William Powell

William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the Thin Man series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters created by Dashiell Hammett. Powell was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times: for The Thin Man, My Man Godfrey (1936), and Life with Father (1947).

Early life Powell was born in Pittsburgh in 1892, the only child of Nettie Manila (née Brady) and Horatio Warren Powell, an accountant. In 1907, young William moved with his family to Kansas City, Missouri, where he graduated from Central High School four years later.

Career

After high school, Powell enrolled at the University of Kansas to study law, but after a week he relocated to New York City, where he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1912, Powell left the AADA, and began working in vaudeville and stock companies. He also appeared on Broadway. Powell began his Hollywood career in 1922, in a production of Sherlock Holmes with John Barrymore. He performed as Francis I in When Knighthood Was in Flower with Marion Davies.

Powell remained under contract to Paramount throughout the 1920s, before signing with Warner Bros.

Powell portrayed a vengeful film director in the silent movie The Last Command (1928). His first starring role was Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case (1929). He played Vance at Paramount Pictures four times. His strong stage-developed voice became a powerful asset when talking pictures were introduced. He went on to star opposite Kay Francis in seven pre-Code films, starting with "Street of Chance" (1930) and including "Jewel Robbery" (1932), in which he plays a thief who proffers marijuana cigarettes to his victims.

Powell appeared as Nick Charles in six Thin Man films, beginning with The Thin Man in 1934, based upon Dashiell Hammett's novel. This movie provided Powell with his first Academy Award nomination, in 1935

Powell starred in The Great Ziegfeld, (1936), opposite his The Thin Man co-star, Myrna Loy, who played Ziegfeld's wife, Billie Burke. In 1937, Powell received his second Academy Award nomination for the comedy My Man Godfrey.

In 1935, he starred with Jean Harlow in Reckless. In 1936, Harlow and Powell appeared in Libeled Lady, and they became romantically involved off-set. He gave her a handsome ring, but did not ask her to marry him, so she referred to it as her "unengagement ring". Powell had been unhappy with his previous marriage to popular actress Carole Lombard, and this apparently kept him from entering a similar arrangement with Harlow, who was a sex symbol to the film-going public during that time. They kept company but did not live together. Harlow fell ill from undiagnosed kidney failure while working on a film with Clark Gable, and died before the film was completed, from uremia, at age 26 in June 1937.

Powell received his third Academy Award nomination in 1947 for his role as Clarence Day Sr. in Life with Father. His last film was playing the character Doc in 1955's Mister Roberts.

Personal life

On April 15, 1915, Powell married Eileen Wilson, who was born Julia Mary Tierney. The couple had a son, William David Powell. They divorced in 1930. Powell's son became a television writer and producer before a period of ill health and depression led to his suicide in 1968.

On June 26, 1931, Powell married actress Carole Lombard. They divorced in 1933, but starred in My Man Godfrey three years later. Powell was devastated by her death in an airplane crash in 1942. He was romantically involved with Jean Harlow, his co-star in Reckless (1935), until her unexpected death from illness in 1937. On January 6, 1940, three weeks after they met, Powell married his third wife, actress Diana Lewis, who retired from her film career to be his full-time wife. They remained married until his death in 1984.

A Republican, Powell supported Thomas Dewey in both the 1944 and 1948 United States presidential elections.

Cancer In March 1938, Powell was diagnosed with rectal cancer. He underwent surgery and experimental radium treatment, which put the disease in full remission within two years. Given his own health and sorrow over Jean Harlow's death, Powell did not undertake any film roles for more than a year during this period.

Death Powell died in Palm Springs, California, on March 5, 1984, at the age of 91 from pneumonia. He is buried at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California, near his third wife, Diana Lewis.

Honors Academy Awards nominations 1934 Best Actor – The Thin Man 1936 Best Actor – My Man Godfrey 1947 Best Actor – Life with Father

Other awards New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in 1947 for Life with Father and The Senator Was Indiscreet.

William Powell has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1636 Vine Street.

In 1992, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1936 Lux Radio Theatre The Thin Man 1938 Lux Radio Theatre My Man Godfrey 1939 Lux Radio Theatre One Way Passage 1939 Lux Radio Theatre The Ex-Mrs. Bradford 1940 The Campbell Playhouse It Happened One Night 1940 Lux Radio Theatre Love Affair 1940 Lux Radio Theatre After the Thin Man 1940 Lux Radio Theatre Manhattan Melodrama 1941 Lux Radio Theatre Hired Wife 1942 Lux Radio Theatre Love Crazy 1943 Lux Radio Theatre The Lady Has Plans 1944 Lux Radio Theatre Shadow of a Doubt 1944 Lux Radio Theatre Suspicion 1946 Reader's Digest Radio Edition He Fell in Love with a Picture 1948 Lux Radio Theatre I Love You Again 1948 Lux Radio Theatre Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid 1949 Screen Directors Playhouse Love Crazy 1953 Suspense "The Man Who Cried Wolf"

