Picture above: ‘Black Sheep’ book cover and  Ian Hendry and Nicol Williamson – The Jerusalem File [1972]

Gabriel Hershman’s third biography is now set for release on 1st February 2018, published by The History Press.

‘Black Sheep – The Authorised Biography Of Nicol Williamson’ is a detailed study of the life and work of another gifted character actor, whose career spanned several decades, included many masterful performances, reached great heights but as Gabriel describes him, Nicol was also ‘a mysteriously elusive figure‘. With his trademark forensic research and numerous interviews, Gabriel has now produced the first official biography of this enigmatic actor.

His previous two books covered the life and work of  Ian Hendry and Albert Finney.

So I was curious. I asked Gabriel to explain why he had chosen Nicol Williamson as his next subject and what were the key similarities and differences between the three actors he has now written about.

The following is Gabriel’s response:

Gabriel Hershman – On Nicol Williamson……Ian Hendry and Albert Finney

“Why did I choose Nicol as the third subject of my biography? I had long since decided that I would only write about great actors. (I admit that’s all a matter of opinion, of course.) And Ian, Albert Finney and Nicol were all great actors.”

I was also attracted to writing about Nicol for a number of reasons. Firstly, no one had ever written his biography before. Secondly, he was a mysteriously elusive figure, a superstar of the late Sixties –especially on the back of his superb stage roles in Hamlet and Inadmissible Evidence – who seemed to vanish from view.

In fact, Nicol never appeared on the London stage between 1978 and 1994 – a 16-year gap that was a tragic omission for British theatregoers. It was clear he was woefully under-used. He should have been a regular on the West End stage or at the National but directors were wary of working with him because he had a ‘difficult’ reputation. And reputations are very difficult to shift. Of course, Nicol did some fine work on Broadway in the 1980s but his absence from the London stage was keenly felt. So it is that I regret not seeing him on stage. (Whereas, for example, I was fortunate enough to see Finney on stage five times.)

Picture: Nicol Williamson

When I saw a few You Tube clips of Nicol’s performance as Bill Maitland in the original 1965 Broadway production of Inadmissible Evidence, I knew I had found my third subject. The pounding passion, the ferocity of the character’s self-loathing, the emphasis on raw emotion rather than enunciation – this was not acting as such but, rather, BEING. And I think this is what made Nicol so great. Even with some other reputedly ‘great’ actors you sense sometimes that they’re going through it by rote, almost phoning it in. You see the wheels turning. With Nicol, on the other hand, each performance took you to the brink. He was, in the words of another performer who worked with him, ‘paddling for his life’. No wonder Nicol sometimes suffered from exhaustion after bearing the burden of such titanic roles.

I felt that Nicol was sorely underrated and that no one really knew very much about him. Rather as with Ian, what struck me was that so many of his obituaries were totally inadequate, even inaccurate. Everything from his date of birth through to his place of residence was reported wrongly. I simply felt that Nicol deserved better and so I hope my biography has done something to rectify the dearth of coverage, and the misinformation.

I will, however, qualify my tribute to Nicol by saying that I still believe that Ian Hendry was the greatest television actor Britain ever produced. He had a style of acting that was especially suited to the small screen – conveying deep emotion and thoughts with a sometimes quizzical look or a grunt of pained resignation. ‘Think it through and it will show’ was Ian’s tip to other actors and he was simply the best practitioner of his own advice. There was also a special charismatic quality to Ian. Sabine Muir, a great friend of Ian’s, once told me that Ian could always lift a room when he entered it. I know exactly what she meant. That’s God-given and certainly not something to be learned at drama school!

Going back to Nicol, his style of acting was more bravura than Ian’s. Not from a desire to overwhelm as such, but simply to offer more than audiences usually saw. In the words of Nicol’s son, Luke, ‘he didn’t want to dazzle – he wanted to immolate.’ Not better or worse – just different. But I would say that both Ian and Nicol were truly great actors. Finney was also a great actor, of course. He also perhaps more of an all-rounder than either Ian or Nicol in that he straddled all mediums equally successfully: films, TV and stage. He was also more durable and less self-destructive and had a more equable temperament. That really helped Finney throughout his career and proof of the old dictum that talent is just one part of the story . . .

But, to conclude, three great actors and, hopefully, three interesting biographies. If these books make you stop and think and appreciate their work a little more, then I will feel I have achieved something.

By Gabriel Hershman

Official Website of Gabriel Hershman : Gabriel Hershman

‘Black Sheep – The Authorised Biography Of Nicol Williamson’ By Gabriel Hershman is released on 1st February 2018.

Available to order on Amazon or to buy in store at Waterstones, Blackwells and all other good high street bookshops!

Amazon UK [View/ Order] – Black Sheep – The Authorised Biography Of Nicol Williamson

 

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The Jerusalem File [1972]

Fortunately, with the help of Gabriel, we managed to locate a copy of the complete film (albeit with Finnish subtitles!). We’ve included a couple of the key scenes from the film in this post – which feature Ian Hendry – but If you want to download the full film, you can do so from the link below:

Download (Secure Dropbox File) > The Jerusalem File (1972)

Set in the months following the 6-day-war this is the story of an attempt by young Israelis and Arabs to meet for a free political discussion. Interwoven are a love story, intrigue, strife and killings.

Video: The Jerusalem File (1972) Scene #1 | Donald Pleasence, Ian Hendry, Nicol Wiliamson + Bruce Davison

Much more background on this film, including many stills, in another one of our articles below:

The Jerusalem File [’72]  Ian Hendry, Nicol Williamson, Bruce Davison and Donald Pleasance

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‘Black Sheep – The Authorised Biography Of Nicol Williamson’ By Gabriel Hershman is released on 1st February 2018.

Available to order on Amazon or to buy in store at Waterstones, Blackwells and all other good high street bookshops!

Amazon UK [View/ Order] – Black Sheep – The Authorised Biography Of Nicol Williamson

 

Thanks to Gabriel for his contribution to this post;  I’m really looking forward to reading this biography and adding it to the Hershman collection!

Until next time,

Neil Hendry
Editor, Official Tribute To Ian Hendry

Further Reading

A detailed account of the life and work of Ian Hendry in the new biography:

Read: ‘Send in the Clowns – The Yo Yo Life Of Ian Hendry’ by Gabriel Hershman

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