William Powell
William Horatio Powell (
July 29,
1892 -
March 5,
1984) was an
American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles.
Born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, William Powell was an only child and showed an early aptitude for performing.
In 1907, he moved with his family to
Kansas City, Missouri. After high school, he left home for New York and the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts at the age of 18. In 1912 Powell graduated from the AADA, and then he worked in some vaudeville and stock companies. In 1915, he married his first wife, Eileen Wilson. After several successful experiences on the
Broadway stage, he began his
Hollywood career in 1922. His first starring role was as
Philo Vance in
The Canary Murder Case (1929).
In 1930, he and Eileen divorced amicably, and in 1931, he married actress
Carole Lombard. The were married just over two years before divorcing in 1933, though they too remained on good terms, even starring in a film together several years later.
Perhaps Powell's most famous role was that of
Nick Charles in six
Thin Man films, beginning with
The Thin Man in 1934. The role provided a perfect opportunity for Powell to showcase his sophisticated charm and his witty sense of humour, and he received his first
Academy Award nomination for his performance. Celebrated actress
Myrna Loy played his wife, Nora, in each of the
Thin Man films, and her partnership with Powell would become one of Hollywood's most prolific on-screen pairings, with the couple appearing in 14 films together.
Powell received an Academy Award Nomination for
The Thin Man. He and Loy also starred in the Best Picture of 1936,
The Great Ziegfeld, with Powell in the title role and Loy as his wife,
Billie Burke. That same year, he also received his second
Academy Award nomination for the comedy
My Man Godfrey, in which he starred with
Carole Lombard, his former wife.
In 1935 he starred with
Jean Harlow in
Reckless, and they become very close friends. Soon Powell's friendship with Harlow developed into a serious romance, though she died before they could marry. His distress over her death as well as his own battle with
colon cancer around the same time caused him to accept fewer acting roles.
On
January 6,
1940, he married actress Diana Lewis, whom he called "Mousie." Although the couple had only met for the first time three weeks before their wedding, they remained married until Powell's death in 1984.
His career slowed considerably in the 1940s, although in 1947 he received his third
Academy Award nomination for his work in
Life with Father. His last film was
Mister Roberts in 1955, with
Henry Fonda,
James Cagney, and
Jack Lemmon.
Despite numerous entreaties to return to the screen, Powell refused all offers, happy in his retirement.
Powell had one child, a son by his first wife Eileen Wilson.
William David Powell would go on to be a television writer and producer before committing suicide in 1968.
Powell died of
cardiac arrest in
Palm Springs, California at the age of 91, some thirty years after his retirement. He was survived by his wife, Diana Lewis, who passed away in 1997.
The Thin Man, 1934
:Myrna Loy:
Pretty Girl.
:William Powell:
Yes. She's a nice type.:Myrna Loy:
You got types?:William Powell:
Only you, darling. Lanky brunettes with wicked jaws.The Thin Man, 1934
:William Powell:
Oh, it's alright, Joe. It's my dog. And uh, my wife.:Myrna Loy:
Well, you might have mentioned me on the first billing.The Thin Man, 1934
:William Powell:
Oh, I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.:Myrna Loy:
I read you were shot five times in the tabloids.:William Powell:
It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.The Thin Man, 1934
:William Powell:
How'd you like Grant's tomb?:Myrna Loy:
It's lovely. I'm having a copy made for you.After The Thin Man, 1936
:William Powell:
Come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm thirsty.My Man Godfrey, 1936
:William Powell:
These flowers just came for you, miss. Where shall I put them?:Carole Lombard:
What difference does it make where one puts flowers when one's heart is breaking?:William Powell:
Yes, miss. Shall I put them on the piano?Life with Father, 1947
:William Powell:
I don't go to church to be preached at as though I were some lost sheep.:Irene Dunne:
Clare, you don't seem to understand what the church is for.:William Powell:
Vinnie, if there's one place the church should leave alone, it's a man's soul!*
1948 Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role -
Life with Father*
1937 Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role -
My Man Godfrey*
1935 Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role -
The Thin ManHe has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1636 Vine Street.
Sherlock Holmes (1922)
When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922)
Outcast (1922)
The Bright Shawl (1923)
Under the Red Robe (1923)
Dangerous Money (1924)
Romola (1924)
Too Many Kisses (1925)
Faint Perfume (1925)
My Lady's Lips (1925)
The Beautiful City (1925)
White Mice (1926)
Sea Horses (1926)
Desert Gold (1926)
The Runaway (1926)
Aloma of the South Seas (1926)
Beau Geste (1926)
Tin Gods (1926)
The Great Gatsby (1926)
New York (1927)
Love's Greatest Mistake (1927)
Senorita (1927)
Special Delivery (1927)
Time to Love (1927)
Paid to Love (1927)
Nevada (1927)
She's a Sheik (1927)
Beau Sabreur (1928)
The Last Command (1928)
Feel My Pulse (1928)
Partners in Crime (1928)
The Dragnet (1928)
The Vanishing Pioneer (1928)
Forgotten Faces (1928)
Interference (1928)
The Canary Murder Case (1929)
The Four Feathers (1929)
The Greene Murder Case (1929)
Charming Sinners (1929)
Pointed Heels (1929)
Behind the Make-Up (1930)
Street of Chance (1930)
The Benson Murder Case (1930)
Paramount on Parade (1930)
Shadow of the Law (1930)
For the Defense (1930)
Man of the World (1931)
Ladies' Man (1931)
The Road to Singapore (1931)
High Pressure (1932)
Jewel Robbery (1932)
Screen Snapshots (1932) (short subject)
One Way Passage (1932)
Lawyer Man (1933)
Private Detective 62 (1933)
Double Harness (1933)
The Kennel Murder Case (1933)
Fashions of 1934 (1934)
Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
The Thin Man (1934)
The Key (1934)
Evelyn Prentice (1934)
Star of Midnight (1935)
Reckless (1935)
Escapade (1935)
Rendezvous (1935)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936)
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Libeled Lady (1936)
After the Thin Man (1936)
The Last Mrs. Cheney (1937)
The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937)
Double Wedding (1937)
The Baroness and the Butler (1938)
Another Thin Man (1939)
I Love You Again (1940)
Love Crazy (1941)
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
Crossroads (1942)
The Youngest Profession (1943) (cameo)
The Heavenly Body (1943)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
The Great Morgan (1946) (voice only)
Ziegfeld Follies (1946)
The Hoodlum Saint (1946)
Screen Snapshots: The Skolsky Party (1946) (short subject)
Life with Father (1947)
Song of the Thin Man (1947)
The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947)
Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948)
Take One False Step (1949)
Dancing in the Dark (1949)
It's a Big Country (1951)
The Treasure of Lost Canyon (1952)
The Girl Who Had Everything (1953)
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
Mister Roberts (1955)
Distant Jamaica (1969) (short subject)
The late
Don Adams stated in interviews that his famous "clippy" voice characterization was based on, and an exaggeration of, the speaking style of William Powell.
Powell and baseball great
Casey Stengel graduated from high school together in Kansas City.
*Christensen, Lawrence O., et. al.
Dictionary of Missouri Biography. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press ISBN 0826212220
Francisco, Charles ,
Gentleman: The William Powell Story , New York: St Martins Press, 1985. ISBN 0312321031
*
Find-A-Grave entry for William Powell
