Nicol Williamson

Acting

Nicol Williamson

Born — Died

1936-09-14 — 2011-12-16

Place of birth

Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

46 titles

Thomas Nicol Williamson (September 14, 1936 - December 16, 2011) was a British actor. He was once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando". He was also described by Samuel Beckett as "touched by genius" and viewed by many critics as "the Hamlet of his generation" during the late 1960s.

Known for

Columbo poster
8.1

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

Columbo

1971

The Dick Cavett Show poster
6.8

The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.

The Dick Cavett Show

1968

No artwork available
5.1

The BBC's flagship cinema review TV program featuring reviews of new releases, news items and interviews. The title of the program changes each year to incorporate the year of broadcast.

Film '72

1971

Thirty-Minute Theatre poster
4.2

An anthology of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known.

Thirty-Minute Theatre

1965

The BBC Television Shakespeare poster
6.0

The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.

The BBC Television Shakespeare

1978

The Exorcist III poster
6.3

On the fifteenth anniversary of the exorcism that claimed Father Damien Karras' life, Police Lieutenant Kinderman's world is once again shattered when a boy is found decapitated and savagely crucified.

The Exorcist III

1990

Film credits

1990s · 6 titles

The Exorcist III poster
6.3

On the fifteenth anniversary of the exorcism that claimed Father Damien Karras' life, Police Lieutenant Kinderman's world is once again shattered when a boy is found decapitated and savagely crucified.

The Exorcist III

1990

Spawn poster
5.5

After being murdered by corrupt colleagues in a covert government agency, Al Simmons makes a pact with the devil to be resurrected to see his beloved wife Wanda. In exchange for his return to Earth, Simmons agrees to lead Hell's Army in the destruction of mankind.

Spawn

1997

The Wind in the Willows poster
5.8

Jailed for his reckless driving, rambunctious Mr. Toad has to escape from prison when his beloved Toad Hall comes under threat from the wily weasels, who plan to build a dog food factory on the very meadow sold to them by Toad himself.

The Wind in the Willows

1996

The Hour of the Pig poster
6.2

In medieval France, young lawyer Richard Courtois leaves Paris for the simpler life in the country. However, he is soon drawn into amorous and political intrigues. At the same time, he is pushed to defend a pig, owned by the mysterious gypsy Samira. The pig has been arrested for the murder of a young boy.

The Hour of the Pig

1993

Audrey Hepburn: Remembered poster
7.6

Audrey Hepburn was one of the movies' best-loved stars, blessed with beauty, talent, an elegant sophistication and an enduring aura of youthful innocence. As Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, she spoke for the world's suffering children and families, earning an affection and admiration that only increased with news of her untimely death. From the star herself we learn of her career and the family and friendships that were her priority.

Audrey Hepburn: Remembered

1993

No artwork available
NR

An American doctor in England for a conference with his spendthrift wife visits an old friend who stole the love of his life from him.

A Curious Suicide

1990

1980s · 10 titles

Excalibur poster
7.0

Arthur fulfills his fate by bringing together the Knights of the Round Table at Camelot and unifying the country. However, this flawed monarch faces greater tests ahead in pursuit of love, the Holy Grail, and his nation's survival.

Excalibur

1981

Return to Oz poster
6.7

Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, finds herself back in the land of her dreams, and makes delightful new friends, and dangerous new enemies.

Return to Oz

1985

Black Widow poster
6.2

Federal agent Alexandra Barnes believes that Catherine Petersen is a serial killer who marries rich men and then murders them for their money. But since Catherine is seemingly a master of disguise and has multiple identities, Alexandra can't prove anything with conventional detective work. With no other option, she goes undercover, pursuing the same man as Catherine, and hoping that Catherine will slip up and reveal her true identity.

Black Widow

1987

Venom poster
5.6

International terrorists attempt to kidnap a wealthy couple's child. Their plan comes unstuck, however, when a deadly Black Mamba, sent by mistake instead of a harmless snake, escapes and terrorizes both them and their hostages.

