Arthur Williams (9 December 1844 – 15 September 1915) was an English actor, singer and playwright best remembered for his roles in

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a n ...

s, musical burlesques and Edwardian musical comedies. As a playwright, Williams wrote several farces as well as some dramas. Born in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

, London, Williams initially went into business as a law stationer but soon left to take up acting in 1861 when he was 17. He travelled to

Gravesend, Kent Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it ...

, where he made his stage début as Alfred Martelli in "The Corsican Brothers". He made his London stage debut at the

St James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham (tenor), John Braham; it lost mon ...

in 1868, where his roles included Thomas in ''The Secret'', Baron Factotum in a burlesque of ''Sleeping Beauty'', and Moses in ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sn ...

''. After playing in dramas in the 1870s, he appeared in comic operas in the 1880s, in which he created the roles Sir Mincing Lane in ''

Billee Taylor ''Billee Taylor, or The Reward of Virtue'' is "a nautical comedy opera" by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens. The piece was first produced at the Imperial Theatre in London on 30 October 1880, starring Arthur Willi ...

'', Sir Whiffle Whaffle in ''

Claude Duval Claude Du Vall (or Duval) (164321 January 1670) was a French highwayman in Restoration England. He came from a family of decayed nobility, and worked in the service of exiled royalists who returned to England under King Charles II. Little el ...

'', Amaranth CVIII in ''Lord Bateman'', his most famous role, Lurcher in '' Dorothy'' and Corporal Bundy in '' The Red Hussar''. In the last decade of the century, he appeared in '' The Shop Girl'', '' The Circus Girl'' and ''A Message from Mars'', by Richard Ganthony, among others. In 1902, he began a long association with the hit musical ''

A Chinese Honeymoon ''A Chinese Honeymoon'' is a musical comedy in two acts by George Dance, with music by Howard Talbot and additional music by Ivan Caryll and others, and additional lyrics by Harry Greenbank and others. One song that originated in the show was ...

'' and went on to appear in a further six musicals and plays including '' The Belle of Mayfair'' (1906) and '' A Waltz Dream'' (1908). Later roles included Cornelius Scroop in '' The Girl in the Train'' in 1910 and Touchstone in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has ...

'' the following year. One of his last roles was in 1914 as Perkyn Middlewick in ''

Our Boys ''Our Boys'' is a comedy in three acts written by Henry James Byron, first performed in London on 16 January 1875 at the Vaudeville Theatre. Until it was surpassed by the run of ''Charley's Aunt'' in the 1890s, it was the world's longest-runn ...

''. He died the following year at the age of 70.

Biography

Early life

Arthur Williams was born in

. He was married to Emily Spiller and had a brother, Fred, who was also engaged in theatre and music hall. His nephew was the comic film actor

Fred Emney Frederick Arthur Round Emney (12 February 1902 – 25 December 1980) was an English character actor and comedian. Emney was born in Prescot, Lancashire,GRO Register of Births Mar 1902 Frederick Arthur R Emney 8b 725 PRESCOT1901 Census: ...

. Williams first went into business as a law stationer before beginning his stage career.

Early acting career

His first role was in 1861 as Alfred Martelli in "The Corsican Brothers" in

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is th ...

, in northwest

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England, at the age of 17. In 1867, he appeared in ''The Carpenter of Rouen'', by Joseph Stevens Jones and a stage version of ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'' by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

. After performing in local performances for seven years, he finally made his London stage debut at the

in 1868, where he played such roles as Thomas in ''The Secret'', Baron Factotum in a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

of ''Sleeping Beauty'', and Moses in ''

''. In 1871 he played at the

Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.

in ''Nell Gwynne'', among other works. In 1875, he played Hoyley Smayle in ''Sentenced to Death'', a drama by George Conquest and Henry Pettit. This was followed in 1876 by Jonas Isaacs in ''Queen's Evidence'', a drama by George Conquest and H. Pettit. In 1877, he played Toby Daggs in ''During her Majesty's Pleasure'', a drama by Conquest and Pettit. In 1880, at the Imperial Theatre, he created the role of Sir Mincing Lane in the

'', beginning a string of roles in works by Edward Solomon and Henry Pottinger Stephens. In 1881, at the

Olympic Theatre The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout m ...

, he created Sir Whiffle Whaffle in another Solomon and Stephens opera, ''

''. At the Gaiety Theatre, in 1882, he created the role of Amaranth CVIII in Solomon and Stephens' ''Lord Bateman''. In 1883, he played Prospero in ''Ariel'', a burlesque by F. C. Burnand.NY Times article that includes a brief review of ''Ariel''
/ref> In early 1886, he played the title role in a burlesque, ''Oliver Grumble''. Williams' first big success, and likely his most celebrated role, was William Lurcher, which he created in the record-setting hit

'' Dorothy'', beginning in 1886. In 1888, he appeared in ''The Spitalfields Weaver'' by

Thomas Haynes Bayly Thomas Haynes Bayly (13 October 1797 – 22 April 1839) was an English poet, songwriter, dramatist and writer. Life Bayly was born in Bath on 13 October 1797, the only child of Nathaniel Bayly, an influential citizen of Bath: he was related t ...

