---
name: "Nicol Williamson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/nicol-williamson"
fi1m_id: "nicol-williamson"
imdb_id: "nm0932116"
tmdb_id: 51812
wikidata_id: "Q725374"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "14 September 1936"
died: "16 December 2011"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-20T05:52:45.422757+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."
---

# Nicol Williamson

## Identity

Nicol Williamson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/nicol-williamson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** nicol-williamson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0932116
- **TMDB ID:** 51812
- **Wikidata ID:** Q725374
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicol_Williamson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q725374, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932116/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/51812

Actor. Born 14 September 1936 in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK. Died 16 December 2011.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 14 September 1936, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
- **Died:** 16 December 2011
- **Active:** 1971–1981
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 3: 2 acting, 1 other
- **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 77 (2), 1980s 79 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicol_Williamson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q725374, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0932116/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/51812

## Fi1m on Nicol Williamson

> Nicol Williamson's nasal, rasping voice made authority sound impatient and strange. We particularly value his wit: his Merlin gives *Excalibur* welcome relief from its solemn speeches.

Nicol Williamson's Merlin sounds put out at having to conduct an ordinary conversation. In John Boorman's *Excalibur* (1981), that odd delivery gives the sorcerer an authority quite unlike the film's more solemn speakers. We warmed to him because he made those exchanges feel unpredictable, even when the surrounding speeches grew heavy. He makes sorcery interesting before the film needs to demonstrate it. It is a witty performance without any suggestion that the actor thinks himself above the material.

His nasal rasp and angular physicality were well suited to characters coming apart. John Osborne's *Inadmissible Evidence* gave him his breakthrough as Bill Maitland on stage in 1964, a part he repeated in the 1968 film. Tony Richardson's *Hamlet* (1969) followed on stage and screen. He could make verse or modern dialogue sound urgent, with the difficult emotions left raw rather than tidied up for an audience.

The screen work of the 1970s also included Sherlock Holmes in *The Seven-Per-Cent Solution* (1976) and Little John in *Robin and Marian* (1976). Merlin became his most widely recognised screen role; work grew more sporadic after the mid-1980s. We are less interested in the familiar account of an unfulfilled career than in what remains worth watching. *Excalibur* gives ample reason to resist reducing him to that account. Its grand storytelling can lose sight of the people, but Williamson supplies a distinct, awkward personality among the displays.

Boorman also has Helen Mirren's precise Morgana, and the two performances give us reasons to stay interested between bouts of bloodshed and sorcery. Alex Thomson's photography rewards the same patience, though the solemn speeches still ask a fair amount of it. Williamson cannot solve that, and recommending his Merlin need not mean overlooking the film's remote stretches. Start with *Excalibur* if the spectacle appeals. Allow for the passages when he is not there to improve the conversation.

## Biography

Nicol Williamson (1936–2011) was a British actor. Born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, he trained at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama and made his professional stage debut with Dundee Repertory Theatre in 1960.

He gained recognition for stage performances including the title role in a 1969 production of *Hamlet* and Bill Maitland in John Osborne’s *Inadmissible Evidence*. His film roles included Sherlock Holmes in *The Seven-Per-Cent Solution* (1976), Little John in *Robin and Marian* (1976) and Merlin in *Excalibur* (1981). He received Tony Award nominations for his stage work and BAFTA nominations for several screen performances.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, screenonline.org.uk, bbc.com, theguardian.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

### Performed in (2) — the average rests on these

- *Excalibur* (1981), Fi1m 79, as Merlin — [page](https://film.one/film/excalibur.md)
- *Columbo* (1971), Fi1m 86, as Eric Mason — [page](https://film.one/tv/columbo.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *The Goodbye Girl* (1977), Fi1m 68, as Oliver Fry (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-goodbye-girl.md)

