Edmund Willard (19 December 1884 – 6 October 1956) was a British actor of the 1930s and 1940s. Born in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

in 1884, the nephew of

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

actor Edward Smith Willard, in 1920 Willard appeared in the plays of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a Grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

. He appeared in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'', ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'', ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'', ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'', and ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

''. Willard's first film role was as the Fourth Party in ''

A Window in Piccadilly ''A Window in Piccadilly'' is a 1928 British silent film, silent romance film directed by Sidney Morgan and starring Joan Morgan, John F. Hamilton and James Carew. It was made at Twickenham Studios as an independent film, independent production ...

'' (1928). His other film appearances include ''

The Private Life of Don Juan ''The Private Life of Don Juan'' is a 1934 British comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon and Benita Hume. At the age of 51, it was the final role of Fairbanks, who died five years later. Th ...

'' (1934) with

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor and filmmaker best known for being the first actor to play the masked Vigilante Zorro and other swashbuckler film, swashbu ...

and

Merle Oberon Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress. She began her acting career in British cinema in the early 1930s, with a breakout role in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). She ...

, ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with her husband Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in Lo ...

'' (1934) with

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...

and

Raymond Massey Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor known for his commanding stage-trained voice. For his lead role in '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940), Massey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He r ...

, ''

The Mystery of the Mary Celeste ''The Mystery of the Mary Celeste'' (U.S. title: ''The Phantom Ship'') is a 1935 British mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private invest ...

'' (1935) with

Bela Lugosi Blaskó Béla Ferenc Dezső (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), better known by the stage name Bela Lugosi ( ; ), was a Hungarian–American actor. He was best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the horror film classic Dracula (19 ...

, Van Zeeland in ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

'' (1936) with

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

and

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born in 1 ...

, the Chief Steward in '' Underneath the Arches'' (1937) with

Bud Flanagan Bud Flanagan (born Chaim Reuben Weintrop, 14 October 1896 – 20 October 1968) was a British music hall and vaudeville entertainer and comedian, and later a television and film actor. He was best known as being one half of the comedy and musi ...

, Chesney Allen and The Crazy Gang, the Chief of German Intelligence in '' Dark Journey'' (1937) with

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progress ...

and

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt ( , ; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German and British actor. He attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man ...

, '' Hoots Mon!'' (1940) with Max Miller, '' Penn of Pennsylvania'' (1942) with Clifford Evans and

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a Scottish actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be no ...

, and '' The Young Mr. Pitt'' (1942) with

Robert Donat Friedrich Robert Donat ( ; 18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. Making his breakthrough film role in Alexander Korda's ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933), today he is best remembered for his roles in ''The Count of Monte C ...

and

Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, often in ...

. His television roles included appearances in ''

Fabian of the Yard ''Fabian of Scotland Yard'' is a British police procedural television series based on the real-life memoirs of Scotland Yard detective Robert Fabian, produced by Trinity Productions, with episodes purchase by the BBC and broadcast between Novemb ...

'' (1954), ''The

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

Theatre'' (1956) and ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1956). Willard married Mabel Theresa Tebbs (1885–1974) in 1907 at

Steyning Steyning ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Horsham District, Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, north of the coastal town of Shoreha ...

. They had a daughter, the children's author Barbara Willard, and a son, Christopher Willard (died 1944).
Descendants of William Tebbs website Edmund Willard died in 1956 in Kingston upon Thames, Kingston, London, aged 71.

Partial filmography

* '' The Green Orchard'' (1916) - Tony Rye * ''

'' (1928) - The Fourth Party * '' Cape Forlorn'' (1931) - Henry Cass * '' A Night in Montmartre'' (1931) - Alexandre * '' The Crooked Lady'' (1932) - Joseph Garstin * '' Rynox'' (1932) - Capt. James * ''La mille et deuxième nuit'' (1933) - The Sultan (English version, voice) * ''The Fear Ship'' (1933) - Jack Arkwright * ''

'' (1934) - Prisoner (uncredited) * '' The Iron Duke'' (1934) - Marshal Ney * ''

'' (1934) - Bibot - Republican Officer (uncredited) * ''

William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...

'' (1934) - Walter Fuerst * ''

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

'' (1935) - Hoffman * ''

Moscow Nights "Moscow Nights", originally titled "Leningrad Nights", is a Soviet patriotic song written by Mikhail Matusovsky and composed by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy. It was later covered as "Midnight in Moscow" by Kenny Ball. Composition and initial succ ...

'' (1935) - Officer of Prosecution * ''

'' (1935) - Toby Bilson * '' King of the Damned'' (1935) - The Greek * '' Royal Eagle'' (1936) - Burnock * ''

'' (1936) - Van Zeeland * ''

The Mill on the Floss ''The Mill on the Floss'' is a novel by English author George Eliot, pen name of Mary Ann Evans, first published in three volumes on 4 April 1860 by William Blackwood and Sons. The first American edition was published by Harper & Brothers, Pub ...

'' (1936) - (uncredited) * '' Dark Journey'' (1937) - General Berlin of German Intelligence * '' Underneath the Arches'' (1937) - Chief Steward * '' Farewell Again'' (1937) - Pvt. Withers * '' Smash and Grab'' (1937) - Cappellano * '' Make It Three'' (1938) - Big Ed * ''

The Stars Look Down ''The Stars Look Down'' is a 1935 novel by A. J. Cronin which chronicles various injustices in an English coal mining community. A film version was released in 1940, and television adaptations include both Italian (1971) and British (1975) v ...

'' (1940) - Mr. Ramage * '' Hoots Mon!'' (1940) - Sandy McBride * '' Pastor Hall'' (1940) - Freundlich * '' Atlantic Ferry'' (1941) - Robert Napier * '' Penn of Pennsylvania'' (1942) - Ship's Captain * '' The Young Mr. Pitt'' (1942) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Cardboard Cavalier'' (1949) - Oliver Cromwell * '' Helter Skelter'' (1949) - Ezekial * ''

Up in the World ''Up in the World'' is a 1956 black and white comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Norman Wisdom, Maureen Swanson and Jerry Desmonde. It was written by Jack Davies, Henty Blyth and Peter Blackmore, and produced by Rank ...

'' (1956) - Judge (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

*
Willard on Allmovie.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willard, Edmund 1884 births 1956 deaths English male film actors English male television actors English male stage actors 20th-century English male actors Male actors from Brighton