Biography
Colin Welland was an English actor and screenwriter. Born Colin Edward Williams on 4 July 1934 in Liverpool, he died on 2 November 2015.
He trained as an art teacher before becoming an actor. Welland appeared as PC David Graham in the BBC series Z-Cars (1962–1965) and played Mr Farthing in Kes (1969), for which he received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Other acting credits include Straw Dogs (1971) and Villain (1971).
As a writer, Welland received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Chariots of Fire (1981). His other screenplays include Yanks (1979), A Dry White Season (1989) and War of the Buttons (1994).
