Billy Williams

Billy Williams (credited W. D. Williams in his early days) was a British cinematographer, born William D. Williams on June 3, 1929, in London (Walthamstow). The son of cinematographer Billy Williams Sr. (1895-1966), he assisted him as a teenager on three documentaries from 1945-1946, before two f... More

Billy Williams (credited W. D. Williams in his early days) was a British cinematographer, born William D. Williams on June 3, 1929, in London (Walthamstow). The son of cinematographer Billy Williams Sr. (1895-1966), he assisted him as a teenager on three documentaries from 1945-1946, before two final ones from 1955-1956 (the last as a cameraman). Still as an assistant cameraman, he collaborated on five more documentaries from 1950 to 1954. He himself became the cinematographer on eleven documentaries between 1956 and 1967. His first feature film in this capacity was a short released in 1965. Thirty-seven other films followed (mostly British, plus foreign films—mostly American—or co-productions), the last released in 1997, after which he virtually retired. However, he still contributed to a Swedish-Danish documentary released in 2000, dedicated to his colleague Sven Nykvist. His notable films include Ken Russell's Love (1969, starring Alan Bates and Oliver Reed), John Schlesinger's A Sunday Like Any Other (1971, starring Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson), Stuart Rosenberg's Voyage of the Damned (1976, starring Faye Dunaway and Oskar Werner), Mark Rydell's The Lake House (1981, starring Jane and Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn), and Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982, starring Ben Kingsley in the title role). His only experience as an actor was in small roles (one uncredited) in two of the films he photographed: John Milius's The Wind and the Lion (1975, starring Sean Connery and Candice Bergen), and Peter Yates's The Dangerous Suspect (1987, starring Cher and Dennis Quaid). Billy Williams also served as director of photography on three television films, the first being Anthony Harvey's The Glass Menagerie (1973, starring Katharine Hepburn and Sam Waterston). The other two were broadcast in 1990 and 1994, respectively. His career accolades include three Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography (including one won in 1983 for Gandhi) and three other British Academy Film Awards in the same category (including one in 1983 for Gandhi). A member (currently honorary) of the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC), he was its president from 1975 to 1977.