Venom

1981

I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can poster
7.0

An adaptation of Barbara Gordon's nonfiction account of her addiction to Valium.

I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can

1982

Passion Flower poster
4.2

The movers and shakers in Singapore get involved in behind-the-scenes political and business activities, romantic entanglements, and murder. Nicol Williamson plays the wealthiest man in Southeast Asia. Barbara Hershey is his married antagonistic daughter who starts an affair with an ambitious American banker (Bruce Boxleitner) and who also seems to have the attention of her father.

Passion Flower

1987

The Making of Excalibur: Myth into Movie poster
NR

In this behind-the-scenes documentary, Neil Jordan chronicles the production of Excalibur, following director John Boorman on set and documenting the filmmaking process. The film includes on-set footage and interviews with members of the cast and crew.

The Making of Excalibur: Myth into Movie

1981

To Be Hamlet poster
NR

Documentary examination of the role of Hamlet, in which ten prominent actors who have played the part discuss Hamlet's personality, Shakespeare's play, and the enduring popular fascination it has inspired. The actors interviewed are Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Richard Burton, Nicol Williamson, Ben Kingsley, Jean Louis Barrault, Vittorio Gassman, Maximilian Schell, Innocenti Smoktunovsky, and Mandy Patinkin. Includes excerpts from various film and television versions of Hamlet, featuring these actors and others.

To Be Hamlet

1985

Sakharov poster
7.5

Biography of Russian physicist & dissident Andrei Sakharov focuses on his first acts in his civil rights.

Sakharov

1984

Macbeth poster
6.4

Macbeth and his wife murder Duncan in order to gain his crown, but the bloodbath doesn't stop there, and things supernatural combine to bring the Macbeths down.

Macbeth

1983

1970s · 11 titles

The Cheap Detective poster
6.4

A spoof of the entire 1940s detective genre. San Francisco private detective, Lou Pekinpaugh is accused of murdering his partner at the instigation of his mistress—his partner's wife.

The Cheap Detective

1978

Robin and Marian poster
6.3

Robin Hood, aging none too gracefully, returns exhausted from the Crusades to woo and win Maid Marian one last time.

Robin and Marian

1976

The Goodbye Girl poster
7.0

After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.

The Goodbye Girl

1977

The Human Factor poster
5.8

When a leak of information in the African section of British Intelligence is discovered, a security man is brought in to investigate.

The Human Factor

1979

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution poster
6.2

Concerned about his friend's cocaine use, Dr. Watson tricks Sherlock Holmes into travelling to Vienna, where Holmes enters the care of Sigmund Freud. Freud attempts to solve the mysteries of Holmes' subconscious, while Holmes devotes himself to solving a mystery involving the kidnapping of Lola Deveraux.

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution

1976

The Wilby Conspiracy poster
6.3

Having spent 10 years in prison for nationalist activities, Shack Twala is finally ordered released by the South African Supreme Court but he finds himself almost immediately on the run after a run-in with the police. Assisted by his lawyer Rina Van Niekirk and visiting British engineer Jim Keogh, he heads for Capetown where he hopes to recover a stash of diamonds, meant to finance revolutionary activities, that he had entrusted to a dentist before his incarceration. Along the way, they are followed by Major Horn of the South African State security bureau and it becomes apparent that he has no intention of arresting them until they reach their final destination

The Wilby Conspiracy

1975

The Monk poster
5.8

Ambrosio is a monk who is sexually tempted by an emissary of the Devil, a young girl in monk's robes. After he has committed numerous crimes, it appears that he will be caught and punished by the Inquisition. Instead, he signs up on the Devil's team and wins his freedom.. and eventually, the papacy.

The Monk

1972

The Jerusalem File poster
4.0

An American student starts working with his Arab colleague while putting all politics aside. However, is his colleague just a regular Joe? Set around the time of Arab-Israeli Six Day War.

The Jerusalem File

1972

No artwork available
NR

A reconstruction from the audio tapes recorded in the US White House after the Watergate break in.

