Williams had a half-sister, Alice Patricia "Pat", born in 1923 before Louie had met Charlie Williams and three years before Kenneth was born.
Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor, best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist.
Between 1935 and 1956, Williams lived with his parents in a flat above his father's barber shop at 57 Marchmont Street, Bloomsbury. Williams stated in his diaries that he believed he had Welsh ancestors because of his parents' surnames (both his parents were, in fact, born in Wales).
The building was demolished in 2007. Williams is commemorated by a blue plaque at the address of his father's barber shop, 57 Marchmont Street, London, where he lived from 1935 to 1956.
In 1944, aged 18, he was called up to the Army.
While in that unit he met Stanley Baxter, Peter Nichols and John Schlesinger. ==Career== ===Early career=== Williams's professional career began in 1948 in repertory theatre.
Williams's last revue, in 1960, was One Over The Eight at the Duke of York's Theatre, with Sheila Hancock. ===Carry On films=== Williams worked regularly in British film during the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, mainly in the Carry On series (1958–78) with its double entendre humour; and appeared in the series more than any other actor.
Stereo edition of recordings from the 1950s and 1960s. The Bona World of Julian and Sandy 1976, DJM DJF20487 Castle on Luke Street 1978, Sanctuary Records, SU0803.
Failure to become a serious dramatic actor disappointed him, but his potential as a comic performer gave him his break when he was spotted playing the Dauphin in Bernard Shaw's St Joan in the West End, in 1954 by radio producer Dennis Main Wilson.
In 1955 he appeared in Orson Welles's London stage production Moby Dick—Rehearsed.
Between 1935 and 1956, Williams lived with his parents in a flat above his father's barber shop at 57 Marchmont Street, Bloomsbury. Williams stated in his diaries that he believed he had Welsh ancestors because of his parents' surnames (both his parents were, in fact, born in Wales).
The building was demolished in 2007. Williams is commemorated by a blue plaque at the address of his father's barber shop, 57 Marchmont Street, London, where he lived from 1935 to 1956.
He sustained continued success throughout the 1960s and 1970s with his regular appearances in Carry On films, and subsequently kept himself in the public eye with chat shows and other television work. Williams was fondly regarded in the entertainment industry; in private life, however, he suffered from depression.
Williams's last revue, in 1960, was One Over The Eight at the Duke of York's Theatre, with Sheila Hancock. ===Carry On films=== Williams worked regularly in British film during the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, mainly in the Carry On series (1958–78) with its double entendre humour; and appeared in the series more than any other actor.
Stereo edition of recordings from the 1950s and 1960s. The Bona World of Julian and Sandy 1976, DJM DJF20487 Castle on Luke Street 1978, Sanctuary Records, SU0803.
He was a frequent contributor to the 1973–74 revival of What's My Line?, hosted the weekly entertainment show International Cabaret and was a regular reader on the children's storytelling series Jackanory on BBC1, hosting 69 episodes. == Personal life and death == On 14 October 1962, Kenneth's father, Charlie Williams, was taken to hospital after drinking carbon tetrachloride that had been stored in a cough-mixture bottle.
The plaque was unveiled on 11 October 2009 by Leslie Phillips, Bill Pertwee and Nicholas Parsons, with whom Williams performed. On 22 February 2014—on what would have been Williams' 88th birthday—an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled at Farley Court off Marylebone Road, where Williams lived between 1963 and 1970.
He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 Carry On films, and appeared in many British television programmes and radio comedies, including series with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne, as well as being a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's comedy panel show Just a Minute from its second series in 1968 until his death 20 years later. Williams grew up in Central London in a working-class family.
Peter Rogers, producer of the series, recollected, "Kenneth was worth taking care of because, while he cost very little—£5,000 a film, he made a great deal of money for the franchise." ===Radio and television shows=== Williams was a regular on the BBC Radio panel game Just a Minute from its second season in 1968 until his death.
He sustained continued success throughout the 1960s and 1970s with his regular appearances in Carry On films, and subsequently kept himself in the public eye with chat shows and other television work. Williams was fondly regarded in the entertainment industry; in private life, however, he suffered from depression.
Williams's last revue, in 1960, was One Over The Eight at the Duke of York's Theatre, with Sheila Hancock. ===Carry On films=== Williams worked regularly in British film during the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, mainly in the Carry On series (1958–78) with its double entendre humour; and appeared in the series more than any other actor.
