Alan Williams (actor)

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Alan Williams
Born1954 (age 7071)
Manchester, England
OccupationActor
Years active1986–present

Alan Williams (born 1954 [1] ) is a British actor and playwright, who has performed in film, television and theatre in both the United Kingdom and Canada. [2]

Contents

Life and career

Originally from Manchester [2] and educated at The Manchester Grammar School, he took some classes in theatre school but received the bulk of his training as an apprentice with the Hull Truck Theatre. [3] He performed his Cockroach trilogy of one-man plays (The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati, The Return of the Cockroach and The Cockroach Has Landed) at the influential London fringe venue The Bush Theatre and subsequently at the International Theatre Festival in Toronto, Ontario in 1981, [4] and then decided to remain in the city, becoming playwright in residence at the Tarragon Theatre. [5]

He later moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, becoming a theatre professor at the University of Winnipeg. [2] His subsequent plays in Canada included The Warlord of Willowdale, [5] The White Dogs of Texas, [6] King of America, [7] Dixieland's Night of Shame, [8] Welcome to the NHL [3] and The Duke of Nothing. [9] He also took some acting roles in other playwrights' work, most notably appearing opposite Linda Griffiths in her two-person play The Darling Family [10] and its 1994 film adaptation by Alan Zweig. [11]

In 1996, his Cockroach trilogy was adapted into the film The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati by filmmaker Michael McNamara. [12] The film garnered Williams a Genie Award nomination for Best Actor at the 18th Genie Awards. [13] Soon after completing the film of The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati, Williams moved back to England, [14] where he has had roles in films such as The Scold's Bridle , Touching Evil , The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and Vera Drake , and television series including Always and Everyone , Coronation Street , Wire in the Blood , Life Begins , The Virgin Queen , Rome , Luther , Father Brown , Doc Martin and Starlings . He returned to Canada in 2015 to tour his new theatre trilogy The Girl with Two Voices. [2] [14]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1986Mistress MadeleineKirk
1994 The Darling Family He
1996 The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati Captain
1998 Among Giants Frank
1999 Elephant Juice Geezer-Man on Tube
2002 All or Nothing Drunk
Heartlands Deno
2003 Bright Young Things Bookie
2004 The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Casino Royale director
Vera Drake Sick Husband
2007 Grow Your Own Kenny
2010 London Boulevard Joe
2012 Run for Your Wife
2017 Trespass Against Us Noah
2018 Peterloo Magistrate Marriott
Sometimes Always Never Desk Officer
2019 I Was at Home, But Herr Meisner
2024Till the Stars Come DownTony

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997 Wycliffe Mr. RandEpisode: "Strangers Homes"
1997, 1999,
2002, 2004
The Bill Various characters4 episodes
1998Getting HurtParanoidTelevision film
The Scold's Bridle Bob SpedeMiniseries; 2 episodes
Touching Evil Raymond Mackie2 episodes
1999 Badger Dominic McGuireEpisode: "Low Fidelity"
1999–2000 Always and Everyone Martin7 episodes
1999, 2001 Coronation Street Caretaker / Brian Haverstock3 episodes
2000 North Square Davey BurnsEpisode #1.1
2001 Love in a Cold Climate Religious SpeakerEpisode #1.2
2002 Peak Practice Kevin ColesEpisode: "Betrayal"
Paradise Heights Norman LearEpisode #1.4
Wire in the Blood Graham Dowling2 episodes
Sirens DCI StrutherTelevision film
2003 Serious & Organised Ritchie MullanEpisode: "Nice Little Earner"
The Mayor of Casterbridge StubberdTelevision film
Charles II: The Power and the Passion PreacherMiniseries; 1 episode
2004–2005 Life Begins George7 episodes
2005 The Virgin Queen Doctor John Dee Episode #1.1
DerailedKen HodsonTelevision film
A Waste of Shame George Wilkins Television film
2006 Heartbeat Ed SawyerEpisode: "Kith and Kin"
The Innocence Project Morris ToalEpisode #1.2
2007 Rome Acerbo4 episodes
New Tricks Johnny JonesEpisode: "Father's Pride"
2007, 2010 Holby City Robert Mallory / Ralph Lawrence2 episodes
2008 Mutual Friends Tractor DriverEpisode #1.6
Silent Witness Eddie Stokes2 episodes
Spooks Charles GradyEpisode: "Darkest Hour"
EastEnders Scally1 episode
2009 Personal Affairs David JohnstonEpisode: "A Decent Proposal"
2010PulseCharlie MaddoxTelevision film
2011 Shameless LuluEpisode: "Sickness and Health"
The Crimson Petal and the White Colonel Leek2 episodes
Vera Michael LongEpisode: "Telling Tales"
Luther Frank Hodge3 episodes
Midsomer Murders Ezra CanningEpisode: "The Sleeper Under the Hill"
Doc Martin Alastair Tonken2 episodes
2011, 2016 Doctors Geoff Stride / Ben Sinclair2 episodes
2012–2013 Starlings Granddad12 episodes
2012, 2015, 2016,
2019, 2021
Casualty Various characters5 episodes
2013 Utopia The Tramp2 episodes
Endeavour Cyril MorseEpisode: "Home"
The Guilty Frank Lawson3 episodes
2015 SunTrap Donald Hammer3 episodes
The Coroner Keegan BrubakerEpisode: "Capsized"
2015–2016 Drunk History Various characters4 episodes
2016 The Crown Professor HoggEpisode: "Scientia Potentia Est"
2017–2020 Father Brown Blind 'Arry5 episodes
2019 The Capture Eddie Emery3 episodes
Chernobyl KGB Deputy Chairman Viktor Charkov3 episodes
2020 Cold Feet ChrisEpisode #9.5
2021 Grantchester Bernard AllisonEpisode #6.6
The Long Call Maurice Craddle4 episodes
2022 Inside Man GordonEpisode #1.4
Without Sin EricEpisode #1.2
2023 Beyond Paradise DerekEpisode #1.6

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References

  1. Alan Williams brings Girl to Winnipeg . In: mbplays.ca, January 6, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Success, Failure All Part of the Plan for Playwright". Winnipeg Free Press , 6 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Tall tales from outsiders; Performer-playwright brings acclaimed trilogy to Ottawa". Ottawa Citizen , 4 May 1988.
  4. "Cockroach displays humor". The Globe and Mail , 20 May 1981.
  5. 1 2 "From Cockroach Trilogy to suburbia Williams battles theatre cliches". The Globe and Mail , 11 January 1984.
  6. "Spontaneity sings in Williams's White Dogs". Ottawa Citizen , 5 May 1988.
  7. "King of America gives audience unique lesson in hilarious history". Ottawa Citizen , 12 May 1998.
  8. "Tall tales and home truths: The creator of the Cockroach Trilogy tries his hand at drama". The Globe and Mail , 22 August 1987.
  9. "Playwright takes on Canadian theatre values". Toronto Star , 15 March 1991.
  10. "'The act of theatre is an act of hope'". The Globe and Mail , 24 January 1991.
  11. "Movie strikes balance in the abortion debate". Edmonton Journal , 7 December 1994.
  12. "Film is '60s surreal: Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati funny and disconcerting". Montreal Gazette , 24 May 1997.
  13. "Sweet Hereafter leads the Genie award pack". The Province , 5 November 1997.
  14. 1 2 "U.K. artist finds truth stranger than fantasy". Calgary Herald , 10 January 2015.