---
name: "Billy Williams"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/billy-williams"
fi1m_id: "billy-williams"
imdb_id: "nm0930119"
tmdb_id: 11848
wikidata_id: "Q123745"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "3 June 1929"
died: "20 May 2025"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 72
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-20T06:19:00.120161+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Billy Williams

## Identity

Billy Williams

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/billy-williams
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** billy-williams
- **IMDb ID:** nm0930119
- **TMDB ID:** 11848
- **Wikidata ID:** Q123745
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Williams_(cinematographer), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123745, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0930119/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11848

Cinematographer. Born 3 June 1929 in Walthamstow, London, England, UK. Died 20 May 2025.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 3 June 1929, Walthamstow, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 20 May 2025
- **Active:** 1981–1982
- **Also known as:** W.D. Williams
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won · 2 nominated)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Williams_(cinematographer), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123745, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0930119/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11848

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Gandhi*](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md) (73)
- **Peacock:** [*On Golden Pond*](https://film.one/film/on-golden-pond.md) (72)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Billy Williams, also credited as W.D. Williams, was a British cinematographer. Born William Desmond Williams on 3 June 1929 in Walthamstow, London, he died on 20 May 2025. His father was a cinematographer, and Williams left school at 14 to apprentice with him for four years before national service in the RAF as a photographer.

He began working in features in the mid-1960s and collaborated frequently with director Ken Russell. His credits include *Billion Dollar Brain* (1967), *Women in Love* (1969), *Sunday Bloody Sunday* (1971), *The Wind and the Lion* (1975), *Saturn 3* (1980), *On Golden Pond* (1981) and *Gandhi* (1982). For *Gandhi*, which he co-shot with Ronnie Taylor after a back injury, Williams shared the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Williams retired in 1996. He was appointed OBE in 2009 and conducted workshops on cinematography after retirement.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, hollywoodreporter.com, theguardian.com, telegraph.co.uk.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Gandhi* (1982), Fi1m 73, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *On Golden Pond* (1981), Fi1m 72, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/on-golden-pond.md)

## Complete filmography (47)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Light Keeps Me Company* (2000), Director of Photography
- *Driftwood* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Reunion* (1994), Director of Photography
- *Shadow of the Wolf* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Women and Men: Stories of Seduction* (1990), Director of Photography
- *Stella* (1990), Director of Photography
- *The Rainbow* (1989), Director of Photography
- *The Lottery* (1989), Cinematography
- *Just Ask for Diamond* (1988), Director of Photography
- *Suspect* (1987), Director of Photography
- *The Manhattan Project* (1986), Director of Photography
- *Eleni* (1985), Director of Photography
- *Dreamchild* (1985), Director of Photography
- *Ordeal by Innocence* (1984), Director of Photography
- *The Survivors* (1983), Director of Photography
- *Gandhi* (1982), Director of Photography — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/gandhi.md)
- *Monsignor* (1982), Director of Photography
- *On Golden Pond* (1981), Director of Photography — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/on-golden-pond.md)
- *Saturn 3* (1980), Director of Photography
- *Going in Style* (1979), Director of Photography
- *Boardwalk* (1979), Director of Photography
- *Eagle's Wing* (1979), Director of Photography
- *The Silent Partner* (1978), Director of Photography
- *The Devil's Advocate* (1977), Director of Photography
- *Voyage of the Damned* (1976), Director of Photography
- *The Wind and the Lion* (1975), as Sir Joseph · Director of Photography
- *The Glass Menagerie* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Horowitz in Dublin* (1973), Cinematography
- *Night Watch* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Kid Blue* (1973), Director of Photography
- *Pope Joan* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Zee and Co.* (1972), Director of Photography
- *Sunday Bloody Sunday* (1971), Director of Photography
- *The Ballad of Tam Lin* (1970), Director of Photography
- *The Mind of Mr. Soames* (1970), Lighting Camera, Director of Photography
- *Two Gentlemen Sharing* (1969), Director of Photography
- *Women in Love* (1969), Director of Photography
- *The Magus* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Red and Blue* (1968), Cinematography
- *Red, White, and Zero* (1968), Director of Photography
- *Billion Dollar Brain* (1967), Director of Photography
- *Just Like a Woman* (1967), Director of Photography
- *San Ferry Ann* (1965), Director of Photography
- *People Apart* (1957), Cinematography
- *Five Guineas a Week* (1956), Director of Photography
- *Model Girl* (1954), Director of Photography
- *This Year – London* (1951), Director of Photography

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- 1983: Best Cinematography (won), for *Gandhi*
- 1982: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *On Golden Pond*
- 1971: Best Cinematography (nominated), for *Women in Love*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Officer of the Order of the British Empire 2009: Officer of the Order of the British Empire (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/billy-williams