Editing Kenneth Williams

{{short description|British actor and comedian (1926–1988)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Kenneth Williams
| image              = Kennethwilliams.jpg
| caption            = Publicity photo of Williams in the early 1960s
| birthname          = Kenneth Charles Williams
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|df=yes|1926|2|22}}
| birth_place        = [[King's Cross, London]], England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1988|4|15|1926|2|22}}
| death_place        = [[Bloomsbury]], London, England
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actor|comedian}}
| known_for          = [[Carry On (franchise)|''Carry On'' films]]<br>''[[Just a Minute]]''<br>''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]''
| yearsactive        = 1945–1988
}}
'''Kenneth Charles Williams''' (22 February 1926&nbsp;– 15 April 1988) was a British<!-- Do not change this without discussing first in talk --> actor and comedian. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a [[raconteur]] and [[diarist]]. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 [[Carry On (franchise)|''Carry On'' films]], and appeared in many British television programmes and radio comedies, including series with [[Tony Hancock]] and [[Kenneth Horne]],<ref>{{cite web |author=Born: 22 February 1926, London Died: 15 April 1988, London |url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba1d037a2 |title=Kenneth Williams &#124; BFI |publisher=British Film Institute |access-date=30 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719003639/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2ba1d037a2 |archive-date=19 July 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/487102/ |title=BFI Screenonline: Williams, Kenneth (1926–1988) Biography |publisher=Screenonline.org.uk |access-date=30 June 2014}}</ref> as well as being a frequent panellist on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s comedy panel show ''[[Just a Minute]]'' from its second series in 1968 until his death 20 years later.

Williams grew up in [[Central London]] in a working-class family; he said his father spoke [[Cockney]]. He served in the [[Royal Engineers]] during World War II, where he first became interested in becoming an entertainer. After a short spell in [[repertory theatre]] as a serious actor, he turned to comedy and achieved national fame in ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]''. He sustained continued success throughout the 1960s and 1970s with his regular appearances in ''Carry On'' films, and subsequently kept himself in the public eye with chat shows and other television work.

Williams was fondly regarded in the entertainment industry; in his private life, however, he suffered from depression. He kept a series of diaries throughout his life that achieved posthumous acclaim.

==Early life and education==
Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February 1926 in Bingfield Street, [[King's Cross, London]].<ref>GRO Register of Births: March 1926 1b 408 Islington – Kenneth C. Williams</ref> His parents were Charles George Williams, who managed a hairdresser's in the Kings Cross area, and Louisa Alexandra (''née'' Morgan), who worked in the salon. Charles was a Methodist who had "a hatred of loose morals and effeminacy", according to [[Barry Took]], Williams's biographer. Charles thought the theatre immoral and effeminate, although his son aspired to be involved in the profession from an early age.<ref>{{cite ODNB|title=Williams, Kenneth Charles (1926–1988)|year=2009|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/39951}}</ref> Between 1935 and 1956, Williams lived with his parents in a flat above his father's barber shop at 57 [[Marchmont Street]], [[Bloomsbury]]. Williams had a half-sister, Alice Patricia "Pat", born to his mother in 1923 before she had met Charles and three years before Kenneth was born.<ref name=bbc_plaque/>

He was educated at The Lyulph Stanley Boys' Central Council School,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|title=Obituaries - Kenneth Williams|website=BritishComedy.org.uk|date=April 1988|access-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230237/http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5239183|title=The Lyulph Stanley Boys' Central Council School|publisher=The National Archives|access-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145545/http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5239183|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> a state-owned Central school,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk/view-item?i=108986&WINID=1528538097620|title=Lyulph Stanley School, Camden Street: corner of Camden Street and Plender Street|website=Collage – The London Picture Archive|publisher=[[City of London Corporation]]|access-date=16 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142328/https://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk/view-item?i=108986&WINID=1528538097620|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Camden Town]], North London, and subsequently became apprenticed as a [[drawing|draughtsman]] to a mapmaker. His apprenticeship was interrupted by [[the Blitz]], and he was evacuated to the home of a bachelor veterinary surgeon in [[Bicester]]. It provided his first experience of an educated, middle-class life. He returned to London with a new, [[vowel]]-elongated accent.<ref>Kenneth Williams: Reputations, BBC TV</ref> In 1944, aged 18, he was called up to the [[British Army]]. He became a [[sapper]] in the [[Royal Engineers]] Survey Section, doing much the same work that he did as a civilian. When the war ended he was in [[Ceylon]] and he opted to transfer to the [[Combined Services Entertainment Unit]], which put on revue shows. While in that unit he met [[Stanley Baxter]], [[Peter Vaughan]], [[Peter Nichols (playwright)|Peter Nichols]] and [[John Schlesinger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|title=Obituaries|publisher=Britishcomedy.org.uk|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194643/http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead }}</ref>

