William Hughes (12 May 1998 – 9 July 2018) was a Welsh boxer and

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in film, movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associ ...

from

Mumbles Mumbles ( cy, Mwmbwls) is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales. Toponym Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, ...

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

Acting

As a child, Hughes appeared in several episodes of the television programme ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' as the boyhood incarnation of the Doctor's greatest rival, the Master, a character he portrayed simultaneously alongside

John Simm John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970) is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in ''Life on Mars'', the Master in ''Doctor Who,'' and DS Roy Grace in ''Grace.'' His other television credits include '' S ...

. He appeared in the episodes ''

The Sound of Drums "The Sound of Drums" is the twelfth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 23 June 2007. It is the second of three episodes that form a linked narrati ...

'' and ''

Last of the Time Lords "Last of the Time Lords" is the thirteenth and final episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007. It is the last of three episodes that form a l ...

'' in 2007, with

archive footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...

being used to incorporate him into '' The End of Time'' in 2009–2010. Hughes is currently the youngest actor to have portrayed the Master. He also appeared in the spin-off ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...

'' in 2008, as a different character called Alex Grainger in the serial ''

Sleeper A sleeper is a person who is sleeping. Sleeper may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Sleeper (Marvel Comics), a Nazi German robot utilized by the Red Skull in Marvel Comics * The Sleeper (Wild Cards), a character in the Wild Ca ...

''.

Boxing

Hughes began boxing at age 9 in

Bon-y-maen Bon-y-maen, sometimes spelt ''Bonymaen'', ( cy, Bôn-y-maen) is a community in Swansea, Wales located about north east of Swansea city centre. It falls within the coterminous Bonymaen ward for elections to Swansea Council. Bôn-y-maen is We ...

, at the ABC Boxing gym and won three Welsh titles. He became the protege of

Enzo Maccarinelli Enzo Maccarinelli (born 20 August 1980) is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2016. He held the WBO cruiserweight title from 2006 to 2008. At regional level, he held the European and British cruiserweight titles betwe ...

, the Welsh World Champion boxer, and won a British Championship at the

GB Amateur Boxing Championships The GB Amateur Boxing Championships is an amateur boxing tournament, founded in 2010, in which boxers from England, Scotland and Wales compete over a two-day period. It is hosted by the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA), which was estab ...

in 2011 for Wales, in the 42 kg class. He continued with the sport, and in early 2017 he fought in a charity

white-collar boxing White-collar boxing is a form of boxing in which people in white-collar professions train to fight at special events. Most have had no prior boxing experience. Early history White-collar boxing has its beginnings at Gleason's Gym in New York Ci ...

exhibition match, raising money for cancer research, working with sports company Ultra White Collar Boxing. From autumn 2017, he joined the Elite Athlete Programme at

Queen Mary University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

, also studying a degree in Finance there. In 2018, he also fought with the club Repton. With Queen Mary's, he won Gold at the 2017/18

British Universities and Colleges Sport British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom. BUCS was formed in June 2008 following a merger of British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport ...

championships. He shares a name with the 1930s Welsh champion boxer William, or Billy, "Kid" Hughes.

Death

In July 2018, Hughes took a trip to the Greek island of Corfu to celebrate finishing his exams from his first year of studies at Queen Mary's. On 9 July – the last night of his holiday – Hughes was found unresponsive following an attempted suicide. He was transferred to hospital but could not be resuscitated. Following an inquest, which concluded the 20-year-old had taken his own life, his body was flown back to the UK. His former school in Swansea,

Bishop Vaughan Catholic School Bishop Vaughan Catholic School is a coeducational Catholic secondary school in the Morriston area of Swansea. It is under the remit of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Menevia, Diocese of Menevia. The school was founded in 1966 by people of Swanse ...

, released a statement sending their thoughts and prayers to his family and saying that he was "an exceptionally talented sportsman" during his time there. His coach and friend, Enzo Maccarinelli, posted a tweet and released statements calling his "little protege" "a tremendously talented kid" with "dreams of competing as a professional

oxer Various obstacles are found in competitive sports involving horse jumping. These include show jumping, hunter, and the cross-country phase of the equestrian discipline of eventing. The size and type of obstacles vary depending on the course and ...

and "everything going for him", and saying that he was "heartbroken".

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, William 1998 births 2018 deaths 2018 suicides 21st-century Welsh male actors Boxers from Swansea Alumni of Queen Mary University of London Male actors from Swansea Welsh male child actors Welsh male boxers Suicides in Greece