Windsor davies biography of williams
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Surrounded by a strong cast, and armed with some effective scripts, Davies attacked his part with relish. Another phrase was "Oh dear, how sad, never mind", delivered in a dry, ironic manner, and used when others around him had problems.
Davies and co-star Don Estelle had a number one hit in the United Kingdom with a semi-comic version of "Whispering Grass" in 1975.
Other television roles included the sailor Taffy in the first of the British Broadcasting Corporation-series The Onedin Lincolnshire (1971 and the antique dealer Oliver Smallbridge in Never the Twain (1981-1991), with Donald Sinden.
In the 1970s, Davies read an edition of Radio Four"s Morning Story programme.
He played a sergeant in the Highland Regiment in with Jim Dale and Spike Milligan.
He auditioned to be the voice of the United Kingdom"s speaking clock in 1984. 1974-81). It inexplicably ran for eleven series, no doubt primarily thanks to the entertaining (if unlikely) sparring between the two main players.
More recently Davies interspersed stage work with occasional character roles on television, appearing in Mosley (Channel 4, 1998), Vanity Fair (BBC, 1998) and Gormenghast (BBC, 2000), whilst still finding time for guest appearances in Two Point Four Children (BBC, tx.
Windsor Davies has also narrated the audiobook for the Ladybird children"s classic Treasure Island written by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Returning from National Service, Davies enrolled at Bangor Teacher Training College, qualifying as a teacher.
In 2004, Davies played an elderly night porter in the British Broadcasting Corporation sitcom My Family (in the episode "Going Dental").
On film, Davies played major roles in two later Carry On films, Behind (1975) and England (1976) - in the latter as yet another sergeant major.
He played Mog in the classic Welsh film Davies has performed a large amount of advertising voice-over work, and his distinctive, deep voice could be heard as New Zealand"s Pink Batts house insulations and confectionery ads for Cadbury"s Wispa and also for Heinz Curried (Baked) Beans with his catchphrase, "Beans for the connoisseur".
Donate
Hyde, R., (2022). However, perhaps eager to avoid becoming typecast, he took the role of the antique dealer Oliver Smallbridge in the television series Never The Twain, which ran between 1981 and 1991.
Davies also undertook a range of radio and voice-over work, although in 1984 he failed an audition to become the voice of the speaking clock.
His acting roles became less frequent in the 21st century, although he made appearances in the television series 2point4 Children, Casualty and My Family.
Perhaps destined forever to be remembered for just one role - an uncannily effective portrayal of a ferocious, moustachioed, fruity-voiced regimental sergeant major - Windsor Davies was a jobbing actor for more than ten years before his big break.
Born in London's East End in 1930, Davies grew up in Wales, worked as a mining electrical engineer, did National Service in Libya and Egypt, then trained as a teacher at a Bangor college.
He recorded the classic Treasure Island for Ladybird Books, and famously was the voice advertising Cadbury's Wispa chocolate bars for many years in the 1980s.
He retired from acting in 2005, and he and Lyn lived just outside Toulouse in the South of France. Davies's natural bearing led to him being cast as police officers, army sergeants, petty officers or Welshmen.
One notable appearance came in 1967, when Davies appeared in the role of Toby in Doctor Who, playing opposite Patrick Troughton's Doctor - a role which is unfortunately lost to the archive, apart from a few photographs.
In 1974, Davies got the role which made him a huge household name - that of Battery Sergeant Major Tudor Bryn 'Shut Up' Williams in the sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
14/12/1999) and Sooty and Co (ITV, tx. In 1940, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, the family moved back to Anyan Davies's home village of Nant-y-Moel in Ogmore Vale. Ironically, Davies was not the first choice for the role, which was originally offered to Leonard Rossiter, who turned it down.
It did not propel him to stardom. For children of a certain generation, Davies was the voice of Sergeant Major Zero in Gerry Anderson's Terrahawks, a children's prime-time animated show. 1981-91), an amiable but unexceptional sitcom about two rival antiques dealers. 26/10/1998).
Vic Pratt
DAVIES, WINDSOR (1930 - 2019), actor
Name: Windsor Davies
Date of birth: 1930
Date of death: 2019
Spouse: Eluned Davies (née Evans)
Child: Jane Davies
Child: Sarah Davies
Child: Nancy Davies
Child: Danny Davies
Child: Bethan Davies
Parent: Davies
Parent: Maggie Davies (née Jones)
Gender: Male
Occupation: actor
Area of activity: Performing Arts
Author: Robert Hyde
Windsor Davies was born on 28 August 1930 in Canning Town in the East End of London, the son of Anyan Davies and his wife Maggie (née Jones).
He had one sister, Glenys. How Sad. Never Mind'.
Author
- Wikipedia Article: Windsor Davies
Further reading
- VIAF: 92088710
- Wikidata: Q2332384
Additional Links
Published date: 2022-08-24
Article Copyright: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
The Dictionary of Welsh Biography is provided by The National Library of Wales and the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies.
It led to Davies and Don 'Lofty' Estelle recording a comic version of the song 'Whispering Grass', which gave them a Number 1 hit in 1975, which is still the sixth highest-selling UK duet of all time.
In 1978, Davies also made a cult Welsh film, Grand Slam, which firmly embedded him into the psyche of 1970s Wales. Dictionary of Welsh Biography.
He was very rarely out of work until he retired.
Davies's first major role was in the ATV series Probation Officer as Bill Morgan, with the cast including Sir John Hurt, Honor Blackman, Glyn Houston and Judy Geeson.