Hugh Williams


Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams was an English actor and dramatist of Welsh descent.

Early life and career

Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams was born at Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex to Hugh Dafydd Anthony Williams and Hilda. The Williams family lived at Bedford Park, in Chiswick, West London. His paternal grandfather was Hugh Williams, a Welsh solicitor and anti-establishment political activist. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He was a popular film and stage actor, 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 film 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 and the screenplay for the subsequent film. He died from an aortic aneurysm, aged 65, in London.
During the Second World War, he served as a Captain in “Phantom” GHQ Liaison Regiment.

Marriages and grandchildren

He was married twice:
and his grandchildren included:
  • Kate Dunn, actress
  • Amy Williams, actress
  • Tam Williams, actor

    Filmography

  • Charley's Aunt as Charlie Wykeham
  • A Night in Montmartre as Philip Borell
  • A Gentleman of Paris as Gaston Gerrard
  • Down Our Street as Charlie Stubbs
  • Insult as Captain Ramon Nadir
  • In a Monastery Garden as Paul Ferrier
  • White Face as Michael Seeley
  • Rome Express as Tony
  • This Acting Business as Hugh
  • After Dark as Richard Morton
  • The Jewel as Frank Hallam
  • Bitter Sweet as Vincent
  • Sorrell and Son as Kit Sorrell as an Adult
  • Elinor Norton as Tony Norton
  • All Men Are Enemies as Tony Clarendon
  • Outcast Lady as Gerald March
  • Lieutenant Daring R.N. as Lt. Bob Daring
  • David Copperfield as Steerforth
  • Let's Live Tonight as Brian Kerry
  • The Happy Family as Victor Hutt
  • The Last Journey as Gerald Winter
  • The Amateur Gentleman as Ronald
  • Her Last Affaire as Alan Heriot
  • The Man Behind the Mask as Nick Barclay
  • The Windmill as Peter Ellington
  • Side Street Angel as Peter
  • The Perfect Crime as Charles Brown
  • Gypsy as Brazil
  • Brief Ecstasy as Jim Wyndham
  • Premiere as Rene Nissen
  • The Dark Stairway as Dr. Thurlow
  • Bank Holiday as Geoffrey
  • His Lordship Goes to Press as Lord Bill Wilmer
  • Wuthering Heights as Hindley Earnshaw
  • Dead Men Tell No Tales as Detective Inspector Martin
  • Inspector Hornleigh as Bill Gordon, Ann's Brother
  • The Dark Eyes of London as Det. Insp. Larry Holt
  • Ships with Wings as Wagner, Papa's Pilot
  • The Day Will Dawn as Colin Metcalfe
  • One of Our Aircraft Is Missing as Frank Shelley, Observer/Navigator in B for Bertie
  • Secret Mission as Major Peter Garnett
  • Talk About Jacqueline as Dr. Michael Thomas
  • A Girl in a Million as Tony
  • Take My Life as Nicholas Talbot
  • An Ideal Husband as Sir Robert Chiltern
  • Elizabeth of Ladymead as John Beresford in 1946
  • The Blind Goddess as Lord Brasted
  • The Romantic Age as Arnold Dickson
  • Paper Orchid as Frank McSweeney
  • Gift Horse as Captain David G. Wilson, Division Commander
  • The Holly and the Ivy as Richard Wyndham
  • Twice Upon a Time as James Turner
  • The Fake as Sir Richard Aldingham
  • Star of My Night as Arnold Whitman
  • The Intruder as Tim Ross
  • Khartoum as Lord Hartington
  • Doctor Faustus as Scholar

    Writing credits

  • The Grass Is Greener
  • Plaintiff in a Pretty Hat
  • The Grass Is Greener
  • The Irregular Verb to Love
  • ''Charlie Girl''

    Selected stage roles

  • Journey's End
  • Grand Hotel
  • While Parents Sleep
  • ''Flowers of the Forest''

    Notable television appearances

  • Masterpiece Playhouse in episode: Richard III
  • The Count of Monte Cristo playing Millet in episode: "Flight to Calais"
  • Colonel March of Scotland Yard playing Harold Hartley in episode: "The Talking Head"
  • Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents as Shayar in "Scheherezade"
  • The New Adventures of Charlie Chan playing Inspector Marlowe in episode: "Dateline Execution"
  • The New Adventures of Charlie Chan playing Inspector Marlowe in episode: "No Future for Frederick"
  • The New Adventures of Charlie Chan playing Inspector Marlowe in episode: "Safe Deposit"