11 Facts About Harcourt Williams

Ernest George Harcourt Williams was an English actor and director.

Harcourt Williams appeared in thirty cinema and television roles during his later years.

Harcourt Williams both co-directed and starred in Rosina Filippi's adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in a play called The Bennets at the Royal Court Theatre in a special matinee on 29 March 1901.

Harcourt Williams then worked for three other companies, including that of Ellen Terry, which he joined in 1903.

Harcourt Williams married the actress Jean Sterling Mackinlay in 1908.

Harcourt Williams was responsible for engaging first John Gielgud and then Ralph Richardson to join the Old Vic as leading man.

Harcourt Williams expanded the Old Vic's traditional repertoire to include modern works by Bernard Shaw and others.

Harcourt Williams was a man with a mission: to get rid of the mannered "Shakespearean voice", to break down the deliberate style of verse-speaking which made productions over-long and tedious.

Harcourt Williams appeared in thirty film and television roles between 1944 and 1956.

Harcourt Williams celebrated his golden jubilee as an actor while appearing in a long-running production of Shaw's You Never Can Tell described by The Times as "the liveliest show in town".

Harcourt Williams died in London after a long illness, aged 77.