Both of Williams' parents were born in London, but with a [[Welsh people|Welsh]] heritage extending for several generations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Endacott |first=Adam |title=The Kenneth Williams Scrapbook |publisher=Fantom Films Limited |year=2022 |isbn= 978-1781963784 |page=xii}}</ref> Williams sometimes described himself as Welsh, noting his parents' surnames and origins in his diaries and in interviews.{{r|Williams 1995|p=108}}:<ref>{{cite web |author1=Thames TV |title=Kenneth Williams interview Good Afternoon 1974 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyA7lg4lHA0 |via=YouTube |access-date=25 February 2023 |date=14 March 1974}}</ref> In 1968, during the filming of ''[[Carry On Up the Khyber]]'' in [[Snowdonia National Park]], Williams stated that "I always like being back in Wales. I always feel a ''[[hiraeth]]'', it always comes back to you, once you step back into the place where you have atavistic memories."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |date=22 February 2023 |title=Watch: Carry On Star Kenneth Williams speaking Welsh on TV show |url=https://nation.cymru/culture/watch-carry-on-star-kenneth-williams-speaking-welsh-on-tv-show-2/ |access-date=22 February 2023 |website=Nation.Cymru }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Archif ITV Cymru Wales LlGC ITV Cymru Wales Archive NLW |title=Filming Carry On Up The Khyber, Snowdonia, 1968 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGshDSgVF-4 |access-date=25 February 2023 |via=YouTube|date=20 November 2014 }}</ref> A year later, Williams would describe a debate in Ireland when he was told he had some nerve showing his "English face in Dublin". Williams dramatically responded with a "very slow take and riposted 'Wanna get your facts right, dear, I'm Welsh'" before rising to his feet and reciting [[The Bard (poem)|''The Bard. A Pindaric Ode'']] by [[Thomas Gray]]. Williams noted that this performance was cut short by applause, for which he was grateful as he did not know any more of the poem.<ref name="Williams 1995">{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Kenneth |title=The Kenneth Williams Letters |date=1995 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=London |isbn=978-0-00-638092-4 |pages=107–108 |url=https://archive.org/details/kennethwilliamsl0000will/page/108/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref> Two years before his death, Williams guest hosted the ''[[Wogan]]'' chatshow; drawing the audience's attention to a display of red roses, Williams commented, "It's [[St George's Day]] today and the rose is the symbol of St George, the patron saint of England. I wouldn't know anything about it. I'm not English, I'm Welsh." before proclaiming "Mymryn bach o Gymru, Cymru fydd, Cymru sydd – Cymru am byth!" (''A little bit of Wales, Wales will be, Wales is – Wales forever!'')<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Stevens|first=Christopher|title=Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams |date=2011|publisher=John Murray |location=London |isbn=978-1-84854-195-5|pages=7–9| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3Qf8vhBh4JsC}}</ref>

==Career==
===Early career===
Williams's professional career began in 1948 in [[repertory theatre]]. Failure to become a serious dramatic actor disappointed him, but his potential as a comic performer gave him his break when he was spotted playing the [[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]] in [[Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|St Joan]]'' in the [[West End theatre|West End]], in 1954 by radio producer [[Dennis Main Wilson]].{{sfn|Stevens|2010|pp=59, 77}} Main Wilson was casting ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]'', a radio series starring [[Tony Hancock]]. Playing mostly funny voice roles, Williams stayed in the series almost to the end, five years later. His nasal, whiny, [[Camp (style)|camp]]-cockney inflections (epitomised in his "Stop messing about&nbsp;... !" catchphrase) became popular with listeners. Despite the success and recognition the show brought him, Williams considered theatre, film and television to be superior forms of entertainment. In 1955 he appeared in [[Orson Welles]]'s London stage production ''[[Moby Dick—Rehearsed]]''. The pair fell out after Williams became annoyed with Welles's habit of repeatedly changing the script.{{sfn|Stevens|2010|pp=83, 135}}

When Hancock steered his show away from what he considered gimmicks and silly voices, Williams found he had less to do. Tiring of this reduced status, he joined [[Kenneth Horne]] in ''[[Beyond Our Ken]]'' (1958–1964), and its sequel, ''[[Round the Horne]]'' (1965–1968). His roles in ''Round the Horne'' included [[Rambling Syd Rumpo]], the eccentric [[folk singer]]; Dr Chou En Ginsberg, MA (failed), Oriental criminal mastermind; J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock, telephone heavy breather and dirty old man; and Sandy of the camp couple [[Julian and Sandy]] (Julian was played by [[Hugh Paddick]]). Their double act was characterised by [[double entendre]]s and [[Polari]], the homosexual argot.

