Born into entertainment with his late father: the stage actor Hugh Williams and Mother: the Australian born actress Margaret Vyner, legendary star of stage and screen Simon Williams grew up with the overwhelming lure of the theatre and witnessing the lives of his parents and their associates fuelled his passion. Growing up surrounded by acting royalty including John Mills and Jack Hawkins, the house was always filled with showbiz personalities and more importantly laughter which appealed to the young schoolboy. The familiar smell of showbiz was a constant scent within the Williams’ household and it was unlikely that Simon was destined for anything else except to follow in their footsteps. His upper middle class roots naturally cultivated him into the archetypal upper class “toff” which Simon would continue cultivate throughout his career.
In 1971 this impression would come into its own when Simon was cast as Lieutenant James Bellamy in ITV’s landmark costume drama Upstairs Downstairs which became an overnight success. Appearing alongside Pauline Collins and Eileen Atkins, Simon was in esteemed company and went about refining his character. James Bellamy was a pompous, impatient aristocrat with not much time for anyone and this made him a difficult role to play. However, throughout the series, Bellamy went on a journey and softened in his attitude as a result of his own life experience and by the end Simon was to change his whole perception of the character, almost becoming sympathetic towards him. This is testament to his ability as an actor to get inside the mind of a character and completely separate himself from the role that he plays.
Situation comedy came calling in 1979 when Simon was cast as Laurence Lucas alongside the great Maureen Lipman for ITV’s Agony. In the era when homosexuality in sitcom was still depicted by the gregarious, flamboyant nature of John Inman’s Mr Humphries, Agony subverted this antiquated stereotype and created the characters of Rob and Michael who were working professionals played by Jeremy Bullock and Peter Denyer. Devoid of overtly camp undertones, Rob and Michael’s sexuality was hardly ever played on for laughs and instead were looked upon as allies rather than characatures. For situation comedy, this was groundbreaking and Simon is proud to have played just a small part in this levelling up agenda.
In 2014 Simon embarked upon a brand new challenge when he was cast as Justin Elliott in the Radio 4 serial drama The Archers. His father was a longtime fan of the goings on in the fictional farming village of Ambridge and therefore Simon felt a connection with the show. Indeed the medium of radio is packed full with endless trickery which an actor can take advantage of and Simon thrives upon the ability to execute such devices in the sake of drama. On television, should two actors have a requirement to kiss, they are forced to physically touch. Whereas on radio, this can be achieved simply by putting your lips to your hand and making the relevant noises. This possibly hints to the reason why radio still remains such a powerful medium which attracts the cream of talent.
Today, Simon is proud to have a healthy repertoire of literature that is still enjoyed by audiences all over the world. Teaming up with his wife Lucy Fleming for the play Posting Letters To The Moon, Simon has toured the country telling the touching love story between the actress Celia Johnson and Peter Fleming: brother of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. This is a story that remains close to both Lucy and Simon’s heart as a result of Celia and Peter being Lucy’s late parents. This offers them an extra ownership over the story which is evident from seeing their portrayal on stage and proves testimony to the calibre of actors that they both are. It was a great pleasure to welcome the legendary Simon Williams to Beyond The Title and with a stellar career behind him, he most certainly deserves a spot in the British television hall of fame.
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