The plaque was unveiled on 11 October 2009 by Leslie Phillips, Bill Pertwee and Nicholas Parsons, with whom Williams performed. On 22 February 2014—on what would have been Williams' 88th birthday—an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled at Farley Court off Marylebone Road, where Williams lived between 1963 and 1970.
Arrangements and musical direction by Barry Booth, sound supervision by Roger Cameron. The World of Kenneth Williams 1970, Decca SPA 64.
He once talked for almost a minute about a supposed Austrian psychiatrist called Heinrich Swartzberg, correctly guessing that the show's creator, Ian Messiter, had just made the name up. On television, he co-hosted his own TV variety series on BBC2 with the Young Generation entitled Meanwhile, On BBC2, which ran for 10 episodes from 17 April 1971.
The Welsh actor Michael Sheen portrayed Williams. === Recognition === A flat in the Osnaburgh Street block in which Williams lived from 1972 until his death was bought by Rob Brydon and Julia Davis for the writing of their comedy series Human Remains.
He was a frequent contributor to the 1973–74 revival of What's My Line?, hosted the weekly entertainment show International Cabaret and was a regular reader on the children's storytelling series Jackanory on BBC1, hosting 69 episodes. == Personal life and death == On 14 October 1962, Kenneth's father, Charlie Williams, was taken to hospital after drinking carbon tetrachloride that had been stored in a cough-mixture bottle.
Stereo edition of recordings from the 1950s and 1960s. The Bona World of Julian and Sandy 1976, DJM DJF20487 Castle on Luke Street 1978, Sanctuary Records, SU0803.
Stereo edition of recordings from the 1950s and 1960s. The Bona World of Julian and Sandy 1976, DJM DJF20487 Castle on Luke Street 1978, Sanctuary Records, SU0803.
Dora Bryan, Derek Nimmo and Thora Hird narrated one story each. Williams also released several albums as Rambling Syd Rumpo. Kenneth Williams read eight Just William stories for Argo in the early 1980s. An audio reading of Monkey, Arthur Waley's translation of Journey to the West, for Nimbus Records (1981).
Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor, best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist.
The biography notes that Williams used a variety of handwriting styles and colours in his journals, switching between different hands on the page. === Portrayals === David Benson's 1996 Edinburgh Fringe show, Think No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams, saw Benson playing Williams; after touring, the show ran in London's West End.
Benson reprised his performance at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe and continues to tour. Williams was played by Adam Godley in Terry Johnson's play Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick, which premiered at the National Theatre in 1998.
Benson reprised his performance at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe and continues to tour. Williams was played by Adam Godley in Terry Johnson's play Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick, which premiered at the National Theatre in 1998.
Godley reprised the role in the subsequent film adaptation, Cor, Blimey!. In 2006, Williams' life was the subject of the television play Fantabulosa!.
The building was demolished in 2007. Williams is commemorated by a blue plaque at the address of his father's barber shop, 57 Marchmont Street, London, where he lived from 1935 to 1956.
Williams left an estate worth just under £540,000 (). == Legacy == === Diaries and biographies === In April 2008 Radio 4 broadcast the two-part The Pain of Laughter: The Last Days of Kenneth Williams.
Williams had been a Methodist, though he spent much of his life struggling with Christianity's teachings on homosexuality. Kenneth Williams Unseen by Wes Butters and Russell Davies, the first Williams biography in 15 years, was published in October 2008. An authorised biography, Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams, by Christopher Stevens, was published in October 2010.
The plaque was unveiled on 11 October 2009 by Leslie Phillips, Bill Pertwee and Nicholas Parsons, with whom Williams performed. On 22 February 2014—on what would have been Williams' 88th birthday—an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled at Farley Court off Marylebone Road, where Williams lived between 1963 and 1970.
Williams had been a Methodist, though he spent much of his life struggling with Christianity's teachings on homosexuality. Kenneth Williams Unseen by Wes Butters and Russell Davies, the first Williams biography in 15 years, was published in October 2008. An authorised biography, Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams, by Christopher Stevens, was published in October 2010.
The plaque was unveiled on 11 October 2009 by Leslie Phillips, Bill Pertwee and Nicholas Parsons, with whom Williams performed. On 22 February 2014—on what would have been Williams' 88th birthday—an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled at Farley Court off Marylebone Road, where Williams lived between 1963 and 1970.
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