Williams also appeared in West End [[revue]]s including ''Share My Lettuce'' with [[Maggie Smith]], written by [[Bamber Gascoigne]], and ''Pieces of Eight'' with [[Fenella Fielding]]. The latter included material specially written for him by [[Peter Cook]], then a student at [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jcA1AAAAQBAJ&q=kenneth+williams+peter+cook+sketches&pg=PA4|title=Tragically I Was An Only Twin: The Comedy of Peter Cook – Peter Cook, William Cook – Google Books|date=31 August 2013|access-date=30 June 2014|isbn=9781446429624|last1=Cook|first1=Peter|last2=Cook|first2=William |publisher=Random House }}</ref> Cook's "[[One Leg Too Few]]" and "Interesting Facts" were part of the show and became routines in his own performances. Williams's last revue, in 1961, was ''[[One Over The Eight]]'' at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]], with [[Sheila Hancock]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|title=Obituaries|publisher=Britishcomedy.org.uk|access-date=30 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194643/http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead }}</ref>

===''Carry On'' films===
Williams worked regularly in British film during the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, mainly in the ''[[Carry On (franchise)|Carry On]]'' series (1958–1978) with its double entendre humour; and appeared in the series more than any other actor.<ref name="britmovie1">{{cite web|url=http://www.britmovie.co.uk/actors/Kenneth-Williams|title=Kenneth Williams &#124; Home of British Films|publisher=Britmovie|access-date=28 June 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809200212/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/actors/Kenneth-Williams|archive-date=9 August 2014 }}</ref> The films were commercially successful but Williams claimed the cast were poorly paid. In his diaries, Williams wrote that he earned more in a [[St Ivel]] advert than for any ''Carry On'' film, although he was still earning the average Briton's annual salary in a year for the latter. He often privately criticised and "dripped vitriol" upon the films, considering them beneath him, even though he continued to appear in them.<ref name="express">{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/207221/Review-Born-Brilliant-The-life-of-Kenneth-Williams-by-Christopher-Stevens|title=Review: Born Brilliant: The life of Kenneth Williams by Christopher Stevens|work=Daily Express|access-date=22 September 2014|date=23 October 2010}}</ref> This became the case with many of the films and shows in which he appeared. He was quick to find fault with his own work, and also that of others. Despite this, he spoke fondly of the ''Carry On''s in interviews. [[Peter Rogers]], producer of the series, recollected, "Kenneth was worth taking care of because, while he cost very little—£5,000 a film, he made a great deal of money for the franchise."<ref>''Kenneth Williams Unseen'', Wes Butters and Russell Davies, HarperCollins, 2008, p. 224</ref>

===Radio and television shows===
Williams was a regular on the [[BBC Radio]] [[Impromptu speaking|impromptu-speaking]] panel game ''[[Just a Minute]]'' from its second series in 1968 until his death. He frequently got into arguments with host [[Nicholas Parsons]] and other guests on the show. ([[Russell Davies]], editor of ''The Kenneth Williams Letters'', explains that Williams's "famous tirades on the programme occurred when his desire to entertain was fuelled by his annoyance."<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Davies|editor-first=Russell |title=The Kenneth Williams Letters|date=1994|publisher=HarperCollins|page=101}}</ref>) He was also remembered for such phrases as "I've come all the way from Great Portland Street" (i.e. one block away) and "They shouldn't have women on the show!" (directed at [[Sheila Hancock]], [[Aimi MacDonald]] and others).<ref>''Welcome to Just A Minute!'' {{ISBN|9781782112471}}</ref> He once talked for almost a minute about a supposed Austrian psychiatrist called Heinrich Swartzberg, correctly guessing that the show's creator, [[Ian Messiter]], had just made the name up.<ref>Ian Messiter, ''My Life and Other Games'', 1990, {{ISBN|1-872180-61-2}}</ref> Williams was also a regular on the [[BBC Radio]] comedy show ''[[Round the Horne]],'' playing, alongside [[Hugh Paddick]], the characters [[Julian and Sandy]] who spoke in a comedic version of [[Polari]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Julian and Sandy |date=22 March 2019 |url=https://wp.lancs.ac.uk/fabulosa/games/ }}</ref>

On television, he co-hosted his own TV variety series on [[BBC2]] with the [[Dougie Squires|Young Generation]] entitled ''Meanwhile, On BBC2'', which ran for ten episodes from 17 April 1971.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=kenneth+williams+the+young+generation+meanwhile+on+bbc2#search|title=Search Results – BBC Genome|publisher=BBC|access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> He was a frequent contributor to the 1973–74 revival of ''[[What's My Line?#United Kingdom|What's My Line?]]'', hosted the weekly entertainment show ''International Cabaret'' and was a regular reader on the children's storytelling series ''[[Jackanory]]'' on BBC1, hosting 69 episodes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/569183/|title=BFI Screenonline: Jackanory (1965–96)|publisher=Screenonline.org.uk|access-date=30 June 2014}}</ref> He also narrated and provided all of the voices for the BBC children's cartoon ''[[Willo the Wisp]]'' (1981).

