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Kenneth Charles Williams (February 22, 1926 -
April 15, 1988) was a British
comic actor, star of over twenty Carry On
films|Carry On... films and notable radio comedies
with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne, as well as a
witty raconteur on a wide range of subjects.

==Life and Career==

Kenneth Williams was born near Euston station,
London, the son of a hairdresser. He was educated
at Lyulph Stanley School. His relationship with
his parents - he hated his father and adored his
mother - was key to the development of his
personality. Williams apprenticed as a draughtsman
and joined the army aged 18. He was part of the
Royal Engineers survey section in Bombay when he
had his first experience of going on stage with
Combined Services Entertainment.

After the war, his career began with a number of
roles in repertory theatre, but few serious roles
were to lend themselves to his style of delivery.
His failure to be established as a serious
dramatic actor would disappoint him, but it was
his potential as a comic actor which gained him
his big break. He was spotted playing the Dauphin
in George Bernard Shaw's St Joan in 1954 by the
radio producer Dennis Main Wilson who was casting
Hancock's Half Hour. He would lend his distinctive
voice and amazing vocal talent to the radio series
to almost the end of its run five years later.

Meanwhile he became a foil to Kenneth Horne in the
series' Beyond Our Ken (1958-1963, and then
consolidated this with its sequel Round the Horne
(1964-1969). In the latter, his roles included the
eccentric folk singer, Rambling Syd Rumpo, and
Sandy of the extremely camp couple, Julian and
Sandy (Julian was played by Hugh Paddick), notable
for their arch double entendres and use of the
underground gay slang, Polari.

He also worked in television and British films,
most notably the Carry On films|Carry On...
series. Particularly in the theatre, he was famous
for breaking out of character and talking to the
audience. He was a regular panellist on the BBC
radio panel game, Just a Minute from its second
season in 1968 until his death and regularly
presented the children's story-reading series
Jackanory. He was also a "professional" talkshow
guest, able to regale an audience with amusing
anecdotes on every subject. He was extremely well
read and occasionally used to "stand in" as host
on the popular early evening Wogan (talk) show.

Williams publicly insisted that he was celibate,
but in private found his homosexuality difficult
to deal with. His diaries contain many references
to unconsummated or barely-consummated
relationships, described in code as traditional
matters or tradiola, probably because
homosexuality was still a criminal offense in the
United Kingdom for much of the period the diaries
cover. He befriended Joe Orton who wrote the role
of Inspector Truscott in Loot (1966) for him and
enjoyed holidays with Orton and Kenneth Halliwell
in North Africa. In later years his health
declined. Despite making a good living, he lived
throughout his life in a series of small flats in
inner London.

He died on April 15, 1988 from an overdose of
barbiturates. It was not definitely established
whether this was accidental or suicide (Williams'
father had died in similarly unclear circumstances
when he had drunk a bottle of solvent). The last
sentence Williams wrote in his diary was "By 6.30
pain in the back was pulsating as it's never done
before … so this, plus the stomach trouble
combines to torture me - oh - what's the bloody
point?". The posthumous publication of his diaries
and letters, both edited by Russell Davies, caused
some controversy.

==Performances==

===Films===
incomplete
*The Beggar's Opera (1953)
*Valley of Song (1953)
*The Seekers (1954)
*Carry On Sergeant (1958)
*Carry On Nurse (1958)
*Carry On Teacher (1959)
*Tommy the Toreador (1959)
*Carry On Constable (1960)
*Carry On Regardless (1961)
*His and Hers (1961)
*Twice Round the Daffodils (1962)
*Carry On Cruising (1962)
*Carry On Jack (1963
*Carry On Spying (1964)
*Carry On Cleo (1964)
*Carry On Cowboy (1965)
*Carry On Screaming (1966)
*Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
*Carry On... Follow That Camel (1967)
*Carry On Doctor (1967)
*Carry On up the Khyber|Carry On Up the Khyber
(1968)
*Carry On Camping (1968)
*Carry On Again, Doctor (1969)
*Carry On Loving (1970)
*Carry On Henry (1970)
*Carry On at Your Convenience (1971)
*Carry On Matron (1971)
*Carry On Abroad (1972)
*Carry On Dick (1974)
*Carry On Behind (1975)
*That's Carry On (1977)
*The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
*Carry On Emmanuelle (1978)

===Television===
*International Cabaret
*Jackanory
*Willo the Wisp
*Hancock's Half Hour

===Radio===
*Hancock's Half Hour
*Beyond Our Ken
*Round the Horne
*Kenneth Williams Playhouse
*Oh Get On with It
*Stop Messing About
*Just a Minute

==External links==
*http://www.kennethwilliams.org.uk The Kenneth
Williams Appreciation Society - Online since 1997
*http://www.stopmessinabout.co.uk Stop Messin'
About - The Kenneth Williams Website
*http://myweb.lsbu.ac.uk/~stafflag/kennethwilliams
.html Knitting Circle: Kenneth Williams
*http://www.glbtq.com/arts/williams_k.html Arts:
Kenneth Williams
*http://www.carryonline.com/carry/williams.html
Carry On Biography Of Kenneth Williams
*http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/prof
ilepages/williamsk1.shtml BBC Four Interviews:
Kenneth Williams
*imdb name|id=0931054|name=Kenneth Williams