William Powell
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| William Powell | |
 William Powell |
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| Birth name | William Horatio Powell |
| Born | July 29, 1892 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | March 5, 1984, age 91 Palm Springs, California |
William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles.
Powell, an only child, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Nettie Manila Brady and Horatio Warren Powell.[1] He showed an early aptitude for performing. In 1907, he moved with his family to Kansas City, Missouri.
After high school, he left home for New York and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts at the age of 18. In 1912 Powell graduated from the AADA, and worked in some vaudeville and stock companies. In 1915, he married Eileen Wilson, with whom he had his only child, William David Powell. After several successful experiences on the Broadway stage, he began his Hollywood career in 1922. His most memorable role in silent movies was as a bitter film director opposite Emil Jannings' Academy Award-winning performance as a fallen general in The Last Command (1928), which led to Powell's first starring role as Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case (1929).
In 1930, he and Eileen divorced amicably, and in 1931, he married actress Carole Lombard. They were married just over two years before divorcing in 1933, though they too remained on good terms, even starring together in the film, My Man Godfrey, three years later in 1936.
Perhaps Powell's most famous role was that of Nick Charles in six Thin Man films, beginning with The Thin Man in 1934. The role provided a perfect opportunity for Powell to showcase his sophisticated charm and his witty sense of humour, and he received his first Academy Award nomination for his performance in The Thin Man. Myrna Loy played his wife, Nora, in each of the Thin Man films. Her partnership with Powell was one of Hollywood's most prolific on-screen pairings, with the couple appearing in 14 films together.
He and Loy also starred in the Best Picture of 1936, The Great Ziegfeld, with Powell in the title role and Loy as his wife, Billie Burke. That same year, he also received his second Academy Award nomination, for the comedy My Man Godfrey, in which he starred with Carole Lombard, his former wife.
In 1935, he starred with Jean Harlow in Reckless, and they become very close friends. Soon it developed into a serious romance, though she died before they could marry. His distress over her death, as well as his own battle with colon cancer around the same time, caused him to accept fewer acting roles.
On January 6, 1940, he married actress Diana Lewis, whom he called "Mousie." Although the couple had only met for the first time three weeks before their wedding, they remained married until Powell's death in 1984.
His career slowed considerably in the 1940s, although in 1947 he received his third Academy Award nomination for his work in Life with Father. His last film was Mister Roberts in 1955, with Henry Fonda, James Cagney, and Jack Lemmon. Despite numerous entreaties to return to the screen, Powell refused all offers, happy in his retirement.
Powell's son, William David Powell, became a television writer and producer before a period of ill health led to his suicide in 1968.
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[edit] Death
On March 5, 1984, Powell died of cardiac arrest in Palm Springs, California at the age of 91, some thirty years after his retirement. He was survived by his wife, Diana Lewis, who died in 1997.
[edit] Quotes
[edit] The Thin Man, 1934
- Myrna Loy: Pretty Girl.
- William Powell: Yes. She's a nice type.
- Myrna Loy: You got types?
- William Powell: Only you, darling. Lanky brunettes with wicked jaws.
[edit] The Thin Man, 1934
- William Powell: Oh, it's alright, Joe. It's my dog. And uh, my wife.
- Myrna Loy: Well, you might have mentioned me on the first billing.
[edit] The Thin Man, 1934
- William Powell: Oh, I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.
- Myrna Loy: I read you were shot five times in the tabloids.
- William Powell: It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.
[edit] The Thin Man, 1934
- William Powell: How'd you like Grant's tomb?
- Myrna Loy: It's lovely. I'm having a copy made for you.
[edit] After The Thin Man, 1936
- William Powell: Come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm thirsty.
[edit] My Man Godfrey, 1936
- William Powell: These flowers just came for you, miss. Where shall I put them?
- Carole Lombard: What difference does it make where one puts flowers when one's heart is breaking?
- William Powell: Yes, miss. Shall I put them on the piano?
[edit] Life with Father, 1947
- William Powell: I don't go to church to be preached at as though I were some lost sheep.
- Irene Dunne: Clare, you don't seem to understand what the church is for.
- William Powell: Vinnie, if there's one place the church should leave alone, it's a man's soul!
[edit] Academy Awards Nominations
- 1948 Nominated Best Actor in a Leading Role - Life with Father
- 1937 Nominated Best Actor in a Leading Role - My Man Godfrey
- 1935 Nominated Best Actor in a Leading Role - The Thin Man
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1636 Vine Street. He won the New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Life With Father.
[edit] Filmography
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[edit] Trivia
- Don Adams stated in interviews that his famous "clippy" voice characterization was based on, and an exaggeration of, the speaking style of William Powell.[citation needed]
- Powell and Casey Stengel graduated from high school together in Kansas City.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- Christensen, Lawrence O., et. al. Dictionary of Missouri Biography. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press ISBN 0-8262-1222-0
[edit] Further reading
Bryant, Roger, William Powell: The Life and Films, Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2006. ISBN 0-7864-2602-0
Francisco, Charles , Gentleman: The William Powell Story , New York: St Martins Press, 1985. ISBN 0-312-32103-1
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
- The William Powell Pages Tribute site: galleries, bio, memorabilia
- William Powell at the Internet Movie Database
- William Powell at the TCM Movie Database
- Find-A-Grave entry for William Powell
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Actors from Pittsburgh | American actors | American film actors | American silent film actors | Deaths from cardiovascular disease | Hollywood Walk of Fame | People from Kansas City | 1892 births | 1984 deaths
