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Emlyn Williams Biography (1905-1987)

Full name, George Emlyn Williams; born November 26, 1905, in Mostyn, Wales; died September 25, 1987, in London, following cancer surgery; son of Richard (a merchant seaman, greengrocer, village innkeeper, and foreman in an ironworks) and Mary (Williams) Williams; married Molly O'Shann, 1935 (died, 1970); children: two sons.

Nationality

Welsh

Gender

Male

Birth Details

November 26, 1905

Mostyn, Wales

Death Details

September 25, 1987

London, England

Famous Works

• Credits
• LONDON DEBUT--Pelling's apprentice, And So To Bed, Savoy Theatre, 1927.
• BROADWAY DEBUT--Pepys' boy, And So To Bed, Shubert Theatre, 1927.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL STAGE APPEARANCES
• Reverend Yorke, Billy Saunders, The Pocket-Money Husband, Arts Theatre, London, 1928.
• Jack, Glamour, Embassy Theatre, then Court Theatre, both London, 1928.
• Camille, Therese Raquin, Wyndham's Theatre, London, 1929.
• Beppo, Mafro, Darling, Berthold, The Mock Emperor, both Queen's Theatre,London, 1929.
• trumpeter, The Silver Tassie, Apollo Theatre, London, 1929.
• Captain Sandys, Tunnel Trench, Duchess Theatre, London, 1929.
• Jules Marnier, French Leave, Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1930.
• Giovanni d'Amora, La Piccola, Arts Theatre, 1930.
• usher, The Fire in the Opera House, Everyman Theatre, London, 1930.
• Angelo, On the Spot, Commissar Neufeld, The Mouthpiece, both Wyndham's Theatre, 1930.
• Adolphe, Devant la Porte, Arts Theatre, 1930.
• title role, Etienne, St. James Theatre, London, 1931.
• Lord Lebanon, The Case of the Frightened Lady, Youssef el Tabah, Port Said, both Wyndham's Theatre, 1931.
• young Frenchman, The Man I Killed, Apollo Theatre, 1932.
• Jack, Man Overboard, Garrick Theatre, London, 1932.
• Lord Lebanon, Criminal at Large (American title for The Case of the Frightened Lady), Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1932.
• Patrick Branwell Bronte, Wild Decembers, Apollo Theatre, 1933.
• Piers Gaveston, Rose and Glove, Westminster Theatre, London, 1934.
• Eugene Beauharnais, Josephine, His Majesty's Theatre, London, 1934.
• Dan, Night Must Fall, Duchess Theatre, 1935, then Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1936.
• Lambert, He Was Born Gay, Queen's Theatre, 937.
• Oswald, Ghosts, with the Old Vic Theatre Company, Buxton, U.K., 1937.
• Angelo, Measure for Measure, Duke of Gloucester, Richard III, both with the Old Vic Theatre Company, London, 1937.
• Morgan Evans, The Corn Is Green, Duchess Theatre, 1938.
• Maddoc Thomas, The Light of Heart, Apollo Theatre, 1940.
• Cliff Parrilow, The Morning Star, Globe Theatre, London, 1941.
• Ambrose Ellis, The Wind of Heaven, St. James Theatre, 1945.
• Sir Robert Morton, The Winslow Boy, Lyric Theatre, London, 1946.
• Saivello, Trespass, Globe Theatre, 1947.
• Izquiredo, Montserrat, Fulton Theatre, New York City, 1949.
• Will Trenting, Accolade, Aldwych Theatre, London, 1950.
• Charles Dickens (one-man show), Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London, 1951,then Criterion Theatre, London, and Duchess Theatre, all 1951, later John Golden Theatre, New York City, 1952.
• Charles Dickens, Bleak House (one-man show), Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K., 1952, then Ambassador's Theatre, London, later Bijou Theatre, New York City, 1952-53.
• Charles Dickens (Welsh translation of the one-man show) National Eisteddfod of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, U.K., 1953.
• Fenn, Someone Waiting, Globe Theatre, 1953.
• Dylan Thomas, A Boy Growing Up (one-man show), Globe Theatre, 1955, thenLongacre Theatre, New York City, 1957, later Globe Theatre, 1958.
• Hjalmar Ekdal, The Wild Duck, Saville Theatre, London, 1955.
• Shylock, The Merchant of Venice, Iago, Othello, Angelo, Measure for Measure, all Royal Shakespeare Company, Memorial Theatre, Stratford- on-Avon, U.K., 1956.
• author, Shadow of Heroes, Piccadilly Theatre, London, 1958.
