Emlyn Williams was a bisexual Welsh writer, dramatist and actor.
He
was born George Emlyn Williams on the 26th of November, 1905, in
Mostyn, Flintshire. His family were Welsh-speaking and working class,
but Emlyn avoided working down the mines, thanks to social worker Sarah
Grace Cooke, who opened a school in Holywell and recognised Emlyn’s
abilities. He won a scholarship to Oxford, to study French and Italian,
but in 1926 suffered a breakdown after a failed relationship with
another student - Miss Cooke encourged him to write to recover.
Emlyn performed with the Oxford University Dramatic Society, including in his own plays, and in 1930 performed in the West End. From 1932, he began to appear in films such as The Frightened Lady but found fame from his plays. ‘Night Must Fall’ was a psychological thriller written in 1935 and was made into a film in 1937 (and later remade starring Albert Finny in 1964). He wrote ‘He was Born Gay’ in 1937, then the semi-autobiographical ‘The Corn in Green’ in 1938, which was made into a film in 1945, starring Bette Davies as the school teacher based on Sarah Grace Cooke.
Over his long career, Emlyn appeared in over 40
films, wrote at least 20 plays and had co-written 20 screenplays. Emlyn
worked with Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton, who made him less ashamed
of his Welsh background, as he previously had been, especially due to
being sent to English schools as a Welsh speaker. Richard Burton was
also an admirer of Emlyn’s work and later worked with Emlyn’s son,
Brook.
Emlyn Williams and Mary Marjorie (Molly) O’Shann
married in 1935 and they had 2 sons, Alan and Brook Williams. Molly died
in 1970. Emlyn had relationships with men throughout his adult life, as
well as one night stands with women, and between 1981 and 1986 he had a
relationship with American journalist Albert N. Williams.
Emlyn
Williams died in London on the 25th of September, 1987, aged 81. A blue
plaque to honour him was unveiled in Marchmont Street in 2011.
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