In 1983, Williams was the subject of an episode of the BBC series ''[[Comic Roots]]'', in which he revisited the places in London where he grew up and went to school.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p02rtqvm/comic-roots-series-2-4-kenneth-williams | title=Comic Roots - Series 2: Kenneth Williams|publisher=BBC }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/comic_roots/episodes/2/4/ | title=Comic Roots Series 2, Episode 4 - Kenneth Williams | website=[[British Comedy Guide]] }}</ref>

== Personal life and death ==
On 14 October 1962, Williams' father, Charlie Williams, was taken to hospital after drinking [[carbon tetrachloride]] that had been stored in a cough-mixture bottle. He died the following day. An hour after being given the news, Williams went on stage in the West End. Williams was later denied a [[Visa policy of the United States|visa to the United States]] when it emerged that [[Scotland Yard]] had suspected him of poisoning his father.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/barbara-windsor-kenneth-williams-cast-carry-happened-next/ |first=Ed |last=Power |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/stars-carry-happened-next/kenneth-williams/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access= subscription |url-status=live |title=Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Williams, and the cast of Carry On: what happened next?|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=10 May 2018 |access-date=26 August 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The [[coroner's court]] recorded a verdict of accidental death due to corrosive poisoning by carbon tetrachloride. Williams said he believed his father had committed suicide, because the circumstances leading to the poisoning seemed unlikely to have happened by misfortune.{{sfn|Stevens|2010|p=219}}

As a younger man, Williams was a communist, but came to move in a more conservative direction and espoused [[Toryism]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |url= https://www.frieze.com/article/kenneth-williams-diaries |title=The Kenneth Williams Diaries |issue=12 |magazine=Frieze |location= London |first=Stuart |last=Morgan |date=5 September 1993}}</ref>

Williams often said that he was [[asexuality|asexual]] and celibate, and his diaries appear to substantiate his claims—at least from his early forties onwards. He lived alone all his adult life and had few close companions apart from his mother, and no significant romantic relationships. His diaries contain references to unconsummated or barely consummated homosexual dalliances, which he describes as "traditional matters" or "tradiola". He befriended gay playwright [[Joe Orton]], who wrote the role of Inspector Truscott in ''[[Loot (play)|Loot]]'' (1965) for him. Williams went on holidays to [[Morocco]] with Orton and his partner, [[Kenneth Halliwell]]. Other close friends included [[Stanley Baxter]], [[Gordon Jackson (actor)|Gordon Jackson]] and his wife [[Rona Anderson]], [[Sheila Hancock]], and [[Maggie Smith]] and her playwright husband, [[Beverley Cross]].<ref name="Davies">{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Russell |year= 1993 |title=The Kenneth Williams Diaries |publisher= HarperCollins |location= London |isbn=978-0-00-255023-9 }}</ref> Williams was also fond of fellow ''Carry On'' regulars [[Barbara Windsor]], [[Bernard Bresslaw]], [[Peter Butterworth]], [[Kenneth Connor]], [[Hattie Jacques]] and [[Joan Sims]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Kenneth |title=Just Williams}}</ref>

From the mid-1950s, Williams lived in a succession of small rented flats in central London. After his father had died, his mother Louisa lived near him, and then in the flat next to his. His last home was in a block of flats called Marlborough House on Osnaburgh Street in [[Bloomsbury]]<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/kenneth-williams-the-greatest-diarist-since-pepys/ |first=Rupert |last=Christiansen |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/kenneth-williams-the-greatest-diarist-since-pepys/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Kenneth Williams: The greatest diarist since Pepys? |work=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=6 December 2015 |access-date=28 June 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> (since demolished).<ref>{{cite web |url= https://heritagecalling.com/2014/02/22/putting-one-up-for-kenneth-williams/ |title= Putting one up for Kenneth Williams |first=Howard |last=Spencer |publisher= English Heritage |work=Heritage Calling |date=22 February 2014 |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180423102200/https://heritagecalling.com/2014/02/22/putting-one-up-for-kenneth-williams/ |archive-date=23 April 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Williams rarely revealed details of his private life although, in two half-hour documentary programmes in 1977 on [[BBC Radio London]]<ref>''Radio Times'' (London edition) 23–29 July 1977</ref> entitled ''Carry On Kenneth'', he spoke openly to Owen Spencer-Thomas about his loneliness, despondency and sense of underachievement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuuBU_WKlrQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/uuuBU_WKlrQ| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Kenneth Williams – Interview by Owen Spencer Thomas – BBC London Radio|publisher=Video Curios |date=27 April 2015 |access-date=21 September 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

