Biography
English stage and film actor Harcourt Williams was known for his deft portrayals of Shakespearean characters. Harcourt first appeared on stage in 1900 in actor-manager Frank Benson's company. His acting was put on hold during World War I, but he resumed his stage career as a producer at the famed Old Vic Theatre in London, earning critical praise for his modern interpretations of Shakespearean plays. Williams made his film debut as King Charles VI of France in the 1944 film "Henry V," Laurence Oliver's adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name; he again played a Shakespearean character in Olivier's 1948 film adaptation "Hamlet." The actor made a notable appearance in the 1947 film "Brighton Rock," a drama about a small-town gang and a murder trial, based on Graham Greene's novel of the same name. He also appeared in the 1953 romantic comedy "Roman Holiday" opposite Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, the classic film about the budding romance between a rebellious princess and an American newspaper reporter. The actor has also appeared in several television adaptations of famous plays as part of the series "BBC Sunday-Night Theatre" in the 1950s. Harcourt's final appearance on screen before his death was in the 1956 adventure film "Around the World in Eighty Days," an adaptation of Jules Verne's famed novel.
