Michael Williams (actor)

For other people named Michael Williams, see Michael Williams (disambiguation).

Michael Williams KSG
Born	9 July 1935 (1935-07-09) Liverpool, Merseyside, England
Died	11 January 2001(2001-01-11) (aged 65) Hampstead, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1961–1999
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Spouse(s)	Dame Judi Dench 5 February 1971 11 January 2001
Children	Finty Williams

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

Early life and career

Born in Liverpool, Merseyside, 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 played in Peter Whitehead's documentary Benefit of the Doubt on Peter Brook's anti-Vietnam play "US", along with Peter 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.

Private life

He married Judi Dench on 5 February 1971, in 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. Finty has a son, Sam.

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

Although Williams was a devout Catholic and Dench is a Quaker, theirs was one of the most successful showbiz marriages, and they worked together on several series of the situation comedy, A Fine Romance, from 1981 onwards. He was the President of the Roman Catholic Actors' Guild.

Williams served as an enthusiastic supporter of the project to build the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia in the USA. A plaque commemorating Williams' contributions hangs in the completed playhouse.

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.

Selected television roles

Year	Title	Role
1962	Z-Cars	Norbert Nuttall (1 episode)
1971	Elizabeth R	François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon
1975	The Hanged Man	Alan Crowe (8 episodes)
1980	Love in a Cold Climate	Davey Warbeck (8 episodes)
1981–84	A Fine Romance	Mike Selway
1988	Double First	Norman 'N.V.' Standish
1993–94	Conjugal Rites	Barry Masefield
1997	A Dance to the Music of Time	Ted Jeavons (2 episodes)
1999	The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns	Father Daley
1999	Kavanagh QC	DCI Knowland (1 episode)

Selected radio roles

Year	Title	Role
1989-98	Sherlock Holmes	Doctor Watson
1995-96	Change at Oglethorpe	Rocket
1998-99	Old Dog and Partridge	Jack

Selected film roles

Year	Title	Role
1968	Tell Me Lies	Guest
1972	Eagle in a Cage	Barry O'Meara
1974	Dead Cert	Sandy Mason
1983	Enigma	Hirsch, Limmer's Assistant
1983	Educating Rita	Brian
1988	Angel Voices	Tommy
1989	Henry V	Williams
1999	Tea with Mussolini	British Consul

Stage appearances

Principal stage appearances; mostly with the Royal Shakespeare Company:

• 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.

External links

• Michael Williams at the Internet Movie Database
• Performances listed in Theatre Archive, University of Bristol