"Unfortunately, or perhaps it is fortunate that I have always been forced to stand on my acting ability. I haven't a personality such as Jack Gilbert's, for instance, that attracts women and makes them like me for myself. When I am on the screen I must make them forget me entirely and think only of my acting."William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, William Powell was an only child and showed an early aptitude for performing. In 1907, he moved with his family to Kansas City, Missouri.
After high school, he left home for New York and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts at the age of 18. In 1912 Powell graduated from the AADA, and worked in some vaudeville and stock companies. In 1915, he married Eileen Wilson, with whom he had his only child, William David Powell. After several successful experiences on the Broadway stage, he began his Hollywood career in 1922. His first starring role was as Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case (1929).
In 1930, he and Eileen divorced amicably, and in 1931, he married actress Carole Lombard. They were married just over two years before divorcing in 1933, though they too remained on good terms, even starring in a film together several years later.
Perhaps Powell's most famous role was that of Nick Charles in six Thin Man films, beginning with The Thin Man in 1934. The role provided a perfect opportunity for Powell to showcase his sophisticated charm and his witty sense of humour, and he received his first Academy Award nomination for his performance in The Thin Man. Myrna Loy played his wife, Nora, in each of the Thin Man films. Her partnership with Powell was one of Hollywood's most prolific on-screen pairings, with the couple appearing in 14 films together.
He and Loy also starred in the Best Picture of 1936, The Great Ziegfeld, with Powell in the title role and Loy as his wife, Billie Burke. That same year, he also received his second Academy Award nomination, for the comedy My Man Godfrey, in which he starred with Carole Lombard, his former wife.
In 1935, he starred with Jean Harlow in Reckless, and they become very close friends. Soon it developed into a serious romance, though she died before they could marry. His distress over her death, as well as his own battle with colon cancer around the same time, caused him to accept fewer acting roles.
On January 6, 1940, he married actress Diana Lewis, whom he called "Mousie." Although the couple had only met for the first time three weeks before their wedding, they remained married until Powell's death in 1984.
His career slowed considerably in the 1940s, although in 1947 he received his third Academy Award nomination for his work in Life with Father. His last film was Mister Roberts in 1955, with Henry Fonda, James Cagney, and Jack Lemmon. Despite numerous entreaties to return to the screen, Powell refused all offers, happy in his retirement.
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