I Know What I Meant

1974

The Gangster Show: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui poster
NR

The rise to underworld eminence of the notorious Chicago gangster Artuto Ui - who bears a striking resemblance to Adolf Hitler.

The Gangster Show: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui

1972

The Reckoning poster
7.5

Michael Marler, a successful businessman in London, is about to make his way to the top. After 37 years, the death of his father brings him back to his hometown of Liverpool, where he’s confronted with his lost Irish roots. He finds out that his father died in a fight with some Anglo-Saxon teddy boys. It becomes a matter of honour for him to take his revenge without involving the police.

The Reckoning

1970

1960s · 8 titles

Of Mice and Men poster
9.0

Two ranch workers, one of them simple-minded, look for work and happiness during the Great Depression, but luck is not in their cards.

Of Mice and Men

1968

Laughter in the Dark poster
4.3

Swinging London in the 1960s. Deals with the affection of a middle-aged man for a very young woman, resulting in a mutually parasitic relationship.

Laughter in the Dark

1969

Horror of Darkness poster
NR

A studio-based drama by John Hopkins focusing on a trio of people at the point of crisis, with an underlying theme of homosexuality a couple of years before legalisation.

Horror of Darkness

1965

Hamlet poster
5.8

Tony Richardson's Hamlet is based on his own stage production. Filmed entirely within the Roundhouse in London (a disused train shed), it is shot almost entirely in close up, focusing the attention on faces and language rather than action.

Hamlet

1969

The Six-Sided Triangle poster
10.0

The Six-Sided Triangle is a 1963 short film directed by Christopher Miles, starring his younger sister Sarah Miles, Nicol Williamson, and Bill Meilen. It is about a husband who comes home and finds his wife with her lover - told from the perspectives of six different countries (the US, England, Japan, Sweden, Italy and France). The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.

The Six-Sided Triangle

1963

The Day of Ragnarok poster
NR

“Fantasy of the end of civilization. Lesbians commit mayhem during a nuclear war in a wood.” - BFI.

The Day of Ragnarok

1965

Inadmissible Evidence poster
7.0

A lawyer's agonizing journey to the breaking point of his private and professional lives as he becomes more and more alienated from everyone connected with him.

Inadmissible Evidence

1968

The Bofors Gun poster
6.5

A national service NCO (David Warner) comes face to face with an embittered Irish Gunner (Nicol Williamson) who is determined to humiliate him.

The Bofors Gun

1968

Series credits

Columbo poster
8.1

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

Columbo

1971

The Dick Cavett Show poster
6.8

The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.

The Dick Cavett Show

1968

No artwork available
5.1

The BBC's flagship cinema review TV program featuring reviews of new releases, news items and interviews. The title of the program changes each year to incorporate the year of broadcast.

Film '72

1971

Thirty-Minute Theatre poster
4.2

An anthology of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known.

Thirty-Minute Theatre

1965

The BBC Television Shakespeare poster
6.0

The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.

The BBC Television Shakespeare

1978

Chillers poster
6.7

A 1990 horror anthology series, with host Anthony Perkins presenting and screening tales based on Patricia Highsmith's short stories that display a sinister atmosphere, and delve into the darkest depths of human nature.

Chillers

1990

The Word poster
4.8

A document is discovered that appears to be an ancient eyewitness account of the life of Jesus Christ. A public relations executive is hired to publicize this document as a new version of the Bible, but he finds himself enmeshed in controversy and intrigue.

The Word

1978

Christopher Columbus poster
6.2

After his proposal to sail west to the East Indies is rejected by Portugal, Columbus overcomes court intrigue in Spain to gain support for his expedition.

Christopher Columbus

1985

Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy poster
7.5

Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy was a British television series which first aired on ITV in 1986. It depicts Lord Mountbatten's time as Viceroy of India shortly after the Second World War in the days leading up to Indian independence.

Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy

1986

No artwork available
NR

A six-part anthology of new television films produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2's Saturday nights between 12 December 1964 and 16 January 1965.

Six

1964