Biography
William Horatio Powell was born on the 29th July, 1892 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the only child of Nettie Manila and Horatio Warren Powell, who worked as an accountant. In 1907, William and his family moved to Kansas City where he graduated from high school four years later. During this time he had acted in many of the dramatic plays at school and he regularly went to Vaudeville plays with his mother. His parents wanted Bill to become a lawyer (understandably with his great speaking voice) so he enlisted in the University of Kansas in 1911. But after only one week, he left and decided to become an actor.
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For a year, Bill tried to raise money by working by at Kansas City Telephone Company. Unfortunately, this did not work as he was not saving enough money to be able to enrol in the American Acadamy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in New York. Then he hit upon an idea: he asked his wealthy aunt to loan him enough money and, in 1912, William was enrolled at the AADA. He was classmate to Edward G. Robinson and graduated the following year.
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After this was a long period of finding jobs. Bill acted in many Vaudeville plays and Stock Companies trying to make a name for himself on the stage. During this time, in 1915, he married his first wife Eileen Wilson, a fellow actress. They had a son together - his only son - William David Powell. Unfortunately, this marriage did not last. They separated shortly after William Jr's birth and finally divorced in 1930. After seven years of stage acting, William was finally noticed and given a small part in the 1922 film of Sherlock Holmes. Even though he only had the small part of Professor Moriarty's evil accomplice, Bill was noticed for his brilliant performance and so his career in silent films began.
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During his silent career of six years and over thirty movies, William worked with many famous actors of that time, including John Barrymore, Marion Davies and Ronald Colman (whom he became great friends with). He was also in the most expensive film of its time, When Knighthood was in Flower, in 1922. Even though he was later known for playing a charming detective, Powell always played the villain in his silent films. However, in 1928, Interference, his sound debut, was released. After this, he went on to play Philo Vance, W.S. Van Dine's famous detective, and later, ranging over 1930 to 1932, in a great screen pairing with Kay Frances.
In 1931 William acted as the lead role in Man of the World alongside Carole Lombard, and, on June 26th, they were married. Once again, however, the marriage did not last and they divorced after two years, Lombard even admitting that they 'were better friends than married.' Bill and Carole stayed great friends, even acting together three years later in My Man Godfrey before her sudden death.
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During the years 1932-34, William was kept busy making many films with stars like Anne Harding and Bette Davis, as well as appearing in his last Philo Vance film, The Kennel Murder Case. Then came the memorable film Manhattan Melodrama. Everybody remembers this film not only for its great story and brilliant acting from Clark Gable, but because it is the first film William Powell and Myrna Loy were in together.
"My first scene with Bill, a night shot on the back lot, happened before we'd even met. Woody (W. S. Van Dyke) was apparently too busy for introductions. My instructions were to run out of a building, through a crowd, and into a strange car. When Woody called 'Action,' I opened the car door, jumped in, and landed smack on William Powell's lap. He looked up nonchalantly: 'Miss Loy, I presume?' I said, 'Mr. Powell?' And that's how I met the man who would be my partner in fourteen films.” -Myrna Loy
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After the brilliant success of Manhattan Melodrama, and the obvious chemistry between Myrna and Bill's acting, W. S. Van Dyke was determined to have them as Nick and Nora in Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man. Originally, MGM did not want them to play the roles as they thought Bill was too old and straight laced and Myrna was type cast as the exotic female villain but, after a lot of persuasion, Van Dyke got his way. The film was on a budget and they were given only three weeks to film it - but they finished filming after only sixteen days. It was a great success and drew in a box office number of $1,423,000 in the U.S alone.
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In 1935 William was in five films, two being Escapade and Rendezvous. In these he co-starred with Luise Rainer and Rosalind Russel; both these rising film stars were grateful to Bill, who made sure that they were shown in the best way for their fans, especially as Myrna Loy had been intended for both parts. Bill was soaring in the film industry with pictures such as My Man Godfrey, Star of Midnight and The Great Ziegfeld, in which Billie Burke (Florenz Ziegfeld's widow) particularly asked Bill to be the great showman. But, 1937-38 brought tragedy. Jean Harlow, William's fiancée and previous co-actress in Reckless suddenly died on June 7th, 1937, of uremic poisoning. It was a great shock to Bill and he was devastated. To take his mind off of it, he accepted an offer from his friend Ronald Colman and went on a yachting trip and then on an extended trip to Europe where he filmed some of the scenes for The Baroness and the Butler in Hungary.
Just after the first disaster, the second happened. In 1938, Bill was diagnosed with rectal cancer. He underwent experimental radium treatment which just saved his life but prevented him from being active for a year. Finally in 1939 he appeared on screen again in Another Thin Man, fully recovered.
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After four more brilliant films with Myrna, Bill married for the third, but final time to actress Dianna Lewis. They were married on the 5th January, having known each other for only three weeks. 'Mousie' Powell (as she was later called) was 27 years younger than Bill and they were happily married for 44 years.
William gradually stopped appearing in as many films after his marriage. And after great successes like the last Thin Man, How To Marry A Millionaire, with Marylin Monroe and The Girl Who Had Everything, with Elizabeth Taylor, Bill appeared in his final film, Mister Roberts, in 1955. Then came retirement, nearly 30 years of it. He moved with Mousie to Palm Springs and lived there for the last years of his life. However, one more tragedy occurred in 1968 to ruffle the peace: Bill's only son committed suicide. William Davis Powell had been a script writer and assistant producer until he was diagnosed with hepatitis and kidney problem, tragically he took his own life. He left a four page letter to his father, none of which was revealed to the public, baring the last two lines: 'Things aren't too good down here. I'm going where it's better.' William Jr. was still very close to his father and Bill was, of course, devastated..
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As William approached his 90th birthday, he was diagnosed with diabetes and slowly declined in health. Then, on the 5th March, 1984, Bill died of pneumonia at his home in Palm Springs. He is buried alongside his son and Mousie his wife in Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City California.
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After his death, Myrna Loy described Bill the best: ' I never enjoyed my work more than when I worked with William Powell. He was a brilliant actor, a delightful companion, a great friend and, above all, a true gentleman.'
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