Biography

Will Hay

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Overview

Born
December 6, 1888 · Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK
Died
April 18, 1949 · Chelsea, London, England, UK (aftermath of strokes)
Birth name
William Thomson Hay
Nickname
- Bill
Height
5′ 9½″ (1.77 m)

Biography

William Thompson Hay was probably one of the most versatile of entertainers. He was not only a character comedian of the first rank, but was also an astronomer of high repute - he discovered the spot on the planet Saturn in 1933 - and a fully qualified air pilot; he was once an engineer. Born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham in 1888, he became interested in astronomy at school and carried on his research work in this direction after he had finished his nightly stage entertainments. He was first "on the air" in 1922 and his then comedy sketches of "St. Michaels School" (of which he was the headmaster) proved to be one of the most popular comedy characters on radio at that time. This character was transferred to film and became equally successful. He worked at Elstree Studios, then Gainsborough, then Ealing; the Gainsborough period was the most consistently successfully, particularly when he worked with the team of Marcel Varnel (director), Val Guest and Marriott Edgar (writers), and Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt (supporting cast). By the time he made his first film, he was in his mid forties and his last role came less than a decade later. Between 1934 and 1943, he was a prolific and popular film comedian. He was credited on several films as a writer or co-ordinator, and was arguably the dominant 'author' of all the films in which he appeared, in that they were built around his persona and depended on the character and routines he had developed over years on the stage.
- IMDb mini biography by: <ian@mahsud.powernet.co.uk>

Family

Spouse

Trademarks

Often played incompetent authority figures, most notably in his famous Schoolmaster routines.
Distinctive raspy voice
His partnership with Graham Moffatt and Moore Marriott
His partnership with Gainsborough pictures from 1935 until 1939

Trivia

His love of astronomy since boyhood led to his discovery on August 3rd 1933 of a spot on Saturn which attracted widespread attention at the time. He was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and a member of the British Astronomy Association. An old friend, Dr. W.H. Steavenson represented the RAS at his funeral.
In 1918 he joined the Fred Karno comedy troupe. Will Hay played Nosey Parker in the Karno revue Nosey Knows which toured Britain until the end of 1918. Will Hay then starred in the Karno revue Moonstruck which toured Britian from December 1918 to March 1920.Other former members of the Karno troupe include Stan Laurel and Charles Chaplin, both of whom left the company in 1913.
He kept a launch on Oslo Fjord in Norway.
Will and his wife Gladys separated in 1935 after 28 years of marriage, but never divorced because she was a Roman Catholic. Gladys died in 1982, having outlived Will and two of their three children.
In 1942 he became a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), Special Branch, as an instructor on navigation and astronomy to the Sea Cadets Corps. He was awarded a star for his work. He also made the short Go to Blazes (1942) in which he showed how to deal with incendiary bombs.