Mark Williams (actor)

Mark Williams
Born	(1959-08-22) 22 August 1959 Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, UK
Occupation	Actor, presenter, screenwriter
Years active	1982–present
Spouse(s)	Dianne Williams
Children	1

Mark Williams (born 22 August 1959) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter and presenter. He is best known as Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter films, one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show The Fast Show, as well as his role as Olaf Peterson in Red Dwarf. More recently he has appeared as the title character in the BBC series Father Brown.

Early life

William was educated at North Bromsgrove High School and Brasenose College, Oxford. He performed with Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS). Having made a career as a theatre actor and working for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre along the way, Williams came to wider public attention through his appearances on the BBC television sketch programmes Alexei Sayle's Stuff and The Fast Show. Williams has described the huge popularity of the latter show as a "double-edged sword" as it has led to his being seen by the public as a comedian rather than as an actor.

Career

Williams made his film début alongside fellow débutants Hugh Grant and Imogen Stubbs in the Oxford University Film Foundation production Privileged in 1982.

His most famous cinema role is as Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter film series, which began in 2002. Other high profile appearances include the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Stardust alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro and Claire Danes in 2007 and a 2012 role in Doctor Who as Brian Williams, father of the Doctor's companion, Rory.

Since 2013 he has appeared as the lead role in the BBC costume drama Father Brown.

Since 2014, he has presented the BBC daytime game show The Link. The show is currently in its second series

Aside from his acting work, Williams has also presented several documentary programmes: Mark Williams' Big Bangs on the history of explosives, a follow-up to previous series Mark Williams on the Rails, Industrial Revelations and More Industrial Revelations.

He is a supporter of both Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion football clubs (he lives in Brighton).

Interviewed in 2014 by the Lancashire Evening Post, when asked if some people still saw him as a comedy actor, Williams replied, "Well, it’s only a few people in the BBC. In America they see me as a major British character actor, but unfortunately the BBC is pretty parochial and people are institutionalised here."

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	Privileged	Wilf
1987	Out of Order	PC
1988	High Season	Benny
1994	Prince of Jutland	Aslak
1996	101 Dalmatians	Horace
1997	The Borrowers	Exterminator Jeff
1998	Shakespeare in Love	Wabash
1999	Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?	Roland Thornton
2000	High Heels and Low Lifes	Tremaine
2002	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	Arthur Weasley
2002	Anita and Me	The Reverend 'Uncle' Alan
2002	The Final Curtain	Declan Farrell
2004	Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London	Inspector Crescent
2004	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Arthur Weasley
2005	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	Arthur Weasley
2006	A Cock and Bull Story	Ingoldsby
2007	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	Arthur Weasley
2007	Stardust	Billy the Innkeeper
2009	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	Arthur Weasley
2010	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1	Arthur Weasley
2010	Flutter	Raymond
2011	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2	Arthur Weasley
2011	Albert Nobbs	Sean

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	The Storyteller	Fearnot's brother	Episode "Fearnot"
	Red Dwarf	Olaf Petersen	Three episodes:"The End", "Balance of Power" & "Stasis Leak"
	Alexei Sayle's Stuff		First series, six episodes
1989	Tumbledown	Lumpy
1990	Kinsey	Danny
	Making Out	Manfred	Episodes 1 and 2
	KYTV		Episode "Launch"
1991	Merlin of the Crystal Cave	Cerdic
	Bottom	Boris	Episode "Accident"
1993	The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer	Don Powell	Seven episodes 1993–1995
1994	Health and Efficiency	Steven	Episode "Cinderella Rockafeller"
	The Fast Show		23 episodes 1994–2000
	Chef!	Policeman 2	Episode "Masterchef"
1995	The Big Game	Tommy Hollis
	Searching	Gerald
	Peak Practice	Roland Grogan	Episode "Life and Soul"
1998	The Fast Show Live
	The Canterbury Tales	Chanticleer	Episode "Leaving London" – voice
	Ted & Ralph	Confirmed Bachelor
1999	Hunting Venus	Peter
2000	Gormenghast	Professor Perch
	The Strangerers	Cadet Flynn	Nine episodes
2001	Fun at the Funeral Parlour	Larry Nazareth	Episode "The Jaws of Doom"
	Industrial Revelations	Himself	Two series (as presenter)
2002	Shackleton	Dudley Docker
2003	Grass	Ben	Six episodes
2004	Mark Williams on the Rails	Himself	Presenter
	Carrie and Barry	Kirk	Two episodes
2006	Mark Williams' Big Bangs	Himself	Presenter
	Saxondale	Deggsy	One episode
2007	A Room with a View	Mr Beebe
2008	Sense and Sensibility	Sir John Middleton
2009	Inspector George Gently	Joe Bishop	Episode "Gently in the Night"
	Blood in the Water	Jerry Hourihan
	Agatha Christie's Marple	Claud Evans	Episode "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?"
	New Tricks	David Beaumont	Episode "The Truth is out There"
2010	Merlin	voice of goblin	Episode "Goblin's Gold"
	The Indian Doctor	Richard Sharpe	Five episodes
2011	Frankenstein's Wedding	Alphonse Frankenstein
2012	Being Human	Regus
	Hustle	Dale Ridley
	Doctor Who	Brian Williams	Season 7; Episode 2 (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship) and Episode 4 (The Power of Three)
2013	Blandings	Sebastian Beach	Six episodes
	Still Open All Hours	Planter's Salesman
2013—	Father Brown	Father Brown	Title character, 45 episodes
2014—	The Link	Presenter	BBC daytime game show

External links

• Mark Williams at the Internet Movie Database
• Industrial Revelations fansite