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William Powell is a Actor American born on 28 july 1892 at Pittsburgh (USA)

William Powell

William Powell
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Birth name William Horatio Powell
Nationality USA
Birth 28 july 1892 at Pittsburgh (USA)
Death 5 march 1984 (at 91 years) at Palm Springs (USA)

William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. He typically played highly self-confident characters, with a sophisticated sense of humor and wit.

A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters created by Dashiell Hammett. Powell was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times: for The Thin Man (1934), My Man Godfrey (1936), and Life with Father (1947).

Biography

In 1915, he married Eileen Wilson (1894-1942) who was born Julia Tierney, with whom he had his only child, William David Powell, before an amicable divorce in 1930. Powell's son became a television writer and producer before a period of ill health led to his suicide in 1968.

On June 26, 1931, Powell married actress Carole Lombard. The marriage lasted just over two years. They were divorced in 1933, though they, too, remained on good terms, even starring together in the screwball comedy My Man Godfrey three years later. Powell was devastated when he learned of her death in 1942.

Powell was engaged to actress Jean Harlow. After her sudden death in 1937, it is reported that a single white gardenia with an unsigned note was placed in her hands before she was interred, presumed to have been written by Powell. The note read, "Good night, my dearest darling". He also paid for her final resting place—a $25,000, 9×10-foot private room lined with multicolored imported marble located in the "Sanctuary of Benediction" of the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.

In 1937, Powell was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent surgery and experimental radium treatment which put the disease in full remission within two years. Given his own health and sorrow over Harlow's death, Powell did not undertake any film roles for over a year during this period.

On January 6, 1940, Powell married actress Diana Lewis, whom he called "Mousie", three weeks after they met. They remained married for 44 years, residing primarily in Palm Springs, California, until Powell died at the age of 91.

Best films

Mister Roberts (1955)
(Actor)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
(Actor)
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)
(Actor)
The Last Command (1928)
(Actor)

