Nicol Williamson

Nicol Williamson.

One of the greatest actors of his generation – any generation – died just before Christmas and nobody knew until the last few days. His family announced his death last week and he was Nicol Williamson.

He died in Amsterdam, where he lived, around December 16^th.

There were rumours that he was difficult to work with, but none of these have been confirmed by the people he worked with – either directors or fellow actors.

There were a few instances which I'm sure have been blown up out of all proportion; one night whilst playing Hamlet something came over him so he turned, threw his dagger at the back wall of the stage and walked off. Then he came back on stage and apologised to the audience.

There was a tale that he walked off during his one man show about John Barrymore – I think he came to the stage before the show and told the audience he couldn't do it that night and he slapped someone across the arse during a curtain call once.

Because of these instances he was considered difficult – it's not as if he shagged a sheep!!!!

Someone was at one of the performances of the John Barrymore play, and at the end of the interval, he saw Nicol Williamson walk in to the theatre through one of the audience doors and walk casually towards the stage, notice the audience, get on to the stage and go straight into the second act; he said it was very impressive.

Nicol Williamson attended Central Grammar School in Birmingham and also went to the same drama school as I did there; I don't know why he went there, maybe for the same reason I did. It was the only drama school I'd heard of apart from RADA and I wasn't going all the way to London just for an audition.

Once in a while the Principal of the school, Pamela Chapman, would mention him but would call him THE Nicol Williamson. She didn't mention that he was expelled or the reason for it.

I never saw him on stage but I saw him perform on TV and in movies; I saw his Hamlet which was Ballsy, Blokey and heroic – he wasn't as vulnerable as other Hamlets of the day.

I also saw him play The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui on TV, which was spectacular, and I saw him play Richard Nixon from the transcripts of the 'secret' recordings where he would say expletive deleted each time he came to a curse word.

His performance in The Bofors Gun, on film, was frightening.

This might have been the reason I didn't approach him at Heathrow Airport when I saw him there one day.

Goodbye Nicol Williamson may you rest in peace.