He died on 15 April 1988 in his flat. His last words, recorded in his diary, were "Oh, what's the bloody point?"<ref>GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1988 14 1873 CAMDEN – Kenneth Charles Williams, DoB = 22 February 1926 aged 62</ref> and the cause of death was an overdose of [[barbiturate]]s.<ref name="britmovie1"/> An inquest recorded an [[open verdict]], because it was not possible to establish whether his death was suicide or an [[Accidental death|accident]].<ref>{{cite news|work=The Guardian | location=London|date=17 June 1988|title=Open verdict recorded on Williams|quote=Dr John Elliott, deputy coroner for inner north London said: "The cause of death was a barbiturate overdose. Where Mr Williams would have got these from we would not be able to establish. There is no indication given as to why he should have taken this overdose and therefore I record an open verdict."}}</ref> His diaries reveal that he had often had suicidal thoughts, and some of his earliest diaries record periodic feelings that there was no point in living.{{cn|date=June 2023}} His authorised biography argues that Williams did not take his own life but died of an accidental overdose. He had doubled his dosage of antacid without discussing it with his doctor. That, combined with the mixture of medication, is the widely accepted cause of death. He had a stock of painkilling tablets and it is argued that he would have taken more of them if he had been intending suicide.{{sfn|Stevens|2010}}{{page needed|date=December 2021}} He was cremated at [[East Finchley Cemetery]], and his ashes were scattered in the memorial gardens. Williams left an estate worth just under £540,000 (approximately {{Inflation|UK|540000|1988|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-3}}).<ref>{{cite book |title=Kenneth Williams: A Biography |first=Michael |last=Freeland |publisher= Weidenfeld & Nicolson |year=1993 |isbn=978-0297812258}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
=== Diaries and biographies ===
In April 2008 [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] broadcast the two-part ''The Pain of Laughter: The Last Days of Kenneth Williams''.<ref name=painoflaughter/> The programmes were researched and written by [[Wes Butters]] and narrated by [[Rob Brydon]]. Butters purchased a collection of Williams's personal belongings from the actor's godson, Robert Chidell, to whom they had been bequeathed.<ref>"The truth behind that famous smile", ''Radio Times'' 5–11 April 2008</ref>

The first of the programmes said that, towards the end of his life and struggling with depression and ill health, Williams abandoned Christianity following discussions with the poet [[Philip Larkin]]. Williams had been brought up a [[Wesleyan]] and then a [[Methodist]], though he spent much of his life struggling with Christianity's teachings on homosexuality.<ref name=painoflaughter>{{cite web |title=The Pain of Laughter; The Last Days of Kenneth Williams |access-date=2 November 2009 |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/painoflaughter/pip/om8uw/}}</ref>

''Kenneth Williams Unseen'' by Wes Butters and Russell Davies, the first Williams biography in 15 years, was published by HarperCollins in October 2008.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780007280858/Kenneth-Williams-Unseen-private-notes-0007280858/plp |title=Kenneth Williams Unseen: The private notes, scripts and photographs|author1=Butters, Wes |author2=Davies, Russell |isbn=9780007280858 |date=8 October 2023 |publisher=HarperCollins |access-date=13 August 2023}}</ref>

An authorised biography, ''Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams'', by Christopher Stevens,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bornbrilliant.info |title=Author's information page |publisher=Bornbrilliant.info |date=1 September 2011 |access-date=11 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113071600/http://www.bornbrilliant.info/ |archive-date=13 January 2016 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> was published in October 2010. This drew for the first time on the full Williams archive of diaries and letters, which had been stored in a London bank for 15 years following publication of edited extracts.<ref name="johnmurray">{{cite web|url=http://www.johnmurray.co.uk/Book-Kenneth+Williams%3A+Born+Brilliant--179599.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719122859/http://www.johnmurray.co.uk/Book-Kenneth+Williams:+Born+Brilliant--179599.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 July 2011|title=index|publisher=johnmurray.co.uk|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref> The biography notes that Williams used a variety of handwriting styles and colours in his journals, switching between different hands on the page.<ref>{{cite news|first=Vanessa |last=Thorpe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/10/kenneth-williams-biography-christopher-stevens |title=Kenneth Williams: secret loves behind the life of a tormented man |newspaper=The Guardian |date= 9 October 2010|access-date=28 June 2014}}</ref>

=== Portrayals ===
[[File:williams-marchmont-street.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Williams' [[blue plaque]] at 57 Marchmont Street]]

[[David Benson]]'s 1996 [[Edinburgh Fringe]] show ''Think No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams'' saw Benson playing Williams; after touring, the show ran in London's West End. Benson reprised his performance at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe and continues to tour.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seabright.info/davidbenson.html#tneou |title=David Benson – JAMES SEABRIGHT |publisher=Seabright.info |access-date=11 September 2011 |archive-date=26 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926034534/http://www.seabright.info/davidbenson.html#tneou |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Williams was played by [[Adam Godley]] in [[Terry Johnson (dramatist)|Terry Johnson]]'s play ''[[Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick]]'', which premiered at the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in 1998. Godley reprised the role in the subsequent film adaptation, ''[[Cor, Blimey!]]''

