William Horatio Powell was born on July 29, 1892, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He was an only child who learn to love performing at an early age. The Powell family moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1907, William graduated from Central High School in 1912. The Carpenter family lived a few blocks from the Powell home. Their daughter Harlean, is famously known as Jean Harlow.
Early Life
Graduating high school when he was 18, Powell moved to New York to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Upon his graduation from the AADA, the young actor began working in vaudeville and stock companies. After appearing several times on Broadway, William Powell's Hollywood career began in 1922 in a production of Sherlock Holmes. It was a small role as Professor Moriarty's evil henchman. The production also starred John Barrymore. In The Last Command, filmed in 1928, Powell gave a memorable performance as a spiteful film director. This lead to his first starring role as the informal detective, Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case, filmed in 1929.
Film Career
During his impressive Hollywood career, William Powell was cast in ninety six different roles. While he appeared in well known films such as Life with Father, My Man Godfrey, The Great Ziegfeld, Beau Geste, and The Kennel Murder Case, he is most famous for his portrayal of the suave and witty detective, Nick Charles in the The Thin Man, filmed in 1934. Powell's co-star was Myrna Loy, who played his rich, inquisitive wife Nora. The movie was a huge success, and the duo went on to film five more mysteries with Nick & Nora Charles. William Powell and Myrna Loy had a great on-screen presence, they made fourteen films together and remained friends until Powell died from heart failure March 5, 1984.
Birth Name: William Horatio Powell
Birth Date: July 29, 1892
Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Award Nominations: 1934 Best Actor The Thin Man; 1936 Best Actor My Man Godfrey
Academy Awards: 1947 Best Actor The Senator Was Indiscrete; 1948 Best Actor Life With Father
Years Active: 1911 / 1955
Died: March 5, 1984 Palm Springs, Ca
Cause of Death: Heart Failure
Age: 91
William Powell Movies (Collector's List)
Sherlock Holmes 1922
Dangerous Money 1924
Beau Geste 1926
The Great Gatsby 1926
The Last Command 1928
Partners in Crime 1928
Interference 1928
The Canary Murder Case 1929
The Greene Murder Case 1929
The Benson Murder Case 1930
The Thin Man 1934
After The Thin Man 1936
Another Thin Man 1939
Shadow of the Thin Man 1941
The Thin Man Goes Home 1945
