George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer,

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...

and actor.

Early life

Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking,

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw,

Flintshire Flintshire () is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, the Dee Estuary to the north-east, the English county of Cheshire to the east, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. ...

. He was the eldest of the three surviving sons of Mary (née Williams) a former maid-servant and Richard Williams, a greengrocer. He spoke only Welsh until the age of eight. Later, he said he would probably have begun working in the mines at age 12 if he had not caught the attention of Sarah Grace Cooke, the model for Miss Moffat in '' The Corn Is Green''. She was a teacher of French at the grammar school in Holywell, Flintshire in 1915, where Williams had gone on a scholarship. Over the next seven years she encouraged him in his studies and helped pay for him to stay with a French friend of hers in Haute-Savoie in France, where he spent three months perfecting his French. When he was 17 she helped him win a scholarship to

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, where he studied French and Italian. In 1926, during his studies at university, Williams had a

nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

, which was blamed largely on a failed emotional friendship with another undergraduate. As a means of recovery Miss Cooke encouraged him to write. However, Williams intended to enter the theatrical world too and joined the

Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University a ...

(OUDS).

Professional career

Aged 22, Williams performed with OUDS in his first full-length play, ''Full Moon'', at the original Oxford Playhouse in 1927. Later that year he joined a London-based repertory company and began his stage career. By age 25 (1930), he had expanded his writing with works such as '' A Murder Has Been Arranged'' and '' The Late Christopher Bean''. The same year he appeared in

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer of crime and adventure fiction. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was ...

's hit thriller '' On the Spot'' in the West End. Over the next few years, Williams took on roles on stage and on film, including the first film celluloid version of the Edgar Wallace mystery, '' The Frightened Lady''. At age 30, he became an overnight star, however, with his thriller '' Night Must Fall'' (1935), in which he also played the lead role of a psychopathic murderer. The play was noted for its exploration of the killer's complex psychological state, a step forward for its genre. His other highly successful play was very different: '' The Corn Is Green'', written in 1938 at age 33), was partly based on his own childhood in Wales. He starred as a Welsh schoolboy in the play's London premiere. The play came to Broadway in 1940 with

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

as the schoolteacher Miss Moffat. A 1950 Broadway revival starred Eva La Gallienne. The play was turned into a very successful film starring

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

, and again into a made-for-television film starring

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

, under the direction of Williams's close friend

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

. An attempt to turn the play into a musical in the 1970s, with Davis again in the role of the schoolteacher with lyrics by Williams, failed. So did a Broadway revival in 1983 starring Cicely Tyson and Peter Gallagher. But a 1985 London revival at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

with Deborah Kerr was successful, as was a 2007 production at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. That production starred Kate Burton. Williams was a close friend of Kate's parents,

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

and Burton's first wife, Sybil. In the Williamstown production, the schoolboy – the role created by and modeled on Williams himself – was played by Kate Burton's son, Morgan Ritchie. ''The Corn is Green'' was revived at the National Theatre in London in 2022 with Nicola Walker playing Miss Moffat. Emlyn Williams included this story in his early autobiography ''George'' covering the years 1905-1927 and published in 1961. A sequel, ''Emlyn'', covering the years 1927–1935, was published in 1973. Emlyn Williams's autobiographical light comedy, ''The Druid's Rest'', was first performed at the St Martin's Theatre,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, in 1944. It saw the stage debut of

whom Williams had spotted at an audition in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. The play has been revived at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in both 1976 and 2005, and received its first

revival in sixty years at London's

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

in 2009. In addition to stage plays, Emlyn Williams wrote a number of film screenplays, working with

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

(on ''The Man Who Knew Too Much''), Carol Reed and other directors. He acted in and contributed dialogue to various films based on the novels of

A. J. Cronin Archibald Joseph Cronin (Cronogue) (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981) was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is ''The Citadel (novel), The Citadel'' (1937), about a Scottish physician who serves in a Welsh coal mining, minin ...

, including '' The Citadel'' (1938), '' The Stars Look Down'' (1939), '' Hatter's Castle'' (1942) and '' Web of Evidence'' (1959). He played the mad Roman emperor

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

in an uncompleted 1937 film version of Robert Graves's novel '' I, Claudius'' (with Charles Laughton); a kindly veterinarian who accidentally causes the death of a murderess (played by

) in the 1952 suspense drama '' Another Man's Poison''; and the fool Wamba in the 1952 ''Ivanhoe'' (with Robert Taylor and

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

). Other screen credits include Hitchcock's adaptation of

Daphne du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Gerald du Maurier, Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her gra ...

's '' Jamaica Inn'' (with Charles Laughton), Gabriel Pascal's film version of

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

's ''

Major Barbara ''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...

'' (with Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison),

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hi ...

