Kenneth Williams

Kenneth Williams is one of the classic and most energetic figures of British comedy. His camp acting, his witty and rapid conversation style and arguments, ad-libs and characteristic nasal voice are perhaps most well-known from the Carry On series, in which he was a regular. In the beginning of his carrier he had serious roles in theatre, but later he totally shifted to comedy, a condition which he was not at all satisfied with. Other than his acting carrier, Williams also wrote books of various anecdotes and verbal put-downs, he was a very successful raconteur and frequent talk show guest and even host. In his private life, Williams had few close relationships, he was associated with playwright Joe Orton, who was later killed by his lover. He became more and more bitter in his later years, and died of overdose. His diaries released after his death became a best seller, commenting on many famous people Williams had met in his life. The first short clip is from "Carry On Cleo" (1964), where Julius Caesar played by Williams finds himself betrayed by his bodyguard. The "Infamy" line is voted the best comedy one-liner by a thousand comedians in 2007. Another very funny line of his is from a talk show, in which he discusses the specialisation of modern medicine. The third scene is from "Carry On Sergeant" (1958). I love the way how he outwits the officer by not falling in with his game in which he robbed the confidence of everyone before Williams' character. And finally a chat show appearance from Parkinson, in which he talks about his book, and relates some of the anecdotes in it, among others about Maggie Smith and Dame Edith Evans. I especially love the way he impersonates the latter...