Ken was a fantastic raconteur, easily one of the most brilliant minds of his day and sublimely talented. If only he'd believed that deep down. R.I.P Ken.
One of the things that make Britain great is our vast diversity of accents. I love it. We're a great land of eccentrics and humour. Beautiful landscapes.
A very talented English performer. Hilarious, excellent timing and such a range of vocals and faces. The most hysterical is the Asian an English middle class accents. OMG. Freaking hilarious.
I adored this mans humour, his voices and his sense of the absolute ridiculous - not forgetting his excellent waspish 'put-downs' . The world of comedy lost an absolute diamond when Kenneth Williams died.
Kenneth Williams was a amazing british actor and pinnacle part of comedy in the 60's, 70's and 80's. If you ever watched the Carry On series, just sheer comical genius, from him from start to finish. You are missed.
Sadder still that he somehow saw his comical talents as shameful...he was bitter that his undoubtedly talented serious acting (eg as the Dauphin) was so overshadowed by what he saw as cheap comedic roles...he seemed to really relish his comedic collaborations, and yet at some deeper level was deeply ashamed of them...according to his diaries this dated back to at least Hancock days, if not further...really sad...
He carried the carry on movies along with others like sid james, kenneth connor and Charles hawtrey and Bernard Bresslaw these and Jim Dale which he is still very much alive...these men are legends love them and the best English slapstick movies shown on tv ❤
Such a iconic comedian and wordsmith the day became a sad place when the late Kenneth Williams sadly died may his soul rest in peace such a iconic actor 😊
I'm an American and this is the first time I've ever heard of Kenneth Williams. Damn, he was a funny guy, a comedian's comedian. A pity he didn't develop a broader audience
One of my favourite actors. If he had his time again today he would be worshipped. What a character. He is survived by Chris Barrie doing his stunning impersonations.
@@cquilty1 Ha! The classic scathing comeback about a non existent time limit on comments lol. Double handy when you haven't the brain power or wits to challenge anyone, love..... x
I was talking to a lad at work about spelling and grammar and he was asking how come the older generations tend to be so much better than youngsters today and I said "Because we grew up listening to Kenneth Williams speaking with such clarity." Whenever I have to ponder on the correct spelling of a word or the correct grammar of a sentence, I just imagine Kenneth speaking it and it's clear how it should be written.
I've never seen any of the Parky Interviews with KW b4 so I'm very happy to have found em on here tonight..ThnakU very much my friend..thnx 4 taking the time to post em up here..He was a seriously entertaining man, eh?
Henning Wehn (a German comedian in Britain), Jacques Tati, Eddie Izzard an English comedian who also performs in French to French audiences.Norman Wisdom, another great English comedian, who had audiences behind the Iron Curtain rolling in the aisles. Have a look at the top foreign language comedy films that are adored by millions the world over even without subtitles.
Kenneth,is a great loss,a wonderful raconteur and speed of mind.The carry-on films made him an excellent living but at the cost of the many other attributes of a highly humorous talent.
Isn't he simply marvelous and a pleasure to watch/listen to. Loved by so many and I'm sure many a gay man would have found an attraction. He was troubled by his feeling of inferiority and even if everyone is telling you that you are wonderful, if you don't believe it in yourself ... you aren't. Wish he could have found a place in entertainment again and battled his demons. What a sad loss to us, but a magical gain to where he is now.
The BBC once told its newsreaders and other current affairs broadcasters that they were not to pronounce Suffolk as "Suffuck" as it is properly pronounced. They were told to say "Suffoke". The newsreaders and current affairs broadcasters got together and refused to pronounce Suffolk as "Suffoke" and contined to call "Suffolk" as it should be said i.e "Suffuck". The same applied to "Norfolk". It's "Norfuck" and not "Norfoke".
Oh gosh such talented men, Kenneth Williams, Frank muir, Peter Ustinov, Dave Allen. They don’t make or educate them like they used to do even Oliver read and Peter otoole such great raconteurs. There’s not one today that can compete. We have silly little men like James corden not funny,
I'm not sure whether he really believed it, but Kenneth was actually right, when he said environment influences accents! phys.org/news/2015-01-clime-speech-analysis-human-language.html
He was a very well-read man, and quite the autodidact, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually had read studies on language As a trained stage actor no doubt he’d have had some dialect coaching but only he could turn it into a comedy sketch
@vrikey Broader audience! He was well famous and liked in England. Best known for his roles in the "Carry On" films. Spent many years on bbc Radio 4's comedy programme "Just a Minute" and was a star in numerous comedy productions.
@vrikey he was tipped to be big in america,but he said he wasn't interested in working in the states.however recently disclosed police files say he was under suspicion for murdering his father,but they couldnt prove it.But it was enough to prevent him obtaining a visa.
@vrikey Don't worry he did! You'll probably know him from the 'Carry On' series of films, but, take it from me, he was well known in the UK - just Google or Wikipedia him!
@Mobilecheese I agree the Kenneth Williams' Diaries and KW Letters are superb. I dip into both from time to time and always get a good laugh. I always take my copy of the KW Diaries into the toilet to read. No matter how many times one reads the KW Diaries, one always finds something new. They are a great bowels relaxer and one is always guaranteed a good and satisfying shit. I am sure Kenneth would agree.
Jack Benny traveled well as did many other great American comedians - too numerous to mention.Jokes can be changed to meet particular circumstances - time, place, audience. The humor of the joke is at the core of the joke and that same joke will get a laugh anywhere.
Not forgetting Charlie Chaplin who was celebrated worldwide as a comedic genius.There are no language barriers as far as comedy and humour are concerned. Humour and comedy are UNIVERSAL. Get over it.
Along with george melly, orson welles, david niven and obviously peter ustinov kenneth williams was one of the best guests ive seen on parkinson, a great talker and an extremely clever man, incredible to believe theyre all long gone.
Kenneth never went to America , I don't think he acted outside of the UK, he did a lot of stage work and appeared in 26 Carry On Films, but he never did any comedy shows on TV, he always turned them down, he lived a very simple life, he often appeared on BBC tv talk shows as he lived a mile from the studios and would usually walk there.
Well in those days and still you can build a pretty good career and make your money, just catering you your home audience. There are plenty of US comedians I have never heard of, not because there bad but because they happily make their living in the US. Plus Jokes don't always travel well. Someone in London won't laugh at the same thing as some one in Washington or in many other countries.
@aristotle358 My apologies, I just think of the success that someone like John Cleese has attained on a global scale, and I could imagine Williams having achieved that as well - fame, fortune and respect with fans the world over. So sad about his tragic health, and any other personal problems that plaged his life - but his memory will live on!
