Michael Williams (actor)

Michael Leonard Williams, KSG (9 July 1935 – 11 January 2001) was a British actor who played both classical and comedy roles. He was the husband of actress Dame Judi Dench.

Michael Williams KSG
Born	9 July 1935 Liverpool, England
Died	11 January 2001 (aged 65) Hampstead, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1961–1999
Spouse(s)	Judi Dench ​ (m. 1971)​
Children	Finty Williams

Early life and career

Born in Liverpool, Lancashire,[1] he attended St Edward's College and worked as an insurance assessor before going into the theatre.

His first film appearance was in 1962, and he subsequently appeared frequently on television (notably in Elizabeth R), and in British films such as Educating Rita (1983) and (along with Dench) Henry V (1989). In the latter, in perhaps an irresistible casting decision, he played his namesake, the Shakespearean character named Michael Williams. In 1967, he appeared in Benefit of the Doubt, Peter Whitehead's documentary on Peter Brook's anti-Vietnam War play US, along with Brook and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

His many radio roles included crime reporter George Cragge in In the Red and its sequels, and Dr. Watson in the BBC's complete run of Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

Williams provided voices for the Woodland Animations BBC Television series Charlie Chalk, created by Ivor Wood.

Personal life

Williams married Judi Dench on 5 February 1971, the same year that they co-starred in a stage production of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi. They had one daughter, Tara Cressida Williams (b. 1972), known as Finty Williams, who is also an actress.[2]

Williams chaired the British Catholic Stage Guild for a number of years before he was incapacitated by illness.

He was the President of the Roman Catholic Actors' Guild.[3]

Williams was a supporter of the project to build the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia, USA. A plaque commemorating Williams' contributions hangs in the completed playhouse.

Michael Williams' grave

Shortly before his death from lung cancer at the age of 65, Williams was appointed a Knight of St Gregory (KSG) by Pope John Paul II for his contribution to Catholic life in Britain. The honour was officially bestowed upon him at home on 10 January 2001. He died the next day,[4] and was buried in the churchyard of St Leonard's, the Anglican parish church of Charlecote, Warwickshire.

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1962	The Trial of Joan of Arc	Englishman	Uncredited
1967	Marat/Sade	Herald
1968	Tell Me Lies	Guest	Documentary
1969	Tintin and the Temple of the Sun	Tintin	Voice, Uncredited
1972	Eagle in a Cage	Barry O'Meara
1974	Dead Cert	Sandy Mason
1982	Enigma	Hirsch, Limmer's Assistant
1983	Educating Rita	Brian
1989	Henry V	Williams
1999	Tea with Mussolini	British Consul

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1962	Z-Cars	Norbert Nuttall	1 episode
1970	A Family at War	Eddie Chappell	1 episode
1971	Elizabeth R	François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon	1 episode
1975	The Hanged Man	Alan Crowe	8 episodes
1979	My Son, My Son	William Essex	8 episodes
1980	Love in a Cold Climate	Davey Warbeck	8 episodes
1981–1984	A Fine Romance	Mike Selway	26 episodes
1988	Double First	Norman 'N.V.' Standish	7 episodes
1993–1994	Conjugal Rites	Barry Masefield	13 episodes
1993-1995	September Song	Billy Balsam	20 episodes
1996	Kavanagh QC	DCI Knowland	1 episode
1997	A Dance to the Music of Time	Ted Jeavons	2 episodes
1999	The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns	Father Daley	2 episodes, (final appearance)

Radio

Year	Title	Role
1973	The War Between Men and Women	reader
1989–1998	Sherlock Holmes	Dr. Watson
1995–1996	Change at Oglethorpe	Rocket
1995–1999	The George Cragge series	George Cragge
1997	Mansfield Park	Sir Thomas Bertram
1998–1999	Old Dog and Partridge	Jack
1999–2000	Bristow	Bristow

Stage

Principal stage appearances; mostly with the Royal Shakespeare Company:[5]

• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1963)
• The Beggar's Opera (1963)
• The Representative (1963)
• King Lear (1964)
• The Comedy of Errors (1964)
• Marat/Sade (1964)
• The Jew of Malta (1964)
• Don't Make Me Laugh (1965)
• Timon of Athens (1965)
• Hamlet (1965)
• Tango (1966)
• The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
• As You Like It (1967)
• Troilus and Cressida (1968)
• London Assurance (1970)
• The Merchant of Venice (1971)
• The Duchess of Malfi (1971)
• Henry V (1971)
• Toad of Toad Hall (1972)
• Content to Whisper (1973)
• Jingo (1975)
• Too True to Be Good (1975)
• The Comedy of Errors (1976)
• The Winter's Tale (1976)
• Schweik in the Second World War (1977)
• The Montrous Regiment (1978)
• A Village Wooing (1981)
• Quartermaine's Terms (1982)
• Pack of Lies (1983/4)
• Two into One (1984)
• Mr and Mrs Nobody (1986/7)
• Out of Order (1990)
• The Tempest (1995)
• The Round Dozen (1996)
• Brief Lives (1997/8)
• The Forest (1999)

Also appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Theatre-Go-Round Festival, Round House Theatre, London, 1970.[6]

References

1. Prior to 1 April 1974, Liverpool was in Lancashire; Merseyside did yet not exist
2. "My grandson was a big surprise". 22 August 1997 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
3. "Michael Williams: End of the fine romance". BBC. 16 January 2001. Retrieved 13 September 2010. A devout Catholic, Michael Williams was a former President of the Roman Catholic Actors' Guild.
4. Williams awarded Papal knighthood – The Independent]
5. "The Stage in British Newspaper Archive". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
6. "Michael Williams Biography (1935-)". www.filmreference.com.

External links

• Michael Williams at IMDb
• Performances listed in Theatre Archive, University of Bristol
• findagrave burial record