Windsor Davies
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| Windsor Davies | |
|---|---|
| Born | Windsor Davies August 28, 1930 Canning Town, West Ham, London |
| Spouse(s) | Curigwen Lewis |
Windsor Davies (born August 28, 1930, Canning Town, West Ham, London) is an English-born Welsh actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
[edit] Early life and career
Davies was born to Welsh parents, and he returned to his parents' native Nant-y-Moel when the Second World War began in 1939. He attended Ogmore Grammar School and Bangor Teacher Training College. He then worked as a teacher and did national service before going into acting.
He became well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum. His catchphrase on the show was "Shut Up!" delivered with an ear drum shattering military scream. As a spin-off from the series, Davies and his co-star, Don Estelle had a number one hit in the UK with a semi-comic version of Whispering Grass. He played major roles in two later Carry On films, Behind in 1975 and England in 1976. He later re-established himself as a sitcom actor with the role of antique dealer Oliver Smallbridge in Never the Twain, alongside Donald Sinden.
He is also known for providing the voice of Sergeant Major Zero in the Terrahawks television series; and appeared in the Doctor Who story The Evil of the Daleks in 1967. He auditioned to be the voice of the UK's speaking clock in 1985 but lost out to fellow actor Brian Cobby.
Davies has never been short of voice-over work, with high-spots including confectionery ads for Cadbury's Wispa and the voice of the milk-drinking, red tracksuit-sporting 5-speed racing-bike-riding werewolf "Choppy" in the short-lived 1988 CBBC cartoon of the same name.
Television appearances have been less frequent in recent years for Davies, with him preferring to work in the theatre and as a voice over artist.
He played Mog in the classic Welsh film Grand Slam and played the role of sailor Taffy in the first of the BBC-series "The Onedin Line" (1971).