's ''I Accuse!'' (playing Émile Zola), ''The Wreck of the Mary Deare'' (with Gary Cooper), '' The L-Shaped Room'' (with Leslie Caron), and a made-for-TV adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's ''David Copperfield'' (with an all-star cast including

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

, Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson and Edith Evans). In 1941 Williams starred in the film ''You Will Remember'', directed by Jack Raymond and written by Sewell Stokes and Lydia Hayward. The film is based on the life of the popular late Victorian songwriter Leslie Stuart, played here by Robert Morley, with Williams as Stuart's best friend. Also in 1941, he had a principal supporting part (as Snobby Price) in

Gabriel Pascal Gabriel Pascal (born Gábor Lehel; 4 June 1894 – 6 July 1954) was a Hungarian film producer and director whose best-known films were made in the United Kingdom. Pascal was the first film producer to successfully bring the plays of Georg ...

's filming of

's ''

''. Williams's only film as a director, '' The Last Days of Dolwyn'' (1949), which he also wrote and starred in, marked the screen debut of his fellow Welshman, Richard Burton. Williams often appeared in his own plays, and was famous for his one-man shows, with which he toured the world, playing

in an evening of excerpts from Dickens's novels. This "one man show" was the start of a whole new theatrical genre. He followed up his Dickens performance with one man shows based on the works of Dylan Thomas, ''Dylan Thomas Growing Up'', and H. H. Munro better known under his pseudonym

Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), popularly known by his pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirise Edwardian society and ...

. His post-war acting credits included ''

The Winslow Boy ''The Winslow Boy'' is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an incident involving George Archer-Shee in the Edwardian era. The incident took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Background Set against the strict cod ...

'' by Terence Rattigan and '' The Deputy'' aka ''The Representative'' by Rolf Hochhuth on Broadway. He also was the "voice" of

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

in the seminal

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

documentary '' The Great War'' (1964). Among Williams's other books was the best seller '' Beyond Belief: A Chronicle of Murder and its Detection'' (1968), a semi-fictionalised account of the Moors murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. His 1980 novel '' Headlong'', the fictional story of the unexpected death of the entire British royal family in a freak accident in 1930, and the ascent of a most unlikely heir to the British throne as a result, was the loose basis of the 1991 motion picture '' King Ralph''. On Monday 17 February 1975, Williams was Roy Plomley's guest on '' Desert Island Discs'' on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

. The author's book choice was a dictionary with a typewriter, pen and paper combined as his luxury.

Personal life

Williams was married in 1935 to actress Mary Marjorie O'Shann (Molly Shan), who died in 1970. They had two sons,

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Kurdish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

, a writer, and Brook, an actor. Brook became a close friend of Richard Burton, working as his personal assistant and appearing in many of his films. Williams is godfather to Kate Burton. Both during his marriage and following his wife's death, Williams was actively bisexual throughout his adult life. He maintained a relationship from 1981 to 1986 with American theatre journalist Albert N. Williams whom Emlyn met while appearing at the Northlight Theatre in the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

area with his one-man Charles Dickens show. Albert Williams served as Emlyn Williams's personal assistant during a 1982 tour of England, Wales and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

with the Charles Dickens and Dylan Thomas solo shows.

Honours

* Emlyn Williams was awarded an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

by the

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

in 1949. * Emlyn Williams was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in 1962.

Death

Emlyn Williams died on 25 September 1987 at his flat in Dovehouse Street, Chelsea, London, from complications from bowel cancer. He was 81 years old. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, London.

Bibliography

Plays

* ''Full Moon'' * '' A Murder Has Been Arranged'' * ''Spring 1600'' * '' Night Must Fall'' * ''He was Born Gay'' (1937) a play about the Dauphin son of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

* '' The Corn Is Green'' * '' The Light of Heart'' * '' The Morning Star'' * '' A Month in the Country'' (Adapted from the play by Turgenev) * '' The Druid's Rest'' * '' The Wind of Heaven'' * ''Trespass'' * ''

Accolade The accolade (also known as dubbing, adoubement, or knighting) () was the central act in the rite of passage Ceremony, ceremonies conferring knighthood in the Middle Ages. Etymology The term ''accolade'' entered English by 1591, when Thomas ...

'' * '' Someone Waiting'' * ''Beth'',Bibliographic detail taken from a copy of ''George'', Williams autobiography published by Random House New York in 1961 later revised under the title ''Cuckoo''

Novels (inexhaustive list)

* ''Beyond Belief: A Chronicle of Murder and its Detection (1968) * ''Headlong (1980)

Autobiography

* ''George'' (1961) * ''Emlyn'' (1973)

Filmography

* '' Night Must Fall'', directed by

Richard Thorpe Richard Thorpe (born Rollo Smolt Thorpe; February 24, 1896 – May 1, 1991) was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His obituary called him "a capable and versatile director willing to take on any ass ...

