Bransby Williams
Encyclopedia
Bransby Williams (14 August 1870 – 3 December 1961) was a British
actor, comedian and monologist
. He became known as "The Irving
of the Music Halls
".
in London
, Williams began his working life as a tea taster in Mincing Lane
before working in the design department of a wallpaper
manufacturer. He appeared as an amateur actor before turning professional doing impersonations of Dan Leno
, Gus Elen
, Joe Elvin
, Albert Chevalier
and other music hall
stars in working men's club
s. His first appearance in a music hall was at The London Music Hall in Shoreditch
on 26 August 1896, during which he gave impersonation
s of the leading actors of that time, including Henry Irving
in The Bells
, Herbert Beerbohm Tree
as Svengali
from the popular play Trilby, adapted from George Du Maurier
’s novel
of the same name
. In 1897 Williams first created a variety of characters, including many from the works of Dickens
such as Mr Micawber
, Uriah Heep
, Bill Sikes
and Fagin
. In 1898 he appeared as Sydney Carton
in The Noble Deed, based on A Tale of Two Cities
at The Oxford Theatre
. He performed in monologue
s, recitation
s and sketches, including the Lounger and The Green Eye of the Yellow God
.
at Sandringham House
in a Royal Command Performance
on 3 December 1903, when he performed the characters from Dickens
as well as his impersonations of famous actors and comedians of the day. In 1905 and 1907 he toured in the United States
. In 1922 Williams toured the UK
with his own company as actor-manager
, performing in a series of plays based on Dickens
, including David Copperfield
, Oliver Twist
and Barnaby Rudge
. In 1923 he purchased the stock of the late Sir Henry Irving
, which he used in his tour of The Lyons Mail and in March of that year he played Hamlet
for the first time at The Prince of Wales Theatre in Birmingham
. Later he also bought the stock of Laurence and H. B. Irving
. In June 1923 he appeared at The Lyceum
as both Micawber
and Peggotty
in David Copperfield, after which he and his company toured Canada
.
In 1924 Williams was engaged by J. C. Williamson
to tour Australia
, during which he performed his characters from Dickens
and his impersonations of famous actors and comedians of that and former days, including Sir Henry Irving
, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree
, Sir George Alexander
, Dan Leno
, Cyril Maude
and Sir Charles Wyndham. The tour then moved on to New Zealand
and South Africa
.
Williams regularly appeared in pantomime
, making his first appearance in that medium playing the Baron in Babes in the Wood
at the Shakespeare Theatre in Liverpool
in 1906, and appearing at The London Palladium as 'Abanazer' in Aladdin
in 1926. He appeared in a Royal Variety Performance
before King George V
and Queen Mary
on 27 May 1926. Another tour of Canada in 1928 was a financial failure, and Williams returned to Great Britain
in 1929 to appear in Variety
.
in a BBC
television version of A Christmas Carol
. Also in 1950, aged 80, he toured as Maddoc Thomas in The Light of the Heart. For the BBC
he played the role of Mathias, made famous by Henry Irving
, in a live television production of The Bells
on 14 March 1950. He had first played the role on stage over fifty years before while on tour. He also was a guest on the BBC
radio show Desert Island Discs
on 4 November 1957.He also appeared on BBC Television's " This is Your Life" in 1958.
He appeared in a number of films, including Royal England, a Story of an Empire's Throne (1911); Hard Times
(1915) as Gradgrind; the title role in Adam Bede
(1918); The Adventures of Mr Pickwick (1921); Scrooge (1928); The Common Touch
(1941); Those Kids from Town
(1942); Tomorrow We Live (1943); The Agitator
(1945) and Judgment Deferred
(1952). He also made a number of audio recordings for Edison, including The Awakening of Scrooge and The Street Watchman's Christmas, both in 1913.
(1900–1994). His oldest son, Captain William George Bransby Williams, MC
, RFC
(6 January 1898 – 12 May 1917) (known as "Sonny") was killed during World War I
. His body was never found.
Bransby Williams' youngest daughter, Betty (1909-2001) had a son Eric Paul Corin (born 1948), who runs Magnificent Music Machines, near Liskeard in Cornwall.. Here, as well hearing Player Pianos, the 1929 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ from the Regent Cinema Brighton, one can hearing recordings of Bransby Williams, on Phonograph Cylinders and 78 r.p.m. Records.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor, comedian and monologist
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
. He became known as "The Irving
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
of the Music Halls
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
".
