Alan Williams (born 1954Alan Williams brings Girl to Winnipeg. In: mbplays.ca, January 6, 2015.) is a British actor and playwright, who has performed in film, television and theatre in both the United Kingdom and Canada."Success, Failure All Part of the Plan for Playwright". Winnipeg Free Press, 6 January 2015.
Life and career Originally from Manchester and educated at The Manchester Grammar School, he took some classes in theatre school but received the bulk of his training as an apprentice with the Hull Truck Theatre."Tall tales from outsiders; Performer-playwright brings acclaimed trilogy to Ottawa". Ottawa Citizen, 4 May 1988. He performed his Cockroach trilogy of one-man plays (The Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati, The Return of the Cockroach and The Cockroach Has Landed) at the influential London fringe venue The Bush Theatre and subsequently at the International Theatre Festival in Toronto, Ontario in 1981,"Cockroach displays humor". The Globe and Mail, 20 May 1981. and then decided to remain in the city, becoming playwright in residence at the Tarragon Theatre."From Cockroach Trilogy to suburbia Williams battles theatre cliches". The Globe and Mail, 11 January 1984.
He later moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, becoming a theatre professor at the University of Winnipeg. His subsequent plays in Canada included The Warlord of Willowdale, The White Dogs of Texas,"Spontaneity sings in Williams's White Dogs". Ottawa Citizen, 5 May 1988. King of America,"King of America gives audience unique lesson in hilarious history". Ottawa Citizen, 12 May 1998. Dixieland's Night of Shame,"Tall tales and home truths: The creator of the Cockroach Trilogy tries his hand at drama". The Globe and Mail, 22 August 1987. Welcome to the NHL and The Duke of Nothing."Playwright takes on Canadian theatre values". Toronto Star, 15 March 1991. He also took some acting roles in other playwrights' work, most notably appearing opposite Linda Griffiths in her two-person play The Darling Family"'The act of theatre is an act of hope'". The Globe and Mail, 24 January 1991. and its 1994 film adaptation by Alan Zweig."Movie strikes balance in the abortion debate". Edmonton Journal, 7 December 1994.
In 1996, his Cockroach trilogy was adapted into the film The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati by filmmaker Michael McNamara."Film is '60s surreal: Cockroach That Ate Cincinnati funny and disconcerting". Montreal Gazette, 24 May 1997. The film garnered Williams a Genie Award nomination for Best Actor at the 18th Genie Awards."Sweet Hereafter leads the Genie award pack". The Province, 5 November 1997. Soon after completing the film of The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati, Williams moved back to England,"U.K. artist finds truth stranger than fantasy". Calgary Herald, 10 January 2015. where he has had roles in films such as The Scold's Bridle, Touching Evil, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and Vera Drake, and television series including Always and Everyone, Coronation Street, Wire in the Blood, Life Begins, The Virgin Queen, Rome, Luther, Father Brown, Doc Martin and Starlings. He returned to Canada in 2015 to tour his new theatre trilogy The Girl with Two Voices.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1986 Mistress Madeleine Kirk 1994 The Darling Family He 1996 The Cockroach that Ate Cincinnati Captain 1998 Among Giants Frank 1999 Elephant Juice Geezer-Man on Tube 2002 All or Nothing Drunk Heartlands Deno 2003 Bright Young Things Bookie 2004 The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Casino Royale director Vera Drake Sick Husband 2007 Grow Your Own Kenny 2010 London Boulevard Joe 2012 Run for Your Wife 2017 Trespass Against Us Noah 2018 Peterloo Magistrate Marriott Sometimes Always Never Desk Officer 2019 I Was at Home, But Herr Meisner 2024 Till the Stars Come Down Tony 2026 Tender Loving Care
Television Year Title Role Notes 1997 Wycliffe Mr. Rand Episode: "Strangers Homes" 1997, 1999,2002, 2004 The Bill Various characters 4 episodes1998 Getting Hurt Paranoid Television film The Scold's Bridle Bob Spede Miniseries; 2 episodes Touching Evil Raymond Mackie 2 episodes 1999 Badger Dominic McGuire Episode: "Low Fidelity" 1999–2000 Always and Everyone Martin 7 episodes 1999, 2001 Coronation Street Caretaker / Brian Haverstock 3 episodes 2000 North Square Davey Burns Episode #1.1 2001 Love in a Cold Climate Religious Speaker Episode #1.22002 Peak Practice Kevin Coles Episode: "Betrayal" Paradise Heights Norman Lear Episode #1.4 Wire in the Blood Graham Dowling 2 episodes Sirens DCI Struther Television film2003 Serious & Organised Ritchie Mullan Episode: "Nice Little Earner" The Mayor of Casterbridge Stubberd Television film Charles II: The Power and the Passion Preacher Miniseries; 1 episode 2004–2005 Life Begins George 7 episodes2005 The Virgin Queen Doctor John Dee Episode #1.1 Derailed Ken Hodson Television film A Waste of Shame George Wilkins Television film2006 Heartbeat Ed Sawyer Episode: "Kith and Kin" The Innocence Project Morris Toal Episode #1.22007 Rome Acerbo 4 episodes New Tricks Johnny Jones Episode: "Father's Pride" 2007, 2010 Holby City Robert Mallory / Ralph Lawrence 2 episodes2008 Mutual Friends Tractor Driver Episode #1.6 Spooks Charles Grady Episode: "Darkest Hour" EastEnders Scally 1 episode 2008–2026 Silent Witness Eddie Stokes / Terrence 3 episodes 2009 Personal Affairs David Johnston Episode: "A Decent Proposal" 2010 Pulse Charlie Maddox Television film2011 Shameless Lulu Episode: "Sickness and Health" The Crimson Petal and the White Colonel Leek 2 episodes Vera Michael Long Episode: "Telling Tales" Luther Frank Hodge 3 episodes Midsomer Murders Ezra Canning Episode: "The Sleeper Under the Hill" Doc Martin Alastair Tonken 2 episodes 2011, 2016 Doctors Geoff Stride / Ben Sinclair 2 episodes 2012–2013 Starlings Granddad 12 episodes 2012, 2015, 2016,2019, 2021 Casualty Various characters 5 episodes2013 Utopia The Tramp 2 episodes Endeavour Cyril Morse Episode: "Home" The Guilty Frank Lawson 3 episodes2015 SunTrap Donald Hammer 3 episodes The Coroner Keegan Brubaker Episode: "Capsized" 2015–2016 Drunk History Various characters 4 episodes 2016 The Crown Professor Hogg Episode: "Scientia Potentia Est" 2017–2025 Father Brown Blind 'Arry 6 episodes2019 The Capture Eddie Emery 3 episodes Chernobyl KGB Deputy Chairman Viktor Charkov 3 episodes 2020 Cold Feet Chris Episode #9.52021 Grantchester Bernard Allison Episode #6.6 The Long Call Maurice Craddle 4 episodes2022 Inside Man Gordon Episode #1.4 Without Sin Eric Episode #1.2 2023–2025 Beyond Paradise Derek 2 episodes
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