1936) as Ronald * '' Her Last Affaire'' (1936) as Alan Heriot * ''

The Man Behind the Mask ''The 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. A man assaults and switches places wi ...

'' (1936) as Nick Barclay * '' The Windmill'' (1937) as Peter Ellington * ''

Side Street Angel ''Side Street Angel'' is a 1937 British crime comedy film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Hugh Williams, Lesley Brook and Henry Kendall. The film is now considered lost.

'' (1937) as Peter * '' The Perfect Crime'' (1937) as Charles Brown * ''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

'' (1937) as Brazil * '' Brief Ecstasy'' (1937) as Jim Wyndham * ''

Premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

'' (1938) as Rene Nissen * ''

The Dark Stairway ''The 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 ...

'' (1938) as Dr. Thurlow * ''

Bank Holiday A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or held ...

'' (1938) as Geoffrey * ''

His Lordship Goes to Press ''His Lordship Goes to Press'' is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring June Clyde, Hugh Williams, Louise Hampton and Leslie Perrins. The film follows an American reporter who goes to work on a farm for an assignment, ...

'' (1939) as Lord Bill Wilmer * ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...

'' (1939) as

Hindley Earnshaw Hindley Earnshaw is a fictional character in Emily Brontë's 1847 novel ''Wuthering Heights''. Hindley is the brother of Catherine Earnshaw, father of Hareton Earnshaw, and the foster brother and sworn enemy of Heathcliff. He descends into a ...

* '' Dead Men Tell No Tales'' (1939) as Detective Inspector Martin * ''

Inspector Hornleigh Inspector Hornleigh is a fictional British detective from Scotland Yard, the protagonist of a popular BBC radio series of the 1930s, three British films, a German television series, and three books (two of them language text books). The radio ser ...

'' (1939) as Bill Gordon, Ann's Brother * '' The Dark Eyes of London'' (1939) as Det. Insp. Larry Holt * ''

Ships with Wings ''Ships with Wings'' is a 1941 British war film directed by Sergei Nolbandov and starring John Clements, Leslie Banks and Jane Baxter. The film is set during the Battle of Greece (1940-1941). It depicts military aviation. Plot During the S ...

'' (1942) as Wagner, Papa's Pilot * ''

The Day Will Dawn ''The Day Will Dawn'', released in the US as ''The Avengers'', is a 1942 British 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 s ...

'' (1942) as Colin Metcalfe * ''

One of Our Aircraft Is Missing ''One of Our Aircraft Is Missing'' (stylized onscreen as ''......one of our aircraft is missing'') is a 1942 British black-and-white war film, mainly set in the German-occupied Netherlands. It was the fourth collaboration between the British writ ...

'' (1942) as Frank Shelley, Observer/Navigator in B for Bertie * ''

Secret Mission ''Secret Mission'' is a 1942 British war film directed by Harold French and starring Hugh Williams, James Mason, Nancy Price, Carla Lehmann and Roland Culver. Plot During the Second World War, British Army Major Peter Garnett assembles a team ...

'' (1942) as Major Peter Garnett * ''

Talk About Jacqueline ''Talk 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. It was base ...

'' (1942) as Dr. Michael Thomas * ''

A Girl in a Million ''A Girl in a Million'' is a 1946 British comedy film. It is notable for featuring Joan Greenwood in an early starring role; and Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne in their comedy double act as two cricket-obsessed Englishmen, this time called Fot ...

'' (1946) as Tony * '' Take My Life'' (1947) as Nicholas Talbot * '' An Ideal Husband'' (1947) as Sir Robert Chiltern * ''

Elizabeth of Ladymead ''Elizabeth of Ladymead'' is a 1948 British Technicolor drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Hugh Williams, Isabel Jeans and Bernard Lee. It charts the life of a British family between 1854 and 1945 and their involveme ...

'' (1948) as John Beresford in 1946 * '' The Blind Goddess'' (1948) as Lord Brasted * ''

The Romantic Age ''The Romantic Age'' is a 1949 British drama 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. The film was retitled ''Naughty A ...

'' (1949) as Arnold Dickson * '' Paper Orchid'' (1949) as Frank McSweeney * '' Gift Horse'' (1952) as Captain David G. Wilson, Division Commander * ''

The Holly and the Ivy "The Holly and the Ivy" is a traditional British folk Christmas carol, listed as number 514 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The song can be traced only as far as the early nineteenth century, but the lyrics reflect an association between holly a ...

'' (1952) as Richard Wyndham * '' Twice Upon a Time'' (1953) as James Turner * '' The Fake'' (1953) as Sir Richard Aldingham * '' Star of My Night'' (1954) as Arnold Whitman * '' The Intruder'' (1953) as Tim Ross * ''

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

'' (1966) as

Lord Hartington Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire, (23 July 183324 March 1908), styled Lord Cavendish of Keighley between 1834 and 1858 and Marquess of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, was a British statesman. He has the distinction of having ...

* '' Doctor Faustus'' (1967) as Scholar

Writing credits

* '' The Grass is Greener (play)'' (1952) (book) * ''

Plaintiff in a Pretty Hat A plaintiff ( Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an ''action'') before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy. If this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the ...

'' (1957) (play) (with Margaret Williams) * ''

'' (1960) (screenplay) * '' The Irregular Verb To Love'' (1961) (play) (with Margaret Williams) * ''

Charlie Girl ''Charlie Girl'' is a musical comedy which premiered in the West End of London at the Adelphi Theatre on December 15, 1965 and became one of the most successful theatre shows of the day running for 2,202 performances. It closed on 27 March 1971. ...

'' (book) (with Margaret Williams)

Selected stage roles

* ''

'' (1930) * ''

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

'' (1931) * ''

While Parents Sleep ''While Parents Sleep'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Adrian Brunel and starring Jean Gillie, Enid Stamp Taylor and Romilly Lunge. The film is a screen adaptation of a 1932 play of the same name by Anthony Kimmins, which had been ...

'' (1932) * ''

Flowers of the Forest ''Flowers of the Forest'', or ''The Fluuers o the Forest'' (Roud 3812), is a Scottish folk tune and work of war poetry commemorating the defeat of the Scottish army, and the death of James IV, at the Battle of Flodden in September 1513. Although ...

'' (1935)

Notable television appearances

* '' Masterpiece Playhouse'' in episode: '' Richard III'' (episode No. 1.2) (1950) * '' The Count of Monte Cristo'' playing

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

in episode: "Flight to Calais" * ''

Colonel March of Scotland Yard Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

'' playing Harold Hartley in episode: "The Talking Head" (episode No. 1.11) (1956) * '' Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents'' as Shayar ''(sic!)'' in "Scheherezade" (episode No. 5.10) (1956) * ''

The New Adventures of Charlie Chan ''The New Adventures of Charlie Chan'' is a crime drama series that aired in the United States in syndicated television from June 1957, to 1958. The first five episodes were made by Vision Productions in the United States, before production sw ...

'' playing Inspector Marlowe in episode: "Dateline Execution" (episode No. 1.18) (1957) * ''

'' playing Inspector Marlowe in episode: "No Future for Frederick" (episode No. 1.23) (1958) * ''

'' playing Inspector Marlowe in episode: "Safe Deposit" (episode No. 1.24) (1958)

References

Bibliography

* Sweet, Matthew. ''Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema''. Faber and Faber, 2005.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Hugh 1904 births 1969 deaths English people of Welsh descent English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors People from Bexhill-on-Sea Deaths from throat cancer Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century English male actors Male actors from Sussex 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 20th-century English male writers