## Complete filmography (41)

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

- *One for the Money: The Birth of Rock & Roll* (2006), Actor
- *Spawn* (1997), as Cogliostro
- *The Wind in the Willows* (1996), as Badger
- *The Hour of the Pig* (1993), as Seigneur Jehan d'Auferre
- *The Exorcist III* (1990), as Father Morning
- *A Curious Suicide* (1990), as Dr. Stephen McCullough
- *Chillers* (1990), series, as Dr Stephen McCullough
- *Passion Flower* (1987), as Albert Coskin
- *Black Widow* (1987), as William
- *Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy* (1986), series, as Lord Louis Mountbatten
- *Return to Oz* (1985), as Dr. Worley / Nome King
- *Christopher Columbus* (1985), series, as Re Ferdinando
- *Sakharov* (1984), as Malyarov
- *Macbeth* (1983), as Macbeth
- *I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can* (1982), as Derek Bauer
- *Venom* (1981), as Cmdr. William Bulloch
- *Excalibur* (1981), as Merlin — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/excalibur.md)
- *The Human Factor* (1979), as Maurice Castle
- *The BBC Television Shakespeare* (1978), series, as Macbeth
- *The Word* (1978), series, as Maertin de Vroome
- *The Cheap Detective* (1978), as Colonel Schlissel
- *The Goodbye Girl* (1977), as Oliver Fry (uncredited) — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/the-goodbye-girl.md)
- *The Seven-Per-Cent Solution* (1976), as Sherlock Holmes
- *Robin and Marian* (1976), as Little John
- *The Wilby Conspiracy* (1975), as Major Horn
- *I Know What I Meant* (1974), as Richard Nixon
- *The Gangster Show: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui* (1972), as Arturo Ui
- *The Monk* (1972), as The Duke of Talamur
- *The Jerusalem File* (1972), as Professor Lang
- *Columbo* (1971), series, as Eric Mason — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/columbo.md)
- *The Reckoning* (1970), as Michael Marler
- *Hamlet* (1969), as Hamlet / King Hamlet
- *Laughter in the Dark* (1969), as Sir Edward More
- *Inadmissible Evidence* (1968), as Bill Maitland
- *The Bofors Gun* (1968), as Gunner O'Rourke
- *Of Mice and Men* (1968), as Lennie
- *Thirty-Minute Theatre* (1965), series, as Jim Fitch
- *Horror of Darkness* (1965), as Robin
- *The Day of Ragnarok* (1965), Actor
- *Six* (1964), series, Actor
- *The Six-Sided Triangle* (1963), as The Lover

## Gallery

- ![Nicol Williamson](https://film.one/media/person/117650/gallery-5d999a6e6a4f.jpg) Nicol Williamson — IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Famous_movie_actor_Nicol_Williamson_arrived_in_Israel_to_participate_in_the_Israeli_film_%22The_Jerusalem_File%22_which_will_be_produced_by_Ram_Ben_Efraim_%28FL61446762%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim.Photo sho](https://film.one/media/person/117650/gallery-1b9efca58e04.jpg) Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim.Photo sho — IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Famous_movie_actor_Nicol_Williamson_arrived_in_Israel_to_participate_in_the_Israeli_film_%22The_Jerusalem_File%22_which_will_be_produced_by_Ram_Ben_Efraim_%28FL45804461%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim.Photo sho](https://film.one/media/person/117650/gallery-7783fc4e9f6f.jpg) Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim.Photo sho — IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Famous_movie_actor_Nicol_Williamson_arrived_in_Israel_to_participate_in_the_Israeli_film_%22The_Jerusalem_File%22_which_will_be_produced_by_Ram_Ben_Efraim_%28FL45804513%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim.Photo sho](https://film.one/media/person/117650/gallery-6e024ebe5fdd.jpg) Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim.Photo sho — IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Famous_movie_actor_Nicol_Williamson_arrived_in_Israel_to_participate_in_the_Israeli_film_%22The_Jerusalem_File%22_which_will_be_produced_by_Ram_Ben_Efraim_%28FL45804568%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim.](https://film.one/media/person/117650/gallery-e32ff900be13.jpg) Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim. — IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Famous_movie_actor_Nicol_Williamson_arrived_in_Israel_to_participate_in_the_Israeli_film_%22The_Jerusalem_File%22_which_will_be_produced_by_Ram_Ben_Efraim_%28FL61446662%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim.](https://film.one/media/person/117650/gallery-4b9052723e8c.jpg) Famous movie actor Nicol Williamson arrived in Israel to participate in the Israeli film "The Jerusalem File" which will be produced by Ram Ben Efraim. — IPPA photographer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Famous_movie_actor_Nicol_Williamson_arrived_in_Israel_to_participate_in_the_Israeli_film_%22The_Jerusalem_File%22_which_will_be_produced_by_Ram_Ben_Efraim_%28FL61446667%29.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won, 2 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1974: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (nominated)
- Silver Shell for Best Actor 1969: Silver Shell for Best Actor (won), for *Laughter in the Dark*
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play 1966: Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play (nominated)

*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/nicol-williamson