Early years
Born in HackneyLondon Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Williams began his working life as a tea taster in Mincing Lane
Mincing Lane
Mincing Lane is a one-way street in the City of London linking Fenchurch Street southward to Great Tower Street.Its name is a corruption of Mynchen Lane - so-called from the tenements held there by the Benedictine 'mynchens' or nuns of St Helen's Bishopsgate .It was for some years the world's...
before working in the design department of a wallpaper
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
manufacturer. He appeared as an amateur actor before turning professional doing impersonations of Dan Leno
Dan Leno
Dan Leno , born George Wild Galvin, was an English comedian and actor, famous for appearing in music hall and dozens of comic plays, pantomimes, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era...
, Gus Elen
Gus Elen
Ernest Augustus Elen was an English music hall singer and comedian. He achieved success from 1891, performing cockney songs including Arf a Pint of Ale, It's a Great Big Shame, Down the Road and If It Wasn't for the 'Ouses in Between in a career lasting over thirty years.Born in Pimlico, London,...
, Joe Elvin
Joe Elvin
Joe Elvin was a Cockney comedian and music hall entertainer and a Founder of the Grand Order of Water Rats, a show business charity.-Biography:...
, Albert Chevalier
Albert Chevalier
Albert Onesime Britannicus Gwathveoyd Louis Chevalier was an English comedian and actor.-Early life:Albert Chevalier was born in the Royal Crescent, in London's Notting Hill...
and other music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
stars in working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
s. His first appearance in a music hall was at The London Music Hall in Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
on 26 August 1896, during which he gave impersonation
Impersonator
An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for someone to be an impersonator, some common ones being as follows:...
s of the leading actors of that time, including Henry Irving
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
in The Bells
The Bells (play)
The Bells is a play in three acts by Leopold Davis Lewis which was one of the greatest successes of the British actor Henry Irving. The play opened on November 25 1871 at the Lyceum Theatre in London and initially ran for 151 performances...
, Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
as Svengali
Svengali
Svengali is a fictional character of George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby. Svengali "would either fawn or bully and could be grossly impertinent. He had a kind of cynical humour that was more offensive than amusing and always laughed at the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong place...
from the popular play Trilby, adapted from George Du Maurier
George du Maurier
George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier was a French-born British cartoonist and author, known for his cartoons in Punch and also for his novel Trilby. He was the father of actor Gerald du Maurier and grandfather of the writers Angela du Maurier and Dame Daphne du Maurier...
’s novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
of the same name
Trilby (novel)
Trilby is a novel by George du Maurier and one of the most popular novels of its time, perhaps the second best selling novel of the Fin de siècle after Bram Stoker's Dracula. Published serially in Harper's Monthly in 1894, it was published in book form in 1895 and sold 200,000 copies in the United...
. In 1897 Williams first created a variety of characters, including many from the works of Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
such as Mr Micawber
Wilkins Micawber
Wilkins Micawber is a fictional character from Charles Dickens's 1850 novel, David Copperfield. He was modelled on Dickens's father, John Dickens, who like Micawber was incarcerated in debtors' prison after failing to meet his creditors' demands.Micawber's long-suffering wife, Emma, stands by him...
, Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep is a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield.The character is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and insincerity, making frequent references to his own "'umbleness". His name has become synonymous with being a yes man...
, Bill Sikes
Bill Sikes
William "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character in the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.He is one of Dickens's most vicious characters and a very strong force in the novel when it comes to having control over somebody or harming others. He is portrayed as a rough and barbaric man. He is a career...
and Fagin
Fagin
Fagin is a fictional character who appears as an antagonist of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew".-Character:Born...
. In 1898 he appeared as Sydney Carton
Sydney Carton
Sydney Carton is the central character in the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. He is a shrewd young Englishman and sometime junior to his fellow barrister C.J. Stryver. In the novel, he is seen to be a drunkard, self-indulgent and self-pitying because of his wasted life...
in The Noble Deed, based on A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
at The Oxford Theatre
Oxford Music Hall
Oxford Music Hall was a music hall located in Westminster, London at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. It was established on the site of a former public house, the Boar and Castle, by Charles Morton, in 1861. The hall was converted into a legitimate theatre in 1917, but the...
. He performed in monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
s, recitation
Recitation
A recitation is a presentation made by a student to demonstrate knowledge of a subject or to provide instruction to others. In some academic institutions the term is used for a presentation by a teaching assistant or instructor, under the guidance of a senior faculty member, that supplements...
s and sketches, including the Lounger and The Green Eye of the Yellow God
The Green Eye of the Yellow God
The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God is a 1911 poem by J. Milton Hayes that is a famous example of the genre of "dramatic monologue", which was a music hall staple in the early twentieth century...
.
