Arthur Williams (1844-1915) - signed postcard
Size: 3.5in x 5.5in / 9cm x 14cm
United Kingdom - 1910

Performer / Writer

Autographed black & white gloss photo postcard (Rotary 1142 D.). Unused. Postcard shows Mr Arthur Williams as 'Joachim XIII' in 'A Waltz Dream' 1908


Arthur Williams was born in Islington on December 9th 1844. He had a brother Fred also in the theatre?. He had no formal theatrical training and had been in business as a law stationer before going on the stage. He first appeared in a walk-on part as Alfred Martelli in "The Corsican Brothers" at the Theatre Royal, Gravesend, on December 26th 1861 at the age of 17. He was very hard up, and after playing in Dover had to walk to London carrying his possessions in a small carpet bag. He subsequently played at Margate, Leeds, Birmingham, Bury St.Edmonds & the Isle of Man on very low wages. Seven years after his first part came his first performance on the London stage, at the St James's Theatre. He married Emily Spiller. His nephew was Fred Emney. In 1914 he contributed his reminiscences to The Stage. He died on 15th September, 1915 aged 70.


1868, 26th December, St.James's Theatre - Thomas in The Secret Julius Crandust in Glitter
Baron Factotum in a burlesque of Sleeping Beauty
Moses in The School for Scandal
Crockett in Red Hands
1871, Royalty Theatre - Played in The Gay City, Nell Gwynne, Cupid in Waiting
1880, October, Imperial Theatre - Sir Mincing Lane in Billee Taylor
1881, May, Royalty Theatre - Onesimus Epps in The Member for Slocum
1881 : Olympic Theatre - Sir Whiffle Whaffle in Claude Duval
1882, April, Gaiety Theatre - as Amaranth CVIII in Lord Bateman
1886, March, Novelty Theatre - Title role in burlesque Oliver Grumble
1886, September, Gaiety Theatre - Lurcher in Dorothy
1888, Prince of Wales's - Lurcher in Dorothy
1889, April, Lyric Theatre - Dinniver in Doris
1889, November, Corporal Bundy in The Red Hussar
1890, October, Gaiety Theatre : Captain Ziniga in Carmen Up-to-Data
1892, Drury lane - Tom Blinker in The Prodigal Daughter
1894-1896, Gaiety Theatre - Mr. Hooley in The Shop Girl & in The Circus Girl
1895 : Court Theatre Bob Acres in The Rivals
1898-1901, Comedy Theatre - Played with Charles Hawtry in various comedy parts in Lord & Lady Algy, The Cuckoo, A Message from Mars
1901, Criterion Theatre - The Undercurrent
1902, January, Princess's Theatre - Dudley Mortimer in The Broken Melody
1902, Strand Theatre - Mr. Pineapple in A Chinese Honeymoon (playing the part 700 times)
1904, June, Crookie Scrubs in Sergeant Brue
1905, September, Haymarket Theatre - On the Love Path
1905 - 1906, Drury Lane - Baron Bluff in pantomime
1906, May, Vaudeville Theatre - The Belle of Mayfair
1907, That Brute Simmonds
1908, March, Hicks Theatre - Joachim XIII in A Waltz Dream 1908, December, New Theatre - Re-appeared in his old part of Lurcher In Dorothy 1909, October, Strand Theatre - Zopf in The Merry Peasant 1910, December, Vaudeville Theatre - Cornelius Scroop in The Girl in the Train 1911, May, New Theatre - Touchstone in As you Like it 1911, June 27th, His Majesty's Theatre - Sir Walter Raleigh in a Gala performance of The Critic
1911, December, New Theatre Percival - Sweet Nell of Old Drury completing his 50th year on the stage on Boxing Night
1912 - 1913 Toured with Sweet Nell...
1913, May, Theatre Royal - Portsmouth Master Blakey in Peg & the Prentice
1914, September, Strand Theatre - Jaikes in The Silver King
1914, November, Vaudeville - Perkyn Middlewick in Our Boys

WRITING
Farces : Leave it to me
Funnibone's Fix
Oh! What a day
Dramas : Christmas Chimes
The Secret of a Life

Biographical details taken from Who's Who in the Theatre, 1916- pp.685-6; The Theatre, v.XI, May 1888,p. 279