In 2006, Williams' life was the subject of the television play ''[[Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!]]''. [[Michael Sheen]] portrayed Williams.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rampton |first=James |date=8 March 2006 |title=Michael Sheen carries off the life of Kenneth Williams |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/michael-sheen-carries-off-the-life-of-kenneth-williams-6107218.html |work=The Independent |access-date=23 February 2020 |archive-date=23 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223194317/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/michael-sheen-carries-off-the-life-of-kenneth-williams-6107218.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Recognition ===
A flat in the Osnaburgh Street block in which Williams lived from 1972 until his death was bought by Rob Brydon and [[Julia Davis]] for the writing of their comedy series ''[[Human Remains (TV series)|Human Remains]]''. The building was demolished in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kenneth Williams lived here|url=http://www.shadyoldlady.com/location.php?loc=831|date=3 March 2010|access-date=3 March 2010|work=Shady Old Lady's Guide to London}}</ref>

Williams is commemorated by a [[blue plaque]] at the address of his father's barber shop, 57 Marchmont Street, London, where he lived from 1935 to 1956. The plaque was unveiled on 11 October 2009 by [[Leslie Phillips]], [[Bill Pertwee]] and [[Nicholas Parsons]], with whom Williams performed.<ref name=bbc_plaque>{{cite news|title=Plaque for Carry On star Williams|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8301366.stm|date=11 October 2009|access-date=11 October 2009|work=BBC News}}</ref>

On 22 February 2014, on what would have been Williams' 88th birthday, an [[English Heritage]] blue plaque was unveiled at Farley Court off [[Marylebone Road]], where Williams lived between 1963 and 1970. Speaking at the ceremony, his ''Carry On'' co-star Barbara Windsor said: "Kenny was a one-off, a true original".<ref>{{cite news|title=Carry On star Kenneth Williams granted blue plaque|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26298125|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC News London|access-date=22 February 2014|date=22 February 2014}}</ref><ref name="EngHet">{{cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/search/williams-kenneth-1926-1988|title=WILLIAMS, KENNETH (1926–1988)|publisher=English Heritage| access-date=4 May 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140504211824/https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/blue-plaques/search/williams-kenneth-1926-1988 |archive-date= 4 May 2014}}</ref>

== Performances ==
=== Stage ===
{{div col}}
* [[Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall]] Singapore (1946)
* ''[[Seven Keys to Baldpate (play)|Seven Keys to Baldpate]]'' (début)
The [[Newquay]] Repertory Players (1948)
in order of performance:
* ''[[The First Mrs. Fraser (play)|The First Mrs. Fraser]]'' (Ninian Fraser)
* ''The Sacred Heart''
* ''[[Night Must Fall]]'' (Lord Chief Justice)
* ''This Blessed Plot''
* ''George and Margaret''
* ''[[Fools Rush In (play)|Fools Rush In]]'' (Joe - the bridegroom)
* ''[[The Bread-Winner (play)|The Bread-Winner]]'' (Patrick)
* ''[[Pink String and Sealing Wax]]''
* ''[[The Dover Road (play)|The Dover Road]]''
* ''The Long Mirror''
* ''[[Private Lives]]''
* ''[[Frieda (play)|Frieda]]'' (Tony Dawson)
* ''The Poltergeist''
* ''[[Jupiter Laughs]]''
* ''[[Grand National Night (play)|Grand National Night]]'' (Morton)
* ''[[The Sacred Flame (play)|The Sacred Flame]]'' (Dr Harvester)
* ''High Temperature''
* ''[[The Light of Heart]]''
* ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' (Algernon Moncrief)

The Dolphin Players (1948)
in order of performance:
* ''[[On Approval (play)|On Approval]]''
* ''Candida''
* ''[[An Inspector Calls]]''
* ''Tobias and the Angel''

Other plays:
* ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]'' at the Arts Theatre and New Theatre, London (1954) (Dauphin)
* ''[[Moby Dick—Rehearsed]]'' at the Duke of York's Theatre, London (1955)
* ''The Buccaneer'' at the Apollo Theatre, London (1956) (Patrick)
* ''[[L'Hôtel du libre échange|Hotel Paradiso]]'' at the Winter Garden Theatre, London (1956) (Maxime)
* ''Share My Lettuce'' (revue) at the [[Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)|Lyric Theatre]], Hammersmith, Comedy Theatre and [[Garrick Theatre]], London (1957)
* ''Cinderella'' (pantomime) at the [[London Coliseum]] (1958)
* ''Pieces of Eight'' (revue) at the Apollo Theatre, London (1959)
* ''One Over the Eight'' (revue) at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]], London (1961)
* ''The Private Ear'' and ''The Public Eye'' at the Globe Theatre, London (1962)
* ''Gentle Jack'' at the Queen's Theatre, London (1963)
* ''[[Loot (play)|Loot]]'' – UK Tour (1965)
* ''The Platinum Cat'' at [[Wyndham's Theatre]], London (1965)
* ''[[Captain Brassbound's Conversion]]'' at the Cambridge Theatre, London (1971)
* ''[[My Fat Friend]]'' at the Globe Theatre, London (1972)
* ''Signed and Sealed'' (''Le Mariage de Barillon'' by [[Georges Feydeau|Feydeau]] translated by [[Christopher Hampton|Hampton]]) at the Comedy Theatre, London (1976) (Barillon)
* ''The Undertaking'' at the [[Fortune Theatre]], London (1979)
* ''[[Loot (play)|Loot]]'' (directed) at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and Arts Theatre, London (1980)
* ''[[Entertaining Mr Sloane]]'' (directed) at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London (1981)
{{div col end}}