Actor-manager
Williams became a great success, and he appeared before King Edward VIIEdward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
at Sandringham House
Sandringham House
Sandringham House is a country house on of land near the village of Sandringham in Norfolk, England. The house is privately owned by the British Royal Family and is located on the royal Sandringham Estate, which lies within the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History and current...
in a Royal Command Performance
Royal Command Performance
For the annual Royal Variety Performance performed in Britain for the benefit of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, see Royal Variety Performance...
on 3 December 1903, when he performed the characters from Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
as well as his impersonations of famous actors and comedians of the day. In 1905 and 1907 he toured in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1922 Williams toured the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with his own company as actor-manager
Actor-manager
An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the company's business and financial arrangements, sometimes taking over the management of a theatre, to perform plays of their own choice and in which they will usually star...
, performing in a series of plays based on Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, including David Copperfield
David Copperfield (novel)
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery , commonly referred to as David Copperfield, is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a novel in 1850. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial...
, Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
and Barnaby Rudge
Barnaby Rudge
Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels that Dickens published in his short-lived weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock...
. In 1923 he purchased the stock of the late Sir Henry Irving
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
, which he used in his tour of The Lyons Mail and in March of that year he played Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
for the first time at The Prince of Wales Theatre in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Later he also bought the stock of Laurence and H. B. Irving
Harry Brodribb Irving
Harry Brodribb Irving , was a British stage actor and actor-manager; the eldest son of Sir Henry Irving and his wife Florence , and father of designer Laurence Irving and actress Elizabeth Irving....
. In June 1923 he appeared at The Lyceum
Lyceum Theatre (London)
The Lyceum Theatre is a 2,000-seat West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand. There has been a theatre with this name in the locality since 1765, and the present site opened on 14 July 1834 to a design by Samuel Beazley. The building was unique...
as both Micawber
Wilkins Micawber
Wilkins Micawber is a fictional character from Charles Dickens's 1850 novel, David Copperfield. He was modelled on Dickens's father, John Dickens, who like Micawber was incarcerated in debtors' prison after failing to meet his creditors' demands.Micawber's long-suffering wife, Emma, stands by him...
and Peggotty
Peggotty
Clara Peggotty is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1850 novel David Copperfield.Referred to as 'Peggotty' so as not to confuse her with David's mother, who is also called Clara, Peggotty is the housekeeper of the family home and plays a big part in David's upbringing. Peggotty is the...
in David Copperfield, after which he and his company toured Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In 1924 Williams was engaged by J. C. Williamson
J. C. Williamson
James Cassius Williamson was an American actor and later Australia's foremost theatrical manager, founding J. C. Williamson Ltd....
to tour Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, during which he performed his characters from Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
and his impersonations of famous actors and comedians of that and former days, including Sir Henry Irving
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
, Sir George Alexander
George Alexander (actor)
Sir George Alexander , born George Alexander Gibb Samson, was an English actor and theatre manager.Alexander was born in Reading, Berkshire. He began acting in amateur theatricals in 1875. Four years later he embarked on a professional acting career, making his London debut in 1881...
, Dan Leno
Dan Leno
Dan Leno , born George Wild Galvin, was an English comedian and actor, famous for appearing in music hall and dozens of comic plays, pantomimes, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era...
, Cyril Maude
Cyril Maude
Cyril Francis Maude was an English actor-manager.-Biography:Maude was born in London and educated at the Charterhouse School. In 1881, he was sent to Adelaide, South Australia, on the clipper ship City of Adelaide to regain his health...
and Sir Charles Wyndham. The tour then moved on to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Williams regularly appeared in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, making his first appearance in that medium playing the Baron in Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood is a traditional children's tale, as well as a popular pantomime subject. It has also been the name of some other unrelated works. The expression has passed into common language, referring to inexperienced innocents entering unawares into any potentially dangerous or hostile...
at the Shakespeare Theatre in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 1906, and appearing at The London Palladium as 'Abanazer' in Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
in 1926. He appeared in a Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
before King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
on 27 May 1926. Another tour of Canada in 1928 was a financial failure, and Williams returned to Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1929 to appear in Variety
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
.
Later years
Later in his career Williams was a regular on radio and television. His final stage appearances were in 1946 when he toured in an adaptation of Edward Percy’s The Shop at Sly Corner. In 1950 he played Ebenezer ScroogeEbenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge is the principal character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. At the beginning of the novel, Scrooge is a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which give people happiness...
in a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television version of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
. Also in 1950, aged 80, he toured as Maddoc Thomas in The Light of the Heart. For the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
he played the role of Mathias, made famous by Henry Irving
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
, in a live television production of The Bells
The Bells (play)
The Bells is a play in three acts by Leopold Davis Lewis which was one of the greatest successes of the British actor Henry Irving. The play opened on November 25 1871 at the Lyceum Theatre in London and initially ran for 151 performances...
on 14 March 1950. He had first played the role on stage over fifty years before while on tour. He also was a guest on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio show Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
on 4 November 1957.He also appeared on BBC Television's " This is Your Life" in 1958.