Usually with

Cedric Gibbons
Cedric Gibbons
(23 films)
Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy
(18 films)
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor
(16 films)
Jesse L. Lasky
Jesse L. Lasky
(15 films)
J. Roy Hunt
J. Roy Hunt
(8 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of William Powell (96 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Mister Roberts, 2h3
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, John Ford, Joshua Logan
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Military humor in film, Seafaring films, Transport films, Political films, Films based on plays, United States Armed Forces in films
Actors Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon, Betsy Palmer, Ward Bond
Roles Doc
Rating75% 3.7969453.7969453.7969453.7969453.796945
In the waning days of World War II, the United States Navy cargo ship Reluctant and her crew are stationed in the "backwater" areas of the Pacific Ocean. The executive officer/cargo chief, Lieutenant Junior Grade Douglas A. "Doug" Roberts (Henry Fonda), tries to shield the dispirited crew from the harsh and unpopular captain, Lieutenant Commander Morton (James Cagney). Eager to join the fighting, Roberts repeatedly requests a transfer. Morton is forced by regulation to forward his requests, but refuses to endorse them, which means they are always rejected. Roberts shares quarters with Ensign Frank Thurlowe Pulver (Jack Lemmon). Pulver spends most of his time idling in his bunk and avoids the captain at all costs, so much so that Morton is actually unaware that the ensign is even part of the crew.
How to Marry a Millionaire, 1h32
Directed by Jean Negulesco
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Comedy-drama, Musical theatre, Romantic comedy, Romance
Themes Films based on plays, Children's films
Actors Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, William Powell, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun
Roles J.D. Hanley
Rating67% 3.399723.399723.399723.399723.39972
Resourceful Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall), spunky Loco Dempsey (Betty Grable), and ditzy Pola Debevoise (Marilyn Monroe) rent a luxurious Sutton Place penthouse in New York City from Freddie Denmark (David Wayne), who is avoiding the IRS by living in Europe. The women plan to use the apartment to attract rich men and marry them. When money is tight, Schatze pawns some of Freddie's furniture, without his knowledge. To their dismay, as winter approaches, the furnishings continue to be sold off as they have no luck.
The Girl Who Had Everything, 1h9
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Romantic drama, Romance
Themes Films based on plays
Actors Elizabeth Taylor, Fernando Lamas, William Powell, Gig Young, James Whitmore, Robert Burton
Roles Steve Latimer
Rating56% 2.8045052.8045052.8045052.8045052.804505
Steve Latimer (William Powell) is a successful defense attorney who has tried to give his daughter Jean (Elizabeth Taylor) everything he can in life. She decides to leave her boyfriend, the amiable Vance Court (Gig Young), for Victor Ramondi (Fernando Lamas), a rakish and dangerous man with underworld connections whom Steve is representing. Steve tries to warn Jean away from Victor, but she accepts his proposal of marriage.
It's a Big Country, 1h29
Directed by Don Hartman, John Sturges, Richard Thorpe, William A. Wellman, Charles Vidor, Clarence Brown, Don Weis
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Anthology film
Actors Gary Cooper, Ethel Barrymore, Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Janet Leigh, Fredric March
Roles Professor
Rating59% 2.999262.999262.999262.999262.99926
A professor traveling on a train overhears a fellow passenger make a comment about "America". The professor then asks: "Which America?" This provides a lead-in for multiple tales of American life. There is the tale of Mrs. Riordan, an elderly lady from Boston. She is upset about not having been counted in the 1950 census. She asks a newspaper editor named Callaghan to intervene on her behalf, and he makes the mistake of not taking her seriously.
Dancing in the Dark, 1h32
Directed by Irving Reis
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Romantic comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about television, Théâtre, Musical films, Films based on plays
Actors William Powell, Mark Stevens, Betsy Drake, Adolphe Menjou, Randy Stuart, Lloyd Corrigan
Roles Emery Slade
Rating54% 2.716522.716522.716522.716522.71652
This musical comedy stars William Powell as Emery Slade, an unlikeable actor who was once a major film star, but who has not worked in ten years. Slade tries to convince studio chief Melville Crossman (Adolphe Menjou) to give the female lead in the film version of a Broadway musical to an unknown, rather than the actress he was sent to New York to sign.
Take One False Step, 1h34
Directed by Chester Erskine
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Actors William Powell, Shelley Winters, Marsha Hunt, Dorothy Hart, James Gleason, Felix Bressart
Roles Andrew Gentling
Rating63% 3.190693.190693.190693.190693.19069
A married college professor agrees to have a drink with an old girlfriend; the next day he's being hunted for her murder.
The Senator Was Indiscreet, 1h28
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about writers, Films about journalists, Political films
Actors William Powell, Ella Raines, Arleen Whelan, Peter Lind Hayes, Ray Collins, Allen Jenkins
Roles Senator Melvin G. Ashton
Rating64% 3.244623.244623.244623.244623.24462
The inept, somewhat slow-witted U.S. senator Melvin G. Ashton wants to run for President of the United States. His eager publicist, Lew Gibson, encourages him with various attention-gaining stunts, disappointing his girlfriend Poppy McNaughton, a reporter at a local newspaper.
Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, 1h29
Directed by Irving Pichel
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Themes Mermaids in film
Actors William Powell, Ann Blyth, Irene Hervey, Andrea King, Clinton Sundberg, Lumsden Hare
Roles Mr. Peabody
Rating62% 3.149013.149013.149013.149013.14901
The film stars William Powell as Arthur Peabody, who is undergoing a mid-life crisis as he approaches his 50th birthday. Much of the story is shown in flashback as Peabody tells his skeptical doctor the source of malaise.
Song of the Thin Man, 1h26
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller, Crime
Themes Films about music and musicians
Actors William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn, Dean Stockwell, Phillip Reed, Leon Ames
Roles Nick Charles
Rating68% 3.448023.448023.448023.448023.44802
A charity benefit sponsored by David Thayer is staged aboard the S.S. Fortune, Phil Brant's gambling ship. The entertainment is provided by a jazz band led by Tommy Drake and featuring singer Fran Page and talented but unstable clarinetist Buddy Hollis.
Life with Father, 1h58
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about families
Actors William Powell, Irene Dunne, Elizabeth Taylor, Edmund Gwenn, Zasu Pitts, Jimmy Lydon
Roles Clarence Day Sr.
Rating70% 3.5461053.5461053.5461053.5461053.546105
Clarence Day (William Powell), is a benevolent despot of his 1880s New York City household. His wife Vinnie (Irene Dunne), is the real head of the household. The anecdotal story encompasses such details as the romance of Clarence (Jimmy Lydon) with pretty out-of-towner Mary (Elizabeth Taylor). Vinnie tries to get her headstrong husband baptized, else he'll never be able to enter the Kingdom of God.
The Thin Man Goes Home, 1h40
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller
Actors William Powell, Myrna Loy, Lucile Watson, Gloria DeHaven, Anne Revere, Harry Davenport
Roles Nick Charles
Rating72% 3.6469753.6469753.6469753.6469753.646975
Nick and Nora visit Nick's parents (Lucile Watson and Harry Davenport) in Nick's hometown, Sycamore Springs, in New England. The residents are convinced that Nick is in town on an investigation, despite Nick's repeated denials. However, when aircraft factory employee Peter Berton (Ralph Brooks) seeks out Nick and is shot dead before he can reveal anything, Nick is on the case.
Ziegfeld Follies, 1h50
Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Norman Taurog, Roy Del Ruth, Robert Lewis, Merrill Pye, George Sidney, Charles Walters
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Musical theatre, Musical
Themes Dance films, Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Lucille Bremer, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson
Roles Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
Rating63% 3.198063.198063.198063.198063.19806
Florenz Ziegfeld (William Powell), au paradis, veut faire revivre ses grands spectacles de music-hall. S'ensuit, sortie de son esprit, une série de sketches musicaux ou humoristiques mettant en scène diverses vedettes.
The Hoodlum Saint, 1h31
Directed by Norman Taurog
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Musical, Romance
Actors William Powell, Esther Williams, Angela Lansbury, James Gleason, Lewis Stone, Rags Ragland
Roles Terence Ellerton 'Terry' O'Neill
Rating60% 3.04843.04843.04843.04843.0484
Major Terry O'Neill (William Powell) returns to Baltimore in 1919, after the end of World War I, expecting to get his old newspaper night editor job back. However, the paper has recently changed owners, and his friend and former editor, Allan Smith (an uncredited Will Wright), has been told to cut costs. Disillusioned, Terry decides to abandon his ideals and make his fortune by whatever means necessary. Leaving the building, he runs into two less-than-savory friends, "Fishface" (Rags Ragland) and "Three Finger" (Frank McHugh). When they are arrested, it takes all his money to pay their fines and that of "Snarp" (James Gleason).