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes1922 Sherlock Holmes Foreman Wells When Knighthood Was in Flower Francis I Outcast DeValle Lost film1923 The Bright Shawl Gaspar De Vaca Under the Red Robe Duke of Orleans 1924 Dangerous Money Prince Arnolfo da Pescia Lost film Romola Tito Melema 1925 Too Many Kisses Julio Faint Perfume Barnaby Powers Lost film My Lady's Lips Scott Seddon The Beautiful City Nick Di Silva Lost film The New Commandment Lost filmUncredited1926 White Mice Roddy Forrester Incomplete filmSea Horses Lorenzo Salvia Lost film Desert Gold Snake Landree The Runaway Jack Harrison Aloma of the South Seas Van Templeton Beau Geste Boldini The Great Gatsby George Wilson Lost filmTrailer extant Tin Gods Tony Santelli Lost film1927 New York Trent Regan Love's Greatest Mistake Don Kendall Special Delivery Harold Jones Senorita Manuel Oliveros Time to Love Prince Alado Lost film Paid to Love Prince Eric Nevada Clan Dillon She's a Sheik Kada 1928 The Last Command Lev Andreyev Beau Sabreur Becque Lost filmTrailer extant Feel My Pulse Her Nemesis Partners in Crime Smith The Drag Net Dapper Frank Trent Lost film The Vanishing Pioneer John Murdock Forgotten Faces Froggy Interference Philip Voaze Powell's sound debut1929 The Canary Murder Case Philo Vance The Four Feathers Capt. William Trench The Greene Murder Case Philo Vance Charming Sinners Karl Kraley Pointed Heels Robert Courtland 1930 Behind the Make-Up Gardoni Street of Chance John D. Marsden / 'Natural' Davis The Benson Murder Case Philo Vance Paramount on Parade Philo Vance Shadow of the Law John Nelson For the Defense William Foster 1931 Man of the World Michael Trevor Ladies' Man Jamie Darricott The Road to Singapore Hugh Dawltry 1932 High Pressure Gar Evans Jewel Robbery The Robber One Way Passage Dan Hardesty Lawyer Man Anton Adam 1933 Private Detective 62 Free Double Harness John Fletcher The Kennel Murder Case Philo Vance 1934 Fashions of 1934 Sherwood Nash Manhattan Melodrama Jim Wade The Thin Man Nick Charles The Key Capt. Bill Tennant Evelyn Prentice John Prentice 1935 Star of Midnight Clay 'Dal' Dalzell Reckless Ned Riley Escapade Fritz Rendezvous Lieutenant Bill Gordon 1936The Great ZiegfeldFlorenz Ziegfeld Jr. The Ex-Mrs. BradfordDr. Lawrence Bradford My Man GodfreyGodfrey Parke (aka Smith) Libeled LadyBill Chandler After the Thin ManNick Charles1937 The Last of Mrs. Cheney Charles The Emperor's Candlesticks Baron Stephan Wolensky Double Wedding Charles Lodge 1938 The Baroness and the Butler Johann Porok 1939 Another Thin Man Nick Charles 1940 I Love You Again Larry Wilson a.k.a. George Carey 1941 Love Crazy Steve Ireland Shadow of the Thin Man Nick Charles 1942 Crossroads David Talbot, a.k.a. Jean Pelletier 1943 The Youngest Profession Himself 1944 The Heavenly Body William S. Whitley 1945 The Thin Man Goes Home Nick Charles Ziegfeld Follies Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. 1946 The Hoodlum Saint Terence Ellerton 'Terry' O'Neill The Great Morgan Himself Voice, Uncredited1947 Life with Father Clarence Day Song of the Thin Man Nick Charles The Senator Was Indiscreet Senator Melvin G. Ashton 1948 Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid Mr. Arthur Peabody 1949 Take One False Step Professor Andrew Gentling Dancing in the Dark Emery Slade 1951 It's a Big Country Professor 1952 The Treasure of Lost Canyon Homer 'Doc' Brown 1953 The Girl Who Had Everything Steve Latimer How to Marry a Millionaire J.D. Hanley 1955 Mister Roberts Doc (final film)

Short subjects Screen Snapshots (1932) Hollywood on Parade No. A-12 (1933) Screen Snapshots: The Skolsky Party (1946)

Box office rankings

1935 - 15th 1936 - 13th 1937 - 5th, 6th (UK) 1938 - 25th, 10th (UK) 1940 - 25th 1941 - 25th