KENNETH WILLIAMSKenneth Williams, the English comicactormost famous for his roles in theCarry On filmsand the radio comedies he made, died at his North London flat on 15 April, 1988.In his professional life Mr Williams appeared as camp and eccentric with often exaggerated mannerisms. However, beneath this mask, he was shy and reserved, often struggling with many aspects of his own nature.Kenneth Charles Williams was born in King's Cross, London, on 22 February, 1926. As a child he attended Lyulph Stanley School. After leaving school Mr Williams became an apprentice draughtsman but soon joined the Army at the age of 18. He served with the Royal Engineers in India where he first made his stage debut along with fellow servicemen in the Combined Services Entertainment.After he left the army he took roles in repertory theatre. However, he soon began to find that he was not often suited to serious acting roles. At first this proved to be a disappointment but his talent for comic acting soon offered Mr Williams another option to further his career.In 1954 he was spotted by theradioproducer Dennis Main Wilson who offered him a part inHancock's Half Hour. Mr Williams ended up appearing on the show for five years as he perfected his nasal, whiny and camp style of delivery. However,Tony Hancockdecided that he wanted the show to head in a different direction which meant that Mr Williams needed to look for new challenges.He joined Kenneth Horne in the radio shows Round the Horne and Beyond Our Ken, creating comedy characters which will never be forgotten by his fans.He also appeared in several West End revue shows, including ones written by Bamber Gascoigne andPeter Cook. In 1971 Mr Williams appeared withIngrid Bergmanin a stage production ofGeorge Bernard Shaw's Captain Brassbound's Conversion.Mr Williams was closely associated with the Carry On series ofcomedyfilms. Thesefilmswere perfect for Mr Williams' style of acting with its typical British humour, full of double entendres and bawdy suggestion.As well as being a talented actor, Mr Williams was also a consummate ad-libber. This led him to appear on a variety of panel shows includingJust a Minuteand What's My Line? in the 1970s. He also presented the children's story-readingtelevisionprogramme Jackanory as well as being a well-received guest on popular British talk shows such as Parkinson and Wogan, which he also hosted from time to time.He died at the age of 62 and the official cause was given as an overdose, but because of the open verdict it was impossible to say whether his death was suicide or accidental. His diaries were published posthumously.
Keep me informed of updates