== Radio ==
{{div col}}
* Monday Matinee: ''[[Passport to Pimlico]]'' (6 October 1952), ''[[Light Programme]]'' - (as Benny)
* ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]''
* ''[[Beyond Our Ken]]''
* ''[[Round the Horne]]''
* ''[[Julian and Sandy]]''
* ''The Betty Witherspoon Show''
* ''Kenneth Williams Playhouse''
* ''Kenneth Williams Cabaret''
* ''The Secret Life of Kenneth Williams''
* ''Oh Get On with It''
* ''[[Just a Minute]]''
* ''[[Stop Messing About]]''
* ''Story Time'' (BBC Radio 4): 'Augustus Carp Esq by Himself' ([[Augustus Carp, Esq.]]) - abridged in ten parts - (from 27th. July 1979)
* ''[[The Wind in the Willows]]''
* ''Post Mortem'' by Stuart Jackman
* ''[[Diary of a Madman (Nikolai Gogol)|Diary of a Madman]]'' by [[Nikolai Gogol]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/madman.html |title=Diary Of A Madman |publisher=Britishcomedy.org.uk |access-date=28 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905212905/http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/madman.html |archive-date=5 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{div col end}}

== Films ==
{{div col}}
* ''[[Trent's Last Case (1952 film)|Trent's Last Case]]'' (1952) as Horace Evans, the gardener (uncredited)
* ''[[Valley of Song]]'' (1953) as Lloyd The Haulage
* ''[[The Beggar's Opera (film)|The Beggar's Opera]]'' (1953) as Jack The Pot Boy
* ''[[Innocents in Paris]]'' (1953) as window dresser at London airport (uncredited)
* ''[[The Seekers (1954 film)|The Seekers]]'' (1954) as Peter Wishart
* ''[[Three Men in a Boat (1956 film)|Three Men in a Boat]]'' (1956) as [[Hampton Court Maze]] Attendant (uncredited)
* ''[[Carry On Sergeant]]'' (1958) as James Bailey
* ''[[Carry On Nurse]]'' (1959) as Oliver Reckitt
* ''[[Carry On Teacher]]'' (1959) as Edwin Milton
* ''[[Tommy the Toreador]]'' (1959) as Vice-Consul
* ''[[Carry On Constable]]'' (1960) as Constable Stanley Benson
* ''[[Make Mine Mink]]'' (1960) as Freddie Warrington
* ''[[His and Hers (film)|His and Hers]]'' (1961) as Policeman; uncredited airport reporter's overdubbed voice
* ''[[Raising the Wind (1961 film)|Raising the Wind]]'' (1961) as Harold Chesney
* ''[[Carry On Regardless]]'' (1961) as Francis Courtenay
* ''[[Twice Round the Daffodils]]'' (1962) as Henry Halfpenny
* ''[[Carry On Cruising]]'' (1962) as First Officer Leonard Marjoribanks
* ''[[Carry On Jack]]'' (1963) as Captain Fearless
* ''[[Carry On Spying]]'' (1964) as Desmond Simpkins
* ''[[Carry On Cleo]]'' (1964) as [[Julius Caesar]]
* ''[[Carry On Cowboy]]'' (1965) as Judge Burke
* ''[[Carry On Screaming!]]'' (1966) as Dr Watt
* ''[[Don't Lose Your Head]]'' (1966) as Citizen Camembert
* ''[[Follow That Camel]]'' (1967) as Commandant Burger
* ''[[Carry On Doctor]]'' (1967) as Dr Kenneth Tinkle
* ''[[Carry On Up the Khyber]]'' (1968) as the Khasi of Khalabar
* ''[[Carry On Camping]]'' (1969) as Dr Kenneth Soaper
* ''[[Carry On Again Doctor]]'' (1969) as Frederick Carver
* ''[[Carry On Loving]]'' (1970) as Percival Snooper
* ''[[Carry On Henry]]'' (1971) as [[Thomas Cromwell]]
* ''[[Carry On at Your Convenience]]'' (1971) as WC Boggs
* ''[[Carry On Matron]]'' (1972) as Sir Bernard Cutting
* ''[[Carry On Abroad]]'' (1972) as Stuart Farquhar
* ''[[Carry On Dick]]'' (1974) as Captain Desmond Fancey
* ''[[Carry On Behind]]'' (1975) as Professor Roland Crump
* ''[[That's Carry On!]]'' (1977) as Presenter
* ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'' (1978) as Sir Henry Baskerville
* ''[[Carry On Emmannuelle]]'' (1978) as Emile Prevert
* ''[[The Thief and the Cobbler]]'' (1993) as Goblet / Tickle (voice) (final film role)
{{div col end}}

