John Williams was a tall, urbane Anglo-American actor best known for
his role as Chief Inspector Hubbard in
Dial M for Murder (1954), a
role he played on Broadway, in
Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1954
film, and on television in 1958. Playing Hubbard on the Great White Way
brought him the 1953 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play. "Dial
M for Murder" was the 27th Broadway play he had appeared in since
making his New York debut in "The Fake" in 1924, which he had
originally appeared in back in his native England.
Williams was born on April 15, 1903 in Buckinghamshire and attended
Lancing College. He first trod the boards as a teenager in a 1916
production of
Peter Pan (1924). He
moved to America in the mid-1920s and was a busy and constantly
employed stage actor for 30 years. After "Dial M for Murder" in the
1953-54 season, though, he appeared in only four more Broadway plays
between 1955 and 1970 as he focused on movies and television.
In addition to "Dial M for Murder", he appeared in Hitchcock's
The Paradine Case (1947) and in
To Catch a Thief (1955) and in
10 episodes of the TV series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955).
For
Billy Wilder, he appeared in
Sabrina (1954) and
Witness for the Prosecution (1957).
Beginning in the 1960s, most of his work was in television, including a
nine-episode stint on
Family Affair (1966) taking
over
Sebastian Cabot's duties as
Brian Keith's butler when Cabot was
waylaid by health problems.
He retired in the late '70s, his last acting gig being an appearance on
Battlestar Galactica (1978)
in 1979. He was known by many in the last phase of his career for his
work on one of the first TV infomercials, when he served as the
pitchman for a classical music record collection called "120 Music
Masterpieces."
John Williams died on May 5, 1983 in La Jolla, California from an
aneurysm. He was 80 years old.
Battlestar Galactica(1978)as Sire Montrose
ABC Weekend Specials(1977)as Hawkins
Hot Lead and Cold Feet(1978)as Mansfield
The Feather and Father Gang(1976)as Carter Shelby
No Deposit, No Return(1976)as Jameson
The March of Time, Vol. 15, No. 1: On Stage!(1949)as Self
Les Chroniques du Mea(2012)as Self
Hitchcock and Dial M(2004)as Chief Inspector Hubbard
Edith Head: The Paramount Years(2002)
Biography(1987)
The Magical World of Disney(1954)as Jameson the Butler