• man, "Lunch Hour," Mr. Chacterson, "The Form," Edward, "A Slight Ache," billed as Three, Arts Theatre, then Criterion Theatre, London, both 1961.
• Ascolini, Daughter of Silence, Music Box Theatre, New York City, 1961.
• Sir Thomas More, A Man for All Seasons, American National Theatre Academy(ANTA) Playhouse, New York City, 1962.
• Pope Pius XII, The Deputy, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City, 1964.
• Charles Dickens (one-man show), Globe Theatre, 1965.
• Ignatyillyich, A Month in the Country, Cambridge Theatre, London, 1965.
• headmaster, Forty Years On, Apollo Theatre, 1969.
• Charles Dickens (one-man show), Haymarket Theatre, London, 1975.
• Saki (one-man show), Apollo Theatre, 1977.
• Playboy of the Weekend World (one-man show; American title for Saki), Playhouse Theatre, New York City, 1978.
• Dylan Thomas, A Boy Growing Up, Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, U.K., 1979, then Ambassador's Theatre, London, 1980.
• Credits; MAJOR TOURS
• Dan, Night Must Fall, Charles Condomine, Blithe Spirit, and in Flare Path, for Overseas Forces in the Middle East, all 1944.
• Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens, U.S., Canadian, European, and South African cities, 1951, Australian and New Zealand cities, 1958, U.S., Canadian,and Far Eastern cities, 1965, Australian, Soviet, and U.S. cities, 1970, U.S.and Canadian cities, 1980.
• Dylan Thomas, A Boy Growing Up, U.S. cities, 1959.
• PRINCIPAL STAGE WORK; DIRECTOR,ALL IN LONDON He Was Born Gay, Queen's Theatre, 1937.
• The Corn Is Green, Duchess Theatre, 1938.
• The Light of Heart, Globe Theatre, 1940.
• The Morning Star, Globe Theatre, 1941.
• Beth, Apollo Theatre, 1958.
• Also A Murder Has Been Arranged, 1930; Watch on the Rhine, The Little Foxes, both 1942; The Druid's Rest, 1944; The Wind of Heaven, 1945; Trespass, 1947.
• FILM DEBUT--Lord Lebanon, The Case of the Frightened Lady, Beaconsfield,1932.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL FILM APPEARANCES
• The Citadel, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), 1938.
• They Drive by Night (English version), Warner Brothers, 1938.
• Major Barbara, United Artists, 1941.
• The Stars Look Down, MGM, 1941.
• This England, World Pictures, 1941.
• The Last Days of Dolwyn, London Films, 1948.
• Three Husbands, United Artists, 1951.
• The Scarf, United Artists, 1951.
• Ivanhoe, MGM, 1952.
• The Deep Blue Sea, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1955.
• I Accuse, MGM, 1958.
• The Wreck of the Mary Deare, MGM, 1959.
• The L-Shaped Room, Columbia, 1963.
• The Eye of the Devil, MGM, 1967.
• The Walking Stick, MGM, 1970.
• Also appeared in Friday the Thirteenth, Evansong, both 1934; The Iron Duke, Men of Tomorrow, My Love for You, Loves of a Dictator, all 1935; Broken Blossoms, 1937; Dead Men Tell No Tales, 1939; Jamaica Inn, 1939; The Girl in the Mews, 1941; Hatter's Castle, 1948; Another Man's Poison, 1952; Beyond ThisPlace, 1958.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL FILM WORK
• Director, The Last Days of Dolwyn, London Films, 1948.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL TELEVISION APPEARANCES; EPISODIC
• Gerald Lawen, "Mind over Murder," The Defenders, CBS, 1965.
• Also Rumpole of the Bailey, BBC, then PBS; Yob and Nabob, BBC.
• Credits; MOVIES
• Mr. Dick, David Copperfield, NBC, 1970.
• Also appeared in Every Picture Tells a Story, The Deadly Game; The Burning Bush; Past Caring.
• Credits; SPECIALS
• Emlyn Williams Special, CBS, 1967.
• Hall of Kings, ABC, 1967.
• Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens, 1981.
• Guest: New York, New York, ABC, 1964.
• Writings;PLAYS
• Vigil, produced in Oxford, U.K., 1925, published in The Second Book of One-Act-Plays, Heinemann, 1954.
• Full Moon, produced in Oxford, U.K., 1927, then London, 1929.
• Glamour, Embassy Theatre, London, 1928.
• A Murder Has Been Arranged: A Ghost Story, produced in London, 1930, published by Collins, 1930, Samuel French, Inc., 1931.