== Television ==
{{div col}}
* ''Wogan's Radio Fun'' ((1987) Julian and Sandy sketch with Hugh Paddick
* ''International Cabaret'' (1966–1974) as Himself – Host
* ''The Kenneth Williams Show'' (1970–1976) as Himself
* ''[[Jackanory]]'' (1968–1986) as Storyteller
* ''[[Willo the Wisp]]'' (all voices, 1981)
* ''[[Galloping Galaxies]]'' (1985–1986)
* ''[[An Audience with Kenneth Williams]]'' (1983) as Himself
* ''Bilko on Parade'' (1984) as Narrator ''([[Phil Silvers]])''
* ''[[Countdown (game show)|Countdown]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b866e1641|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830131021/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b866e1641|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 August 2021|title = Countdown [26/04/83] (1983)|publisher=British Film Institute}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

* ''Parkinson in Australia'' (1981) as Himself
* ''[[What's My Line#United Kingdom|What's My Line]]?''
* ''Some You Win'' as Himself
* ''Whizzkids Guide'' (1981) as Himself
* ''[[Tomorrow's World]]'' (1981) as Himself
* ''Let's Make a Musical'' (1977) as Himself
* ''Going Places'' (1975) as Presenter
* ''Meanwhile, on BBC2'' (1971)
* ''[[Join Jim Dale]]'' (1969) as Himself (one episode, 10/7/'69)
* ''[[The Wednesday Play]]'', 'Catch as Catch   Can', (1964) as Napoleon (by [[Jean Anouilh]])
* ''BBC [[Sunday Night Theatre]]'' (1952–1958) as Captain Chalford / The Angel
* ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]'' (1958) as [[Charles VII of France|The Dauphin]]
* ''[[Sword of Freedom]]''
* ''The School''
* ''Dick and the Duchess'' (1957) as Clive
* ''The Armoured Car''
* ''[[Misalliance (play)|Misalliance]]'' (1954) as Bentley Summerhays

== Recordings ==
* ''Kenneth Williams'' [[EP]] 1963, Decca DFE 8548. Contains four sketches from the ''Pieces of Eight'' and ''One Over the Eight'' revues.
* ''Kenneth Williams on Pleasure Bent'' 1967, Decca LK 4856. Music by [[Ted Dicks]], lyrics by [[Myles Rudge]]. Arrangements and musical direction by Barry Booth, sound supervision by Roger Cameron.
* ''The World of Kenneth Williams'' 1970, Decca SPA 64. Stereo edition of recordings from the 1950s and 1960s.
* ''The Bona World of Julian and Sandy'' 1976, DJM DJF20487
* ''Castle on Luke Street'' 1978, Sanctuary Records, SU0803. [[Roy Castle]] narrated eight stories from the David Lewis Series of books on side 1. Williams recorded "Lost and Found" on side 2. [[Dora Bryan]], [[Derek Nimmo]] and [[Thora Hird]] narrated one story each.
* Williams also released several albums as [[Rambling Syd Rumpo]].
* Kenneth Williams read eight ''[[Just William]]'' stories for Argo in the early 1980s.
* An audio reading of ''[[Monkey (novel)|Monkey]]'', Arthur Waley's translation of [[Journey to the West]], for [[Nimbus Records]] (1981). Re-released on MP3 CD:NI5888, in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Kenneth-Williams-Monkey/release/11350924 |title= Kenneth Williams – Monkey |work=Discogs |access-date=9 February 2020}}</ref>
* ''Parlour Poetry: Comic, Patriotic and Improving Verse from the Victorian Age'': (1978): Saydisc Label: SDL294: CD Re-release: 2009.

There are also several recordings of ''Round the Horne''<ref>{{isbn|978-0-563-53568-3}}, {{isbn|978-1-78529-109-8}}, {{isbn|978-1-78529-210-1}} and {{isbn|978-1-78529-259-0}}</ref> and ''Just a Minute'' that include Williams.<ref>{{isbn|9781408469996}}</ref>

== Books ==
* ''Acid Drops'' (1980) {{oclc|641946857}}
* ''Back Drops'' (1983) {{oclc|917385026}}
* ''Just Williams'' (1985) {{oclc|230844446}}
* ''I Only Have To Close My Eyes'' (1986) {{oclc|1107752080}}
* ''The Kenneth Williams Diaries'' (1993) {{oclc|971678777}}
* ''The Kenneth Williams Letters'' (1994) {{oclc|909213173}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Stevens |first=Christopher |title=Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=35kwQwAACAAJ |publisher=Hachette UK |year=2010|isbn=978-1-848-54460-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Williams |first=Kenneth |editor1-last=Davies |editor1-first=Russell |title=The Kenneth Williams Diaries |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VBYXJtpH0doC&q=The+Kenneth+Williams+Diaries |publisher=HarperCollins |year=1993 |isbn=9780007291922 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name|0931054}}
* {{screenonline name|id=487102|name=Kenneth Williams}}
* {{discogs artist|Kenneth Williams}}

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