Emlyn Williams

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George Emlyn Williams (born November 26, 1905 in Mostyn , † September 25, 1987 in London ) was a British actor , reciter and playwright .

Williams in the 1970s

Life

Emlyn Williams was a son of the miner Richard Williams and his wife Mary. He was born in 1905 in Mostyn, a village in north-east Wales , and grew up in poor conditions. Because of his talent for languages, he was awarded a scholarship to Christ Church College . The Oxford University Dramatic Society produced its first play Full Moon , directed by JB Fagan. Fagan brought Williams to New York in 1927, where he played a small role in the play And So to Bed and so began his stage career. After that he lived in London again. He wrote several successful stage plays, some of which he himself appeared in as an actor. These included A Murder Has Been Arranged (1930), Nightfall , which premiered in 1935 ( filmed in 1937 with Robert Montgomery in the lead role) and The Corn Is Green (1938, filmed in 1945 as Das Grüne Korn ). Williams made his film debut in 1932 as Lord Lebanon in T. Hayes Hunter's thriller The Frightened Lady . In 1939 he played in Hitchcock's Reef Pirates . Williams went to the United States in 1941 , where he enjoyed further success. He has acted in 41 films and written over 20 scripts. He also directed the film drama The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949). The film is about a village in Wales whose existence is threatened by the construction of a dam and represented Richard Burton's feature film debut. From 1950 Williams toured worldwide with his show Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens , in which he played scenes from the works of Charles Dickens as a solo actor played.

Williams was married to Molly O'Shann († 1970). The marriage resulted in two sons. He died in his London apartment at the age of 81.

Works (selection)

  • Night must fall. A play in three acts. [Vosper, London 1935]. [Stage manuscript; also Raleigh Press, Exmouth 1946; Book editions: Victor Golanz, London 1942; Heinemann, London 1973 a. ö.]
    • ... because it wants to be evening. German translation and stage editing: Maria Teichs. Globus Bühnenvertrieb, Berlin [1948]. [Stage manuscript; also: Strassegg, Bad Reichenhall approx. 1953].
    • The night will come. German by Maria Teichs. Edited by Rolf Henniger . Ahn & Simrock, Munich [approx. 1989]. [Stage manuscript].
  • Hey Was Born Gay. A Romance in Three Acts. Heinemann, London 1937.
  • The light of heart. A play in three acts. Heinemann, London [1940] [u. ö.].
    • The light hearted are. One piece in six pictures. Translated by Hilde Spiel. Globus Bühnen-Vertrieb, Berlin [1948] [stage manuscript].
  • The Wind of Heaven. A play in six scenes. Heinemann, London 1945 [u. ö.].
    • The breath of God. Acting in six pictures. Transferred for the German stages by Gerhard Grindel . Globus Bühnenvertrieb, Berlin [1947]. [Stage manuscript].
  • Someone waiting. A play in three acts. London 1953 [new editions Heinemann, London 1954, 1970 a. ö.].
    • A man is waiting. Piece in three acts. German adaptation by Hilde Spiel […] . Kaiser, Vienna [approx. 1960].
  • The Collected Plays. Volume One: Night Must Fall [1935]. He Was Born Gay [1937]. The Corn is Green [1938]. The Light of Heart [1940]. With an introduction by the author. Heinemann, London / Melbourne / Toronto 1961 [also: Random House, New York 1961].
  • Headlong. Heinemann, London 1980, ISBN 0-434-86605-9 [also: Viking Press, New York 1981].

Filmography: Actor, Screenplay and Director (selection)

Film adaptations (selection)

literature

  • Richard Findlater: Emlyn Williams. An illustrated study of his work, with a list of his appearances on stage and screen (=  Theater World Monograph. No. 8). Rockliff, London 1956.
  • Amnon Kabatchnik: 'Someone waiting' (1953) by Emlyn Williams . In: Amnon Kabatchnik: Blood on the Stage, 1950–1975. Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection: An Annotated Repertoire. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD / Plymouth 2011, ISBN 978-0-8108-7783-2 , pp. 130-135.

Web links

Commons : Emlyn Williams  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Williams, Emlyn
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Williams, George Emlyn (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor, reciter and playwright
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Mostyn
DATE OF DEATH September 25, 1987
Place of death London