Ronald Lewis
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| Ronald Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 December 1928 Port Talbot, Wales |
| Died | 11 January 1982 (aged 53) Pimlico, London |
Ronald Lewis (11 December 1928 - 11 January 1982), was a Welsh actor, best known for his appearances in British films of the 1950s and 1960s.
Lewis was born in Port Talbot and made his first screen appearance in 1953. From then on, he averaged one or two films a year until the mid-60s, including classics like The Wind Cannot Read (1958) and Billy Budd (1962). As the British film industry declined and he grew older, he made the transition to television but with limited success.
He committed suicide by taking a drug overdose. In Twice Round the Daffodils (1962), Lewis appeared alongside Kenneth Williams, often believed to have also committed suicide. The Kenneth Williams Diaries entry for 12 January 1982 records Williams' reaction to Lewis' death: "The paper says Ronald Lewis has taken an overdose! He was declared bankrupt last year! Obviously nobody offered him work & he was driven to despair. I remember Ronnie... and that drinking session at the White Horse all those years ago... he was a kind boy & people used him. He was 53."[1]
[edit] Selected filmography
- Paul and Michelle (1974)
- Friends (1971)
- The Brigand of Kandahar (1965)
- Siege of the Saxons (1963)
- Nurse on Wheels (1963)
- Billy Budd (1962)
- Jigsaw (1962)
- Twice Round the Daffodils (1962)
- Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
- Taste of Fear (1961)
- The Full Treatment (1960)
- Conspiracy of Hearts (1960)
- Bachelor of Hearts (1958)
- The Wind Cannot Read (1958)
- Robbery Under Arms (1957)
- The Secret Place (1957)
- A Hill in Korea (1956)
- Sailor Beware! (1956)
- Helen of Troy (1956)
- Storm Over the Nile (1955)
- The Prisoner (1955)
- The Beachcomber (1954)
- The Square Ring (1953)
[edit] References
- ^ The Kenneth Williams Diaries, edited by Russell Davies, published 1993 by Harper Collins
