Emlyn Williams

Actor, Dramatist and Screenwriter

Emlyn Williams, born George Emlyn Williams, CBE, on the 26th of November, 1905, was a Welsh actor, dramatist and screenwriter. He was born into a Welsh-speaking family near Pen-y-ffordd, Flintshire, and spoke only Welsh until he was eight years old. A scholarship, encouraged by a teacher who later inspired the character of Miss Moffat, took him to Christ Church, Oxford, and launched his career on the London stage.

He is best remembered for The Corn Is Green (1938), a play he wrote and starred in that was partly based on his own childhood in Wales, and for the psychological thriller Night Must Fall (1935). As a screenwriter he worked with Alfred Hitchcock on The Man Who Knew Too Much and adapted several works of A. J. Cronin for film, while as an actor he appeared in Major Barbara, Ivanhoe and I, Claudius. He directed and starred in The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949), which gave a young Richard Burton, whom Williams had spotted at an audition in Cardiff, his screen debut. He was appointed CBE in 1962 and received an honorary degree from the University of Wales in 1949.

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Flintshire-born Welsh actor, dramatist and screenwriter, best known for The Corn Is Green and Night Must Fall, and for often appearing in his own plays.

Emlyn Williams often appeared in his own plays, and was famous for his one-man shows touring the world as Charles Dickens and, later, as Dylan Thomas. He remained closely tied to Wales throughout his career, having discovered a young Richard Burton at a Cardiff audition and helped launch his career.

Career Highlights

Wrote and starred in The Corn Is Green (1938), partly based on his own Welsh childhood
Wrote the psychological thriller Night Must Fall (1935)
Directed and starred in The Last Days of Dolwyn, the screen debut of Richard Burton

ℹ️ Born George Emlyn Williams on the 26th of November, 1905, near Pen-y-ffordd, Mostyn, Flintshire, Wales.

ℹ️ Emlyn died on the 25th of September, 1987.

Born and raised in a Welsh-speaking family in Flintshire, North Wales; he spoke only Welsh until the age of eight before a scholarship took him to grammar school and then to Oxford.

From: nankypoo

All I remember is he was short and dark and appeared in films. Ed adds. "He was a dramatist and actor, often appearing in his own plays".

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