He appeared in a number of films, including Royal England, a Story of an Empire's Throne (1911); Hard Times
Hard Times
Hard Times - For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book appraises English society and is aimed at highlighting the social and economic pressures of the times....
(1915) as Gradgrind; the title role in Adam Bede
Adam Bede
Adam Bede, the first novel written by George Eliot , was published in 1859. It was published pseudonymously, even though Evans was a well-published and highly respected scholar of her time...
(1918); The Adventures of Mr Pickwick (1921); Scrooge (1928); The Common Touch
The Common Touch
The Common Touch is a 1941 British drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Geoffrey Hibbert, Harry Welchman, Greta Gynt and Joyce Howard.-Cast:* Geoffrey Hibbert - Peter Henderson* Harry Welchman - 'Lincoln's Inn'* Greta Gynt - Sylvia Meadows...
(1941); Those Kids from Town
Those Kids from Town
Those Kids from Town is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy-drama propaganda film war film, directed by Lance Comfort and starring George Cole, Harry Fowler, Percy Marmont, Ronald Shiner as Mr. Bert Burns and Charles Victor as Harry, the Vicar. It was produced by Richard Vernon and presented by...
(1942); Tomorrow We Live (1943); The Agitator
The Agitator (1945 film)
The Agitator is a 1945 British drama film directed by John Harlow and starring William Hartnell, Mary Morris and John Laurie. A young socialist is forced to question his beliefs when he unexpectedly inherits a large firm. It was based on the novel Peter Pettenger by William Riley.-Cast:* William...
(1945) and Judgment Deferred
Judgment Deferred
Judgment Deferred is a 1952 British drama film directed by John Baxter and starring Hugh Sinclair, Helen Shingler and Abraham Sofaer. With the assistance of a journalist a group of refugees try and unmask the criminal who has framed one of their number as a drug dealer.-Selected cast:* Hugh...
(1952). He also made a number of audio recordings for Edison, including The Awakening of Scrooge and The Street Watchman's Christmas, both in 1913.
Personal life
Williams died in London in 1961 aged 91. He was survived by his daughters, Winnie, Ida and Betty, and by his son, the actor Eric Bransby WilliamsEric Bransby Williams
Eric Bransby Williams was a British actor. He was the son of Bransby Williams.-Selected filmography:* His Grace Gives Notice * The Presumption of Stanley Hay, MP * The Secret Kingdom...
(1900–1994). His oldest son, Captain William George Bransby Williams, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, RFC
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
(6 January 1898 – 12 May 1917) (known as "Sonny") was killed during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. His body was never found.
Bransby Williams' youngest daughter, Betty (1909-2001) had a son Eric Paul Corin (born 1948), who runs Magnificent Music Machines, near Liskeard in Cornwall.. Here, as well hearing Player Pianos, the 1929 Wurlitzer Theatre Organ from the Regent Cinema Brighton, one can hearing recordings of Bransby Williams, on Phonograph Cylinders and 78 r.p.m. Records.
Publications
- Williams, Bransby An Actor's Story, Chapman & Hall, London (1909)
- Williams, Bransby My Sketches From Dickens, Chapman & Hall, London (1913)
- Williams, Bransby Bransby Williams, by Himself',' Hutchinson, London (1954)
External links
- Williams on 'Footlight Notes'
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0930154/Williams on Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
] - The Awakening of Scrooge (1913) audio recording
- Images of Williams on the National Portrait Gallery, London website
- Full text of An Actor's Story (1909)
- Williams on David Perdue's Charles Dickens Page - Dickens on the Web
- Williams on monologues.co.uk
- http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=28906Williams portrays Tony Weller from the The Pickwick PapersThe Pickwick PapersThe Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is the first novel by Charles Dickens. After the publication, the widow of the illustrator Robert Seymour claimed that the idea for the novel was originally her husband's; however, in his preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens strenuously denied any...
- British Pathé NewsPathe NewsPathé Newsreels were produced from 1910 until the 1970s, when production of newsreels was in general stopped. Pathé News today is known as British Pathé and its archive of over 90,000 reels is fully digitised and online.-History:...
] - http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=37511Williams creates characters using greasepaint and wigs - British Pathé NewsPathe NewsPathé Newsreels were produced from 1910 until the 1970s, when production of newsreels was in general stopped. Pathé News today is known as British Pathé and its archive of over 90,000 reels is fully digitised and online.-History:...
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