• Port Said, Wyndham's Theatre, London, 1931, revised as Vessels Departing,produced in London, 1933.
• (adaptor) The Late Christopher Bean, produced in London, 1933, publishedby Gollancz, 1933.
• (adaptor) Josephine, His Majesty's Theatre, London, 1934.
• Spring 1600, produced in London, 1934, revised version produced in London, 1945, published by Heinemann, 1946.
• Night Must Fall, Duchess Theatre, London, 1935, then Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City, 1936, published by Gollancz, 1935, Random House, 1936, and in Collected Plays I, Random House, 1961.
• He Was Born Gay, Queen's Theatre, London, 1937, published by Heinemann, 1937, and in Collected Plays I.
• The Corn Is Green, Duchess Theatre, 1938, then National Theatre, New YorkCity, 1940, published by Heinemann, 1937, by Random House, 1941, in The CornIs Green, with Two Other Plays, Pan, 1950, and in Collected Plays I.
• The Light of Heart, Globe Theatre, London, 1941, published by Heinemann,1940, and in Collected Plays, 1961.
• The Morning Star, Globe Theatre, 1941, published by Heinemann, 1942.
• Yesterday's Magic, Guild Theatre, New York City, 1942.
• Pen Don, Blackpool, U.K., 1943.
• (adaptor) A Month in the Country, Globe Theatre, 1943, published by Heinemann, 1943, revised version produced in Chicago, IL, 1956, published by Samuel French, Inc., 1957.
• The Druid's Rest, produced in London, 1944, published by Heinemann, 1944,and in The Corn Is Green, with Two Other Plays.
• The Wind of Heaven, St. James Theatre, London, 1945, then Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, CT, 1963, published by Heinemann, 1945, and in The Corn Is Green, with Two Other Plays.
• Thinking Aloud, produced in London, 1945, then in New York City, 1975, published as Thinking Aloud: A Dramatic Sketch, Samuel French, Inc., 1946.
• Trespass, Globe Theatre, 1947, published by Heinemann, 1947.
• Dear Evelyn, produced in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, U.K., 1948, published by Samuel French, Inc.
• Accolade, Aldwych Theatre, London, 1950, published by Heinemann, 1951.
• Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, then Criterion Theatre, London, 1951, (see above for tours, 1951 through 1981), published as Readings from Dickens Folio Society, 1953.
• Bleak House (dramatic reading based on the novel by Dickens), Edinburgh,Scotland, U.K., and London, 1952, then in New York City, 1953.
• Someone Waiting, produced in Liverpool, U.K., then Globe Theatre, 1953, later in New York City, 1956, published by Heinemann, 1954, and Dramatists Play Service, 1956.
• A Boy Growing Up (dramatic reading based on the works of Dylan Thomas), Globe Theatre, 1955, then Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1957.
• Beth, produced in Brighton, U.K., then Apollo Theatre, London, 1958, published by Heinemann, 1959.
• (adaptor) The Master Builder, produced in London, 1964, published by Theatre Arts Books, 1967.
• Writings;SCREENPLAYS
• Friday the Thirteenth, 1933.
• Evergreen, 1934.
• (contributor) The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1934.
• dialogue (with Ian Dalrymple, Frank Wead, and Elizabeth Hill) The Citadel, MGM, 1938.
• (with A.R. Rawlinson and Bridget Boland) This England, World Pictures, 1941.
• The Last Days of Dolwyn, London Films, 1948.
• Time without Pity, 1957.
• Writings;TELEPLAYS
• A Month in the Country, 1947.
• Every Picture Tells a Story, 1949.
• In Tonight, 1954.
• A Blue Movie of My Own True Love, 1968.
• The Power of Dawn, 1975.
• Writings;RADIO PLAYS
• Pepper and Sand: A Duologue, BBC, 1948, published by Deane, 1948.
• Emlyn (adapted from his own book), 1974.
• Writings;BOOKS
• George: An Early Autobiography, Hamish Hamilton, 1961, Random House, 1962.
• Beyond Belief: A Study in Murder, Hamish Hamilton, 1967, Random House, 1968.
• Emlyn: An Early Autobiography, 1927-1935, Bodley Head, 1973, Viking Press, 1974.
• Doctor Crippen's Diary, Headlong, both 1981.

Further Reference

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

• Variety, September 30, 1987.