TEMPLEMAN LIBRARY

UNIVERSITY OF KENT AT CANTERBURY

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: THEATRE COLLECTIONS

Pettingell Collection

Arthur Williams: A chronology

Arthur Williams was born in Islington on December 9th 1844. He had a brother Fred also in the theatre?. He had no formal theatrical training and had been in business as a law stationer before going on the stage. He first appeared in a walk-on part as Alfred Martelli in "The Corsican Brothers" at the Theatre Royal, Gravesend, on December 26th 1861 at the age of 17. He was very hard up, and after playing in Dover had to walk to London carrying his possessions in a small carpet bag. He subsequently played at Margate, Leeds, Birmingham, Bury St.Edmonds & the Isle of Man on very low wages. Seven years after his first part came his first performance on the London stage, at the St James's Theatre. He married Emily Spiller. His nephew was Fred Emney. In 1914 he contributed his reminiscences to The Stage He died on 15th September, 1915 aged 70.

*NEW*

In 2003 the Templeman Library purchased a collection of images of Arthur Williams, which have now been scanned and catalogued. Many of the pictures depict Williams in his famous roles. There are also a number of posters and programmes in other collections which mention Williams in his famous roles.

 

WORK IN THE THEATRE

WRITING

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

Biographical details taken from Who's Who in the Theatre, 1916- pp.685-6; The Theatre, v.XI, May 1888,p. 279

© Copyright 2003 Templeman Library, University of Kent at Canterbury

Please contact Mrs. S. Crabtree, Special Collections Librarian for details of access to the collections (S.A.Crabtree@kent.ac.uk)
(Last updated 27th January '03)