. At the Gaiety Theatre, in 1889, he played Bardell V. Pickwick in Dickens' stage adaptation of his novel, ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...

''. At the

Britannia Theatre The Britannia Theatre (1841–1900) was located at 115/117 High Street, Hoxton, London.''Britanni ...

in 1889, he appeared in ''The Harvest Storm'', by Colin Henry Hazlewood. Also in 1889, at the Lyric Theatre, he created the role of Dinniver in '' Doris''. The same year, he also played Octavius Dell in ''The Jackal'', by E. B. Aveling, followed by Solomon and Stephens' '' The Red Hussar'', in which he created the role of Corporal Bundy. Back at the Gaiety, in 1890, Williams played Captain Ziniga in ''

Carmen up to Data ''Carmen up to Data'' is a musical burlesque with a score written by Meyer Lutz. The piece was a spoof of Bizet's 1875 opera ''Carmen''. The libretto was written by G. R. Sims and Henry Pettitt. After a tryout in Liverpool in September 1890, ...

''. In 1891, he played as Sir Ludgate Hill in another Gaiety burlesque, ''

Cinder Ellen up too Late ''Cinder Ellen up too Late'' is a musical burlesque written by Frederick Hobson Leslie (writing under the pseudonym A. C. Torr) and W. T. Vincent, with music arranged by Meyer Lutz from compositions by Lionel Monckton, Sidney Jones, Walter Slaugh ...

''. In 1892, at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto ...

, he played Tom Blinker in ''The Prodigal Daughter'' and appeared in ''Little Bo-Peep, Little Red Riding Hood & Hop O' My Thumb'', by

Augustus Harris Sir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris (18 March 1852 – 22 June 1896) was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist, a dominant figure in the West End theatre, West End theatre of the 1880s and 1890s. Born into a theatrical family, Harris briefl ...

and John Wilton Jones. In 1893, he played Dick Chilton in ''A Woman's Revenge'', by Henry Pettit and Joshua Honeybun in ''Black Domino'' by Robert Buchanan and George Robert Sims.

Later years

From 1894–96, at the Gaiety, he created the role of Mr. Hooley in another hit, '' The Shop Girl'', and Drivelli in '' The Circus Girl''. In between, he played Bob Acres in ''The Rivals'' by

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as ''The Rivals'', ''The S ...

in 1895. From 1898 to 1901, he played at the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

with Sir Charles Hawtry in ''Lord & Lady Algy'', ''The Cuckoo'', as Penny in ''An Interrupted Honeymoon'', by F. Kinsey Peile, and in the long-running ''A Message from Mars'', by Richard Ganthony, among other works. In 1902, he portrayed Dudley Mortimer in ''The Broken Melody''. In 1902, he began a run of 700 performances as Mr. Pineapple in the hit musical ''

''. Following this, in 1904, he played Crookie Scrubs in ''Sergeant Brue''. In 1905, at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foot ...

, he appeared in ''On the Love Path'' and at Drury Lane, he was Baron Bluff in the pantomime. In 1906, at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

, he created the role of Sir John Chaldicott in '' The Belle of Mayfair'' and appeared there in 1907 in ''That Brute Simmonds''. In 1908, at the Hicks Theatre, he was Joachim XIII in '' A Waltz Dream''. He then played his old role of Lurcher in a revival of ''Dorothy''. In 1909, at the Strand Theatre, he was Zopf in ''The Merry Peasant''. 1910 saw him creating the role of Cornelius Scroop in '' The Girl in the Train''. In 1911, he was Touchstone in ''

'',

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellio ...

in ''The Critic'' and Percival in ''Sweet Nell of Old Drury'' by Paul Kester, touring in the latter until 1913. He then appeared as Master Blakey in ''Peg & the Prentice'' and in 1914 was Jaikes in ''The Silver King'' and Perkyn Middlewick in ''

''. In 1914, Williams wrote a memoir about his years in the theatre. Williams died the following year at the age of 70, having played over 1,000 roles in his career.

Playwriting career

As a playwright, Williams wrote several farces, including ''Leave it to Me'' (1872, with Colin Henry Hazlewood, in which Williams also appeared on stage), ''Funnibone's Fix'' (1892 at the Britannia Theatre, in which Williams also appeared on stage), and ''Oh! What a Day'', as well as some dramas, including '' Christmas Chimes'' and ''The Secret of a Life''.

Notes

References

*''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 1916 pp. 685–86 *''The Theatre'', v.XI, May 1888, p. 279

External links

Listing of a number of plays in which Williams appeared
from University of Kent at Canterbury {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Arthur English male musical theatre actors 19th-century British male singers 1844 births 1915 deaths People from Gravesend, Kent Male actors from Kent English male dramatists and playwrights