Mark Williams is an English actor, comedian, presenter and screenwriter. He first achieved widespread recognition as one of the central performers in the popular BBC sketch show The Fast Show. His film roles include Horace in 101 Dalmatians (1996) and Arthur Weasley in seven of the Harry Potter films. He appeared in Doctor Who and Red Dwarf. Since 2013, Williams has portrayed the title character in the long-running BBC series loosely based on the Father Brown short stories by G. K. Chesterton.
Mark Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 2021 | |
| Born | Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editWilliams was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.[1][2] Educated at North Bromsgrove High School and then Brasenose College, Oxford.[3]
Career
editWilliams' acting work began in small-scale touring theatre, and he worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre.[4]
Williams came to wider public attention in the 1990s through the BBC television sketch comedy programme The Fast Show, in which he was one of the central performers.[4] He has said that for a while "people seemed to assume I was a comedian, which I've never been".[4]
His most famous cinema role is as Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter film series, making his first appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002. Other high-profile appearances include the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Stardust alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro and Claire Danes in 2007 and a 2012 role in Doctor Who as Brian Williams, father of the Doctor's companion, Rory.[5]
Since 2013, he has appeared in the lead role in the BBC costume drama Father Brown. Williams also featured in the first series of Blandings, the BBC TV adaptation of the P. G. Wodehouse Blandings Castle stories, broadcast in 2013, in which he played Beach, the Emsworths' tipsy butler. Interviewed in 2014 by the Lancashire Evening Post, when asked if some people still saw him as a comedy actor, Williams replied, "Well, it's only a few people in the BBC. In America, they see me as a major British character actor, but unfortunately, the BBC is pretty parochial and people are institutionalised here."[6]
In 2014 and 2015, he presented the BBC daytime game show The Link. The show ran for two series. His other film roles include 101 Dalmatians and The Borrowers, both with Hugh Laurie.
Williams has also presented several documentary programmes exploring industrial history which is his passion;[3] Mark Williams' Big Bangs on the history of explosives, a follow-up to the previous series Mark Williams on the Rails, Industrial Revelations and More Industrial Revelations.[3]
Filmography
editFilm
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Coppers | Constable Spud Murphy | |
| The Storyteller | Fearnot's brother | Episode: "Fearnot" | |
| Red Dwarf | Olaf Petersen | Three episodes: "The End", "Balance of Power" and "Stasis Leak" | |
| Alexei Sayle's Stuff | First series, six episodes | ||
| 1989 | Tumbledown | Lumpy | |
| 1990 | Kinsey | Danny | |
| Making Out | Manfred | Episodes 1 and 2 | |
| KYTV | Episode: "Launch" | ||
| 1991 | Merlin of the Crystal Cave | Cerdic | |
| Bottom | Boris | Episode: "Accident" | |
| 1993 | The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer | Don Powell | Seven episodes 1993–1995 |
| 1994 | Health and Efficiency | Steven | Episode: "Cinderella Rockafeller" |
| The Fast Show | Various characters | 23 episodes 1994–2000 | |
| Chef! | Policeman 2 | Episode: "Masterchef" | |
| 1995 | The Big Game | Tommy Hollis | |
| Searching | Gerald | ||
| Peak Practice | Roland Grogan | Episode: "Life and Soul" | |
| 1998 | The Fast Show Live | Various characters | |
| The Canterbury Tales | Chanticleer | Episode: "Leaving London" – voice | |
| Ted & Ralph | Confirmed Bachelor | ||
| 1999 | Hunting Venus | Peter | |
| 2000 | Gormenghast | Professor Perch | |
| The Strangerers | Cadet Flynn | Nine episodes | |
| 2001 | Fun at the Funeral Parlour | Larry Nazareth | Episode: "The Jaws of Doom" |
| Industrial Revelations | Himself | Two series (as presenter) | |
| 2002 | Shackleton | Dudley Docker[citation needed] | |
| 2003 | Grass | Ben | Six episodes |
| 2004 | Mark Williams on the Rails | Himself | Presenter |
| Carrie and Barry | Kirk | Twelve episodes | |
| 2006 | Mark Williams' Big Bangs | Himself | Presenter |
| Saxondale | Deggsy | One episode | |
| 2007 | Tumbledown | Lumpy | |
| 2008 | Sense and Sensibility (2008 TV series) | Sir John Middleton | |
| 2009 | Inspector George Gently | Joe Bishop | Episode: "Gently into the Night" |
| Blood in the Water | Jerry Hourihan | ||
| Agatha Christie's Marple | Claud Evans | Episode: "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" | |
| New Tricks | David Beaumont | Episode: "The Truth is out There" | |
| 2010 | The Indian Doctor | Richard Sharpe[7] | Five episodes |
| Merlin | Voice of the Goblin | Episode: "Goblin's Gold" | |
| 2011 | Frankenstein's Wedding | Alphonse Frankenstein | |
| 2012 | Being Human | Regus | |
| Hustle | Dale Ridley | ||
| Doctor Who | Brian Williams | Episodes "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" and "The Power of Three" | |
| 2013 | Blandings | Sebastian Beach | Six episodes |
| Still Open All Hours | Planter's Salesman | ||
| 2013–present | Father Brown | Father Brown | Title character, 100(+) episodes |
| 2014–2015 | The Link | Presenter | BBC daytime game show |
| 2015 | Drunk History | Robert Catesby | Episode: "Episode Four" |
| 2016 | The Comic Strip Presents... | Chief Constable | Episode: "Redtop" |
| 2017 | Hospital People | Tony | Episode: "The Local Millionaire" |
| 2021 | Midsomer Murders | Pat Everett | Episode: "The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy" |
| The Dumping Ground | Les Vegas | Episode: "Old Friends" | |
| 2022 | Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts | Himself | HBO Max Special |
| Sister Boniface Mysteries | Father Brown | Cameo; episode: "My Brother's Keeper" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Lego Dimensions | Arthur Weasley (voice) |
Theme park rides
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure | Arthur Weasley | Face capture & voice only (stunt double used in pre-show) |
Voice-over
edit- Power Rangers Operation Overdrive - Big Mouth Monster (episode: "Both Sides Now")
- Merlin - The Goblin (episode: "Goblin's Gold")
- Power Rangers Samurai - Eyescar (episode: "The Rescue")
- Lego Dimensions - Arthur Weasley
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Dad
- Early Man - Barry
References
edit- ^ "Harry Potter star Mark Williams talks Bromsgrove, carol concerts and success". Bromsgrove Advertiser. 24 November 2021.
- ^ "The 10 famous faces who were born and bred in Bromsgrove".
- ^ a b c "Mark Williams: Captain of industry". The Independent. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ a b c "Mark Williams: I'm not a comedian". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 12 January 2013. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Other Series 7 stars announced". Tardis Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012.
- ^ "I'm a British character actor – not a comedian". Lep.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Ian Wolf. "The Indian Doctor – Production Details". British Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2010.