(1937, based on the play '' Night Must Fall'') * '' Life Begins at Eight-Thirty'', directed by

Irving Pichel Irving Pichel (June 24, 1891 – July 13, 1954) was an American actor and film director, who won acclaim both as an actor and director in his Hollywood career. Career Pichel was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Pittsburgh. He attended ...

(1942, based on the play '' The Light of Heart'') * '' The Corn Is Green'', directed by

Irving Rapper Irving Rapper (16 January 1898 – 20 December 1999) was a British-born American film director. Biography Born to a British Jews, Jewish family in London, Rapper emigrated to the United States and became an actor and a stage director on Broadwa ...

(1945, based on the play '' The Corn Is Green'') * '' Time Without Pity'', directed by

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American film and theatre director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Hollywood ...

(UK, 1957, based on the play '' Someone Waiting'') * '' Life Begins at Eight'', directed by Michael Kehlmann (West Germany, 1962, based on the play '' The Light of Heart'') * '' Night Must Fall'', directed by Karel Reisz (UK, 1964, based on the play '' Night Must Fall'') * '' The Corn Is Green'', directed by

(TV film, 1979, based on the play '' The Corn Is Green'') * '' King Ralph'', directed by David S. Ward (1991, based on the novel '' Headlong'')

Screenwriter

* '' Friday the Thirteenth'' (1933) * ''

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

'' (1934) * ''

The Divine Spark ''The Divine Spark'' is a 1935 British musical film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Marta Eggerth, Phillips Holmes, Benita Hume and Donald Calthrop. An Italian-language version ''Casta Diva (1935 film), Casta Diva'' was shot simultaneou ...

'' (1935) * '' Broken Blossoms'' (1936) * '' The Last Days of Dolwyn'' (1949)

Director

* '' The Last Days of Dolwyn'' (1949)

Actor

* '' The Frightened Lady'' (1932) as Lord Lebanon (film debut) * '' Men of Tomorrow'' (1932) as Horners * '' Sally Bishop'' (1932) as Arthur Montague * '' Friday the Thirteenth'' (1933) as William Blake * '' My Song for You'' (1934) as Theodore Bruckner * ''

Evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which ...

'' (1934) as George Leary * '' Road House'' (1934) as Chester * '' The Iron Duke'' (1934) as Bates * '' The Dictator'' (1935) as King

Christian VII of Denmark Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was King of Denmark–Norway, Denmark and Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. He was affected by mental illness and ...

* '' City of Beautiful Nonsense'' (1935) as Jack Grey * '' Broken Blossoms'' (1936) as Chen * '' I, Claudius'' (1937) as

(the film was never completed, but footage is preserved) * '' Dead Men Tell No Tales'' (1938) as Dr. Headlam * '' Night Alone'' (1938) as Charles Seaton * '' The Citadel'' (1938) as Owen * '' They Drive by Night'' (1938) as Shorty Matthews * '' Jamaica Inn'' (1939) as Harry the Peddler - Sir Humphrey's Gang * '' The Stars Look Down'' (1940) as Joe Gowlan * '' The Girl in the News'' (1940) as Tracy * '' You Will Remember'' (1941) as Bob Slater * ''

'' (1941) as Snobby Price * '' This England'' (1941) as Appleyard * '' Hatter's Castle'' (1942) as Dennis * '' The Last Days of Dolwyn'' (1949) as Rob * '' Three Husbands'' (1951) as Maxwell Bard * '' The Scarf'' (1951) as Dr. David Dunbar * '' Another Man's Poison'' (1951) as Dr. Henderson * ''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivie ...

'' (1951) as Bank Manager * ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

'' (1952) as Wamba/Narrator * '' The Deep Blue Sea'' (1955) as Sir William Collyer * '' I Accuse!'' (1958) as

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

* '' Beyond This Place'' (1959) as Enoch Oswald * '' The Wreck of the Mary Deare'' (1959) as Sir Wilfred Falcett * '' The L-Shaped Room'' (1962) as Dr. Weaver * ''The Epic That Never Was'' (1965, TV) as Himself * '' Eye of the Devil'' (1966) as Alain de Montfaucon * ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'' (1969, TV Movie) as Mr. Dick * '' The Walking Stick'' (1970) as Jack Foil * '' The Deadly Game'' (1982, TV Movie) as Bernard Laroque * ''Past Caring'' (1985, TV Movie) as Edward (final film)

References

External links

* * * * The collection o
Emlyn Williams Correspondence
is held by the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

Theatre and Performance Department.
Emlyn Williams papers, 1941-1986
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Emlyn 1905 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Welsh dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Welsh LGBTQ people 20th-century Welsh male actors 20th-century Welsh male writers Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deaths from cancer in England Gay dramatists and playwrights Golders Green Crematorium Male actors from Flintshire Welsh gay actors Welsh gay writers Welsh LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights Welsh male dramatists and playwrights Welsh male film actors Welsh